Total pages in book: 83
Estimated words: 80304 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 402(@200wpm)___ 321(@250wpm)___ 268(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 80304 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 402(@200wpm)___ 321(@250wpm)___ 268(@300wpm)
“You’re about to have a new baby cousin,” she tells Remi. “I have no doubt Blakely is going to take you both under her wing and show you the ropes.” She laughs softly to herself. “You’re lucky, little one. You have such a big family and so many people who love you. Never take that for granted,” she says, emotion filling her voice.
The thought of her being upset twists me up inside, so I step into the room. “There you are. I was wondering if you ran off amid all the excitement.”
“Nah, just getting this little one away from it all.” She smiles down at Remi before pulling her eyes back to me. “Everything okay out there?”
“Yeah.” Before I can comment further, Brooks steps into the room.
“There’s my girl,” he says, moving to stand next to Crosby as she feeds Remi. “Thank you for taking her.”
“She’s precious,” Crosby replies, still smiling down at my niece in her arms.
“What’s the plan?” I ask Brooks.
“Orrin and Jade are taking Kennedy and Declan to the hospital. Ramsey and Deacon are dropping Piper off at her house. Sterling and Alyssa are taking Mom to the hospital.”
“Ryder went to Mom and Dad’s. He’s going to stay with Blake. We all know Dad’s going to want to be there too.”
Brooks nods. “Yeah, he will.”
“You going?” I ask him.
“Nah, we don’t want to take Rem,” he says, looking at his daughter.
“I know you don’t know me well, but I’d be happy to watch her for you. I can stay here or go to your place, or mine, or your parents’ with Ryder. Whatever makes you the most comfortable. I’m happy to help. In fact, I want to help. Your wife, your family,” she corrects, “has welcomed me with open arms. New girl in a new town, all alone, and they’ve invited me into their lives. It’s the least that I can do.”
“Well, damn. I was going to volunteer to watch Remi. I know Palmer will want to be at the hospital for Kennedy. You stole my thunder.” I smile at Crosby.
“You should be with your family,” Crosby insists.
“Remi is my family. Besides, I’m working on being her favorite. That takes time and attention.”
“Thank you, Crosby,” Brooks says. He looks at me, and I nod. “We’d appreciate that very much.”
“I’m going to stay too. Just in case you all need anything. I can take the next shift if needed. Besides, I have a key to your place if we run out of supplies for Remi.”
“Could you maybe go there? She does better if she sleeps in her bed, and I don’t know how long we’ll be and how much formula we have left.”
“Sure.” Reaching into my pocket, I pull out the keys to my truck and toss them to him. “We’ll swap vehicles since I don’t have a car seat base in mine. Just a booster for Blake.”
“Thanks, man.” He turns to Crosby. “Thank you for helping this one watch her.” He acts as if I’m not capable, and we all know that I am. However, I’m not mad about it. Whatever it takes to spend a little time with the beautiful Crosby, I’m all for it. She’ll find out soon enough that I’m more than capable of watching my niece all on my own.
Palmer walks into the kitchen, and Brooks tells her the plan. She looks at me and winks before she turns to Crosby. “Do you mind riding in the back seat with her? She’s sometimes fussy during car rides.”
My sister-in-law is up to no good, and I’m all for it. We all know Remi is the best baby. She doesn’t get fussy unless she’s tired, hungry, or needs her diaper changed. She’s helping me out, making sure that Crosby is at my mercy with no way home once we get to her place. I make a mental note to offer my babysitting services again whenever they want or need it. She’s earned it. Not that I wouldn’t have readily agreed otherwise. Maybe I’ll do the dishes or a couple of loads of laundry while I’m there. That will definitely help keep me from trying to seduce my babysitting companion.
“Oh, sure. Is it okay if I leave my car here?” Crosby asks.
Hook. Line. Sinker.
Thank you, Palmer!
“Yeah,” Brooks chimes in. “It will be fine here. Thank you for this.”
Crosby smiles at my brother and his wife. “I’m happy to help.”
Brooks leans down and places a kiss on Remi’s forehead. “Daddy loves you,” he says softly. Palmer repeats the process, and with a wave and a promise to keep us updated, they’re out the door.
“Let me walk through the house and lock up. I’m going to clean up the food and whatnot, and then we can go. Is that all right?”
“Yes, of course. I can help.” She’s quick to offer.