Total pages in book: 88
Estimated words: 83467 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 417(@200wpm)___ 334(@250wpm)___ 278(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 83467 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 417(@200wpm)___ 334(@250wpm)___ 278(@300wpm)
“You have to be very careful with his head. Always support it. He can’t control it yet.”
“You’re giving him to me now?! While he’s crying?”
“Do you know how to fix a bottle?” I asked him pointedly.
“No,” he replied.
“Didn’t think so. Now, hold your son.”
Kye held out his hands awkwardly, and I chuckled.
“Take his head in your palm, then bring him in close to your chest,” I instructed.
Kye looked terrified, but he did what I’d told him to do.
When he had Jagger against him, the crying stopped, and Jagger stared up at Kye. I blinked back my tears and stood up. I could not get emotional about this. I had to stay strong and focused. I might not be able to keep Jagger myself, but I would make sure we found him the best parents in the world.
“Hey,” Kye said to him, and Jagger’s little eyes widened. “I think I startled him,” Kye said, glancing up at me, concerned.
“He’s listening. Talk to him. He needs kind words. We don’t know what all he’s heard from the woman who gave birth to him.”
Kye looked back down at him. “Yeah, she was a real bitch.”
“Kye, language. Don’t curse. Sweet words.”
“What are sweet words?” he asked me.
“Just no cursing and no talking about the underworld.”
He grinned as he stared at Jagger. “She’s vetoing the good stuff,” he told him.
I went to make the last bottle while I listened to Kye talk to him. This was not at all something I’d thought we would ever experience together, but I realized it might be the only time I got to see Kye be a dad. It was sad to me that he didn’t want this in his future. A wife, a family. Well, a real family. Not the underworld.
I found the distilled water that had been packed in the bag and wondered if the mom had left this or if Kye had gotten it somewhere else. I was just about done when my phone rang. I pulled it out of my pocket and saw Bowie’s name. I couldn’t talk to him right now. I sent it to voice mail, then headed back to the living room.
Kye looked up at me when I handed him the bottle.
“You look comfortable. Time for lesson two,” I said.
He reached out and took it from me. “You sure this is a good idea?” he asked.
I nodded. “Yep.”
Kye held the bottle and stared down at Jagger. “What do I do?”
“Put the nipple in his mouth,” I replied.
“Not words I’m used to hearing you say, Baby Doll,” he replied with a smirk.
“Don’t make it dirty, Kye. You’re feeding your son.”
“You’re the one who said nipple,” he replied.
Jagger let out a wail, and Kye put the bottle into his mouth. It only took him a second to realize it was there, and his lips clamped down on it and sucked.
“Too bad you don’t get to suck on the real thing, little man,” Kye said to him.
“Maybe we should add not talking about sexual things to the list of stuff that’s inappropriate,” I suggested.
Kye lifted his gaze to me. “What? It’s true. The one time in a male’s life he gets to suck on big, full tits all the damn time, and he’s missing it. Just seems like he is being robbed.”
I sat down beside him, watching the two of them. “He won’t remember,” I told him.
Kye ran his hand gently over the white-blond hair covering Jagger’s head. “He’s got the same hair I did when I was a baby.”
I’d seen the pictures. I should have noticed it immediately, but in my head, it just didn’t click that Kye could be a father. That was not where my thoughts had been going. But the more I looked at Jagger, especially when his eyes were open, I could see Kye. So much Kye.
My phone began to ring again, and I pulled it out to see Bowie’s name. I had to talk to him, or he’d get worried. I stood back up and walked toward the kitchen before I answered.
“Hey.”
“Hey. Why did you send me to voice mail?” he asked.
“I couldn’t answer right then.” I left out why.
“What were you doing?”
I should have known he was going to ask. I didn’t know if Kye wanted me to talk about this. I walked back to the living room, and from the doorway, I pointed at the baby, then at the phone. Kye shook his head. I had guessed that. He didn’t want me telling anyone.
“I was trying to make a reservation with a bakery to taste vegan cake options,” I lied. It was on my to-do list though, and I planned on doing that tomorrow.
Kye’s eyes widened, as if he were impressed by my convincing lie. I turned and walked back to the kitchen.
“We don’t have to do a vegan one, but I have several friends who are also vegan. It’s becoming more popular. Maybe do a small one, and then the big one can be a regular cake.”