Page 17 of Exposed

“I was a nanny and babysat kids all through college.”

“You know more about babies than me,” I mutter. “I’ve never taken care of a kid before.”

“The youngest I babysat for was a six month old. You need to find a pediatrician. They need vaccines at two months old.”

“Sounds good. I’ll add that to the list of a thousand things I need to do for my son.” At the baby’s mention, he cries and wiggles around in my arm. “You’re okay, little man.”

I stand and grab the diaper bag.

“How do you know you’re really his dad?” She asks as I unzip the bag one-handed.

“About ten months ago, I went to a photographer’s convention in Orlando.” I pull out a small package of diapers, wipes, a bottle, a pacifier and a can of formula.

“One of the convention days was the anniversary of a hard day for me. I was in a bad place mentally, and I slept with a girl that night and a different one the next night. Don’t remember either of their names.”

“How does this girl know your name then?”

“We had our convention name tags on,” I answer.

“Apparently, you left quite the impression on your baby mama.”

“That night was the one and only time I talked with her. I didn’t socialize with or get the phone number of either woman.”

“Well, you made her feel special enough that she trusts you with her child over her parents or herself.”

“If I sleep with a girl, I make her feel good,” I shrug. “That’s not the point. I now have a baby without a clue of how to take care of one.”

She glances at my clock. “Shoot. I need to leave for work.”

Panic rises in my chest. “You’re leaving me with him?”

“He’s your son. You’ll be fine.”

“Can you call in sick?” I ask.

“Nope.” She hauls her backpack on her slim shoulders.

Being left alone with a newborn sounds completely overwhelming, and my next thought is that Pepper shouldn’t drive in her death trap of a car. “Let me drive you. Save your gas money. I’m sure it’s too far for you to walk.”

“You’re right, it’s too far to walk. I’ll drive, but you stay here. I don’t have time for us to figure out how to install the car seat. Plus, he’s probably hungry. Read the formula instructions. Boil water and mix it with the formula. Then, let it cool a few minutes so it’s not hot.”

“Right,” I nod. I don’t like this flying by the seat of my pants business. I like knowing what I’m doing and being the one in charge. I’m a quick learner, though. I’ve got this.

As I walk towards the kitchen with the formula in onehand and my son in my other arm, I watch Pepper open the front door with her keys in hand.

“Pepper.” I’m afraid she won’t come back.

“Yeah?”

“Come back after work.”

She looks at me, and her jaw tightens.

“Please, Pepper. Come back. You know you want to.” And because I’m not above begging, I lift up my son.

“Please, come back to see me,” I mimick in a baby voice.

A smile lights up her beautiful face. It’s the first time I’ve seen her truly smile, and it steals the breath from my lungs. “Okay. Fine. For the baby, not for you. Babies like skin-to-skin time. Let him lay on your chest as much as you can. It’ll help you guys bond.”

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