Page 22 of Crazy Imperfect Hearts

“Mom let me change his diaper. It was gross. But she said if I wanted to babysit someday, I had to learn how to do it. It was all yellow like mustard and—”

“Okay then,” I interrupt, not wanting her to forever ruin one of my favorite condiments. “That’s something I most definitely do not need a play-by-play on.”

Maddie snickers on the other side of the room.

Tag comes in the room carrying a Diet Coke. He hands it to Maddie then notices me. “Hi, Regan.”

I wave then point at Teddy. “Well done. Looks like he’s a keeper.”

Tag beams. What a far cry from the Tag Calloway I knew growing up. The cocky jock who thought he could have anything or anyone. The guy I hooked up with forever ago. That Tag is long gone. This one, the one who is Maddie’s husband and nowGigi’s and Teddy’s dad, he’s one of the most stand-up men I know.

“Come on, princess,” he says to Gigi. “Let’s give your mom and Regan a minute. I saw strawberry ice cream in the cafeteria.”

He expertly scoops Teddy from Gigi’s arms and turns to me. “Want to hold him?”

I take a step back and shake my head. I don’t hold babies. Sure, some of my friends have had them over the years, but I admire them from afar. They are so small and delicate. I’m terrified I’ll do something to hurt them.

Tag puts his son in the rolling bassinet next to Maddie’s hospital bed. “See you girls later.” He kisses his wife and then leaves with Gigi.

“You won’t break him, you know,” Maddie says.

I laugh quietly. “You really want to test that theory with someone who’s never held one?”

“I’d never held a baby until I had Gigi. It’s a natural instinct.”

“For some people maybe. Not me.”

“Come on. You have to do it sometime. If Gigi can do it, you can.” Her stare is unrelenting.

“You’re going to make me do it, aren’t you?” My hands land defensively on my hips.

She shifts so she’s sitting at the edge of the bed and pulls the bassinet closer. Then she picks up a sleeping Teddy and practically shoves him at me.

“If I drop your kid and he walks in circles for the rest of his life, you’ll only have yourself to blame.”

Her eyes roll. “Shut up. You aren’t going to drop him.” She settles him against me. “Keep his head in the crook of your elbow for support.”

Staring down at the day-old human, I capitulate and let him mold into my arms. I don’t move a muscle. I’m a friggin’ statue,fearing if I even twitch, he’ll cry. But he doesn’t wake. After a few moments, his little mouth twists with a yawn then makes a sucking motion before he stills again.

“Damn, you guys made a cute kid.”

She pulls back the beanie, showing me his dark tuft of fine hair. “He’s got Tag’s gorgeous hair.”

“The rest of him looks just like Gigi.”

“I think so too.”

“Okay, you can take him back now,” I say, not daring to look away from Teddy for fear of dropping him.

Maddie chuckles. “Fine. But one of these days, I’m going to get you to do a lot more.”

“Yeah, we’ll see.”

When she takes Teddy from me, I breathe a sigh of relief. But that relief also comes with something else, a niggling in the back of my mind that I can’t quite put my finger on.

I sit on the foot of her bed. “You’ll never guess who came into my shop today.”

When I don’t immediately tell her, she asks, “Are you going to make me pull it out of you like the other—wait… it was Lucas, wasn’t it? Lucas Montana came into your shop?”

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