Page 9 of Blue Lines and Lullabies

I look around, bewildered, at the stacks of things on my counters. Boxes are strewn everywhere. “And I’ll need all of this?”

“Well, my sister suggested we add some things to the registry for a little further down the road. So you’ve got a variety of diaper sizes, plus all kinds of clothes going up to twelve months. She also suggested we add a bunch of different pacifiers because apparently, babies are fickle about what kind of … uh, nipple they like.” Grant’s face turns red as he finishes the final statement.

I feel movement in my arms, and I look down to see Mackenzie turn toward my chest and open her mouth. “Damn. She’s already hungry.”

“How do you know?” Jax asks with wide eyes.

“The nurses told me it’s called rooting when the baby turns toward you and tries to find a food source.”

“Huh,” Jax says as he watches Mackenzie.

“Can someone take her so I can get a bottle ready?” I ask. Jax and Grant step backward while Levi rolls his eyes.

“Jesus. I’ll take her,” he says.

Before he can pick her up, Luca steps forward. “Uh, actually, can I take her? I, uh, need a little practice?”

We all stare at him. I smile broadly as realization sets in. “Santzy, are you telling us you knocked up your girl?”

He smiles reluctantly. “I’m neither confirming, nor denying, that my girl is pregnant.”

“By all means, you need some practice,” I tell him as I gently deposit her into his arms. Luca is like a brick wall. He looks remarkably out of place with a tiny baby in his arms, but the look of wonderment on his face as he stares down at my daughter is dazzling.

Opening up the bag of goodies the nurses sent me home with, I remove the canister of formula, a bottle of water, and a baby bottle. Then I whip out my phone to pull up my notes.

“What are you doing?” Levi asks.

“I took notes. I want to be sure I do this correctly,” I mutter.

“Fucking hell. Give me the damn bottle, Daws. You don’t need notes.” Levi grabs the baby bottle and water. “Newborns don’t drink much. Start with two ounces. Never put the formula in first. Always start with the water, then add the formula.”

“In the hospital, they warmed the bottle up slowly,” I comment, and Levi shrugs.

“Pretty sure there’s a bottle warmer in one of the boxes, but for now, she’ll be fine drinking it at room temperature. Don’t microwave it because there can be pockets of super-hot water that can burn her mouth.” Levi expertly measures out the water and formula and has the bottle ready for Mackenzie in a matter of moments. He looks at me expectantly. “You gonna feed her, or should I?”

“Uh, you?” I say hesitantly. Levi seems pretty confident in his baby abilities, and I kind of want to see him continue. He snatches Mackenzie out of Luca’s arms, grabs what he tells me is a burp cloth off the counter, and walks out of the kitchen. The rest of us file quietly behind him.

“Did you guys rearrange?” I ask, noticing my couches are on different walls.

“Yeah, because the only place we could put the rocking chair was right by the window, and we worried the sun would come in and hurt her eyes. Oh, there’s another rocking chair in your bedroom. Babies get up a lot at night,” Levi murmurs.

Wow. They really thought of everything.

“The coaches chipped in and got you a crib, so we put that in the bedroom next to yours. But we also got a bassinet, and that’s in your room,” he continues.

I flop on the couch closest to Levi and Mackenzie and rub my eyes. “I don’t know how the fuck I’m going to do this. Coach said I can take the next two weeks off. He’s listing me as a healthy scratch, and telling the media it’s a personal matter, or a family emergency. My mom and dad want to visit, but they can’t just leave their jobs, so they’re planning to visit over spring break. That’s six weeks from now. What the fuck am I supposed to do?”

Grant clears his throat. “I may have a solution for you.”

“I’m all ears.”

“Well, my sister just moved here from Oregon. She wanted a change, so she came here without a job lined up. She has a background in early childhood education, and she’s the one who helped me with the registry. I think she’d be a great live-in nanny for you.”

“Live-in nanny?” I ask.

“Honestly, it makes more sense that way. Rather than you dropping Mackenzie off somewhere, she stays here. When you’re gone, my sister will be here for whatever Mac needs. Plus, my sister doesn’t have an apartment lined up, so you’d be helping her out.”

“That’s true. And don’t call my daughter Mac.”

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