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Still, the words that came out of my mouth were, “I’ll help you, Knox. I’ll be your temporary nanny. If it goes beyond next week, I can give you until January, when I go back to school.”
CHAPTER10
KNOX
Late Thursday afternoon the following week, I was finally sitting down to reread earlier chapters, trying to catch up on my writing for the first time since Juniper had crashed on the scene like a meteorite.
Ava had been understanding and accommodating, but we’d only just started this cowriting career path. I hated to be the cause of us already being behind, even if I could acknowledge I had a valid excuse.
Quincy had settled in, and we were starting to establish a semiroutine between the three of us. After living alone for years, suddenly having not one but two roommates was an adjustment. Quincy was my opposite in many ways—she was an extrovert to my introvert; she preferred Hallmark and Bravo to my Discovery and Syfy shows; I’d started college before texting was common, and she’d practically been born with a phone in her hand. Yet we got along well despite our differences. She kept me on my toes with a mix of lightheartedness and irreverence.
I didn’t know what I would’ve done these past few days without Quincy. She might be only twenty-eight and a late bloomer in figuring out her life plans, but with a baby, she was confident and knowledgeable, optimistic and capable. She had a knack for guiding me while letting me figure things out myself to an extent. She was going to be an excellent schoolteacher, in my opinion. If Juniper was any indication, the kids were going to love her.
Tonight Quincy had the evening off so she could stay with her younger sister later on and had left early to run errands and bring carryout from the Dragonfly Diner for me—her idea, not mine, and I sure as hell appreciated the thoughtfulness.
I was puzzling over some nuances with my main character—I was writing the male lead’s point-of-view chapters, and Ava handled the female ones—when I heard stirring from the baby’s room. We’d taken her out of Quincy’s room and put her into the fourth bedroom after moving the boxes out and purchasing a monitor.
Pushing back from my desk, I stood, rolled my neck, then headed toward the baby. She was only stirring so far, not fussing, so I listened as I approached to see if she’d settle back down, selfishly wishing for another half hour to ponder the character issues.
It wasn’t to be. Juniper let out her first coo and then a snort, drawing a smile from me. As I strode into her darkened room, I was struck by how fast life could change. Less than a week ago, those soft noises would’ve sent me into a panic.
“Hey, little miss.”
She was lying on her back, her feet in the air, and she angled her head back to look at me. It was the simplest response, but when those baby blues spotted me, she broke out into a grin. Atme. The dude who barely knew what he was doing.
Though I didn’t pause in scooping her up, my heart stumbled in my chest at that grin.
Juniper was getting used to me, learning my voice. She was happy to see me after her nap. The wonder of that, of how it mademefeel, was almost too much to absorb.
“Come here, Juniper.” I held her above my face for a couple of seconds, then brought her nose to mine, and she let out an audible laugh. I’d never heard her do that before. “Did you just laugh?” I asked, bobbing her nose to mine again. She repeated the sound, proving it wasn’t a gas bubble or an accident—she was laughing with baby joy.
For the first time, I understood what the sayingmy heart is fullmeant. It was a physical sensation in my chest, a light one, as if it’d been pumped full of helium.
I might be new to babydom, but one thing I’d learned already was that postnap happies didn’t last all that long before postnap hungries set in.
As I snuggled her into the crook of my arm, I lowered the side of the crib, which we’d borrowed from Quincy’s friend Tansy, spread out a baby blanket on the mattress, and gathered a diaper and wipes. I could tell by the weight of her diaper she needed a fresh one.
I laid Juniper back on the blanket and made quick work of the diaper change, impressed with myself even if the baby wasn’t. When she lifted her feet again and grabbed one of them, I laughed, drawing her attention. Then, before I could get the fresh diaper underneath her rear, while she continued to stare at me and smile, she wet all over the blanket.
“You didn’t just pee,” I said, all cooing gone from my tone.
She laughed again, and damn if I couldn’t help grinning despite the mess. At least she hadn’t—
Damn.
She pooped next.
Right then and there, with me with a front-row seat and the blanket below her already drenched, she let out her lunch and then some.
Holy sh—
This pint-sized human could make a mess.
With a glance at the wipes to make sure we had plenty, I shook my head and couldn’t help chuckling. “Quincy was right when she said baptism by fire. You like to throw me wrenches, don’t you, June?”
As she stared at me with those big, curious eyes, she strained and, yep, pooped some more, as if that was her answer to my question.
What could I do besides laugh, breathe through my mouth, and clean up the mess that was Juniper?
