Page 76 of Never Bargain with the Boss
“For me too. But it’s only for a little bit. We can figure us out, and then talk to Grace. For now, we can do this… for Grace’s sake.”
She leans my way and pulls me down to growl into my ear. “I seriously love that girl, but she’s a cockblocker.”
I laugh, the too-loud sound coming from deep in my chest, and I can’t help but nod. “That, she is.”
But I didn’t miss the most important part of what Riley said… she loves my little girl.
The little girl who deserves a mother figure. Not one to replace Michelle. That could never happen, and I wouldn’t want it to. But a woman to be here when she’s struggling with friendships and boys and who sets an example for her as she’s becoming a young woman who’s confident enough to be loud in every space she occupies.
And that’s Riley for sure.
RILEY
“Are you sure you’re okay with this?” Janey asks, her eyes bouncing from me to the video image of Emmett on her phone.
I hold up my phone, showing that I also have the monitor app open. Emmett is sleeping peacefully in his crib, his sweet lips pursed and eyes closed. “It’s fine. He’ll be fine. I promise. Go have fun.”
“If you get nervous, we can look at the cameras too,” Cole tells her, standing at her side like a sentinel.
It took some time to get used to it, but the camera-filled house doesn’t bother me now. Well, it took time and a solid reassurance that there’s no video feed from the guest bathroom, because that would a step too fucking far. But now, the fully automated and monitored home makes me feel safer, like if anything went down, Cole and Janey would instantly know.
Not that I expect anything to happen.
Emmett’s going to nap while Grace and I watch the latest episode ofAlchemy of Souls, the K-drama she’s gotten me addicted to, and when Emmett wakes, I’ll feed him a bottle and we’ll have some play time on the floor. He’s rolling over andsitting up, though we keep a boundary of pillows around him in case he falls over, but that’s happening less and less.
This isn’t the first time Janey has left Emmett alone. It’s not even the first time she’s left him alone with me. But this isn’t a quick outing to Target or a stop at Starbucks. The luncheon at the Ivy Care Center will be a several-hour affair, as Janey has loads of catching up and picture sharing to do while Cole plays what’s apparently an important game of chess with one of the residents.
“Okay, I’m just gonna miss him,” Janey whispers.
“Didn’t he poop on you like a week ago?” Grace wonders aloud. She’s stretched out on the couch, staring at her phone. I’m pretty sure she’s texting with Liam. “And you had to wash him in the sink while his poop ran all down your leg? And it was like an hour before Riley got here and you could take a decontamination shower?”
That’s not exactly how it went down. Janey’s a great mom and an even better multi-tasker. She could’ve easily hopped in the shower with Emmett and cleaned them both up, but she’d also had a cake in the oven and hadn’t wanted it to burn while she was getting them cleaned up, especially given she’s not an experienced baker. The actual playout was a bit more like… sink bath for Emmett, a good handwashing, cake done, and then she was ready to shower when I arrived for my already pre-arranged babysitting gig.
But Grace is poking at the not-so-glamorous moments of parenting, reminding Janey that it’s not always all it’s cracked up to be.
Cole snorts, fighting hard and nearly losing his battle to contain his laughter. If anyone can cause him to not take his wife’s side, it’s his niece.
Thankfully, Janey has no such desire and laughs outright. “Yeah, little bugger got me good. And it was green because we started him on avocado the day before.”
“Ready?” Cole asks her, holding out her coat. She sighs and slips her arms in, letting Cole button a few at her chest before taking her hand.
“We’ll be back in a few hours. Call or text or send out a smoke signal if you need anything.” She waves her arms at the camera to demonstrate.
“I will,” I promise, nodding.
Cole and Janey walk out the front door, and I lock the multiple deadbolts behind them and set the alarm the way Cole taught me. As I do, I’m glad I didn’t ask him if he’s checked on Austin and the kids recently. It was on the tip of my tongue, nearly flying out, but I swallowed it down. There’s no need to panic. No need to send everything into a death spiral when it’s going so well otherwise.
I can handle Austin.
Can I? The whole reason I’m here is because I called Cole for help in the first place.
That’s true, but all I needed Cole to do was check on the kids placed in Austin’s care. That’s all I asked for, and the rest fell into place the way life does. So Austin doing one of his pop-up appearances really isn’t that bad in the big scheme of things, just another typical Austin manipulation power play.
One I refuse to give another moment’s thought when he’s probably already back home with Beth.
Okay, so denial isn’t just a river in Egypt, but focusing on the good has served me well and I intend to keep doing it.
I stop at the back of the couch, waiting for Grace to look up. When she pulls her eyes from the screen, I grin and hold my hand out for a fist bump. “Well played with Janey, Gracie girl. Well played.”