Page 10 of Sven

Stacie looked over her shoulder and jumped as if Sven had scared her. He mouthedsorry, since she was still on the phone.

“I’m going to have to let you go,” she said before hanging up.“Sorry about that.”

“Don’t worry about it. I finally got the crib put together. I can go put the sheets on if you want.”

“I can do it,” she said, moving to stand. “But after that, it’s time for Winnie’s bath and a bottle.”

“Can I help with that?” Sven asked.

“Do you really want to?” She walked over to Sven.

“Yeah, I really do,” he said, still making faces at the baby.

“Thank you so much, for everything...” said Stacie. Her voice caught on the last few words, and before he knew it, she was clinging to Sven, crying. “I was so scared to tell you. I thought you might send us away, and I didn’t know what I would do if that happened.”

“Shhhh,” he said, wrapping his arms around her. “It’s okay. You can stay here, and we’ll get it all figured out. You should’ve come sooner. I would’ve helped.”

She pulled back and glanced up at him.

He was still having a hard time placing her.

“This is going to make me sound like a total dick, but when did we hook up?”

She laughed. “So, I was that forgettable, huh? It was about fourteen months ago. When you were in Detroit last December.”

He thought back. He did remember her. “You were a shot girl, you say?”

“Yeah, I tried to tell you. I got tickets to the gala, but you didn’t seem interested.”

So, shewasthe woman from the gala. He thought he had recognized her from that event.

“I thought you were from the gala. Why didn’t you tell me you were pregnant?”

“I wanted to,” she said as she walked closer to him. “I just was scared. When I finally got the nerve to come talk to you, someone important arrived, and you were busy... I just lost my nerve then, I guess.”

Finally, he remembered. His father had shown up towards the end of the gala. If that hadn’t happened, this whole thing could have been different.

“Well, that’s behind us now. We’ll get this figured out.”

She stepped in closer and wrapped her arms around him again.

Even though he hugged her back, it felt different this time. He hoped she wasn’t getting the wrong idea because he was going to be here for her and Winnie, but it was just that.

But then Winnie whimpered, and he moved out of the awkward embrace.

“You go get those on the bed, and I’ll pick up my girl,” he said, bending to get Winnie out of the bouncer. “There is a guest bath across the hall. We can give her a bath as soon as you’re done.”

She was perfect, even if this situation wasn’t.

Stacie disappeared up the stairs as Sven moved to the couch and sat with her on his lap.

“Hey, Winnie, how’s it going?”

She babbled back to him and reached for the tub of little strawberry-flavored puffs next to him. He got the container and gave her one. The way her tiny little finger picked it up from his big, calloused hands made him emotional. She was so little, and they’d been so alone in the awful motel.

Never again.

“Okay,” Stacie called from the stairs. “I have the bath ready if you want to bring her up.”

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