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The bonus was that, in all those scenarios, Izzie wasn’t taking care of him alone. At least one of us could keep an eye on them.
The danger was still haunting us. I couldn’t even blame my sleepless nights solely on Teddy. It was hard to sleep knowing your family was being targeted by a cartel. It was even harder to consider your father was in on it.
Since that was a federal investigation, and Mia and Danny were so close to it, Aaron got us some undercover agents to keep an eye on things. Mia dove into the investigation, trying to get a connection between everything going on and anticipating their attacks.
Danny was assigned to assist her, while Zach and I dealt with our clients. Whenever we got too swamped, Danny and Mia would step in, putting out fires. Since Danny and I had kids, we normally went home early. With me being the father of a newborn and Danny being already a factual single dad (Andre had finally left the house, leaving Sofia behind), sleeping and resting were a luxury. Mia and Zach were active in taking care of Gabe, but whenever Haley was with his boy, the Bryant duo would work late to catch up with business, new assignments, investigations, and research.
To say we were all worn to the bone was putting it mildly.
Even weeks after my boy was born, we weren’t close to getting an answer on the cartel’s next step. At least we knew our enemies and were aware of what they were capable of. Not that that was reassuring at all.
Just like me and Haley, Danny started bringing Sofia with him. Since Haley started working with us, Mia turned one of our offices into a playroom/nursery. We installed cameras inside, so we could watch and hear Gabe. We started using it for our other kids as well. It wasn’t ideal, but we could keep them close during those trying times.
Jackson and Rosie offered to babysit all three kids, but even though Haley, Izzie, and I took them up on their offer a few times—even Danny on the rare occasion—he wasn’t comfortable doing so. Seeing as how his situation was different from ours (Haley lived with Mia, and Izzie and I were co-parenting, while he was totally alone), he was on the lookout for a nanny.
I was in the playroom, working on a couple of files for new clients, while Teddy was lying on his playmat, trying his best to reach for the colorful animals above him. From time to time, I’d shake the animals, enjoying how excited my boy got when his toys danced for him.
I was lost in that cycle when Mia walked in. “I see you’re having a very productive day.”
“I can’t get enough of how active and smart he is.” There was no hiding my wonder.
“That, he is.” She lay down on her stomach beside him, rested her head on her arms, facing him, and started making noises and faces to my—not so little anymore—Bean. “Look at those strong legs. You’ll have one hell of a kick, won’t you, buddy?” Still playing with him, she asked me, “Where is Izzie?”
“I told her to take a nap in my office. She needed the rest.”
Mia poked my boy and shook his toys, making him squeal in delight as she giggled.
Those kinds of moments fed me. When things were hard enough to drive me crazy, when all I wanted was to storm outside and shoot at everything like a madman, all I needed to do was love on my son, hug my woman, or see my family caring so much for him. He had more love in his few weeks of life than I had for almost all my formative years.
“You know?” Mia was still on the floor, playing with Teddy. “Some ducks and birds imprint on humans when they’re hatched. They normally follow and get attached to the first large moving being they see when they’re born.” More poking. “Danny and I were the first people he saw.”
“Yes...”
“I guess it’s safe to say we’ll be his favorite.”
“By that theory, babies were supposed to attach to the mother’s doctors. And are you really comparing my boy to a duck?”
“First of all, I’m not an anonymous doctor. I’m his favorite auntie. I’m way more special. Secondly, ducks are cute. They can fly, walk, and swim. They do it all weirdly, but they do.”
“What are you doing up here?”
“I needed an energy boost, so I came to see this little guy. I was also looking for Danny, but that can wait.”
“Looking for me?”
Mia hoisted herself up, kneeled beside Teddy, and turned to Danny. “I arranged a meeting with that girl I talked to you about. Since we’re spending most of our time here, I thought it’d be easier for you if the interview was at the company. She’s getting here any minute.”
“Thank you,cariño.”
“What meeting?”
“I need a babysitter for Fee. Mia told me about this girl who moved back here after college. I’ll interview her today, and if I think it’s a good fit, I’ll schedule another one with Sofia to see how she handles my girl.” He sat down on the other side of my boy, squeezing his crossed, tree-like legs, and picked up a musical toy to play with Teddy.
“Where is Fee, by the way?”
“My parents have Gabe, her, and Hugo for today,” Mia answered me.
“My mom is coming to spend a few days with me. She wants to spend more time with Sofia, so she’ll be with her when I’m working until I can hire a nanny. I hope this woman is a good fit, because so far I’ve had zero luck.”
