She waves me off with her hand. “I sent one little group text. It’s no big deal.”
“Group text? As in, thewholegroup?” I question. Without delay, my phone starts having a technology seizure in my hand, text message notifications nearly blowing it up.
Jude: Just heard you’re opening a day care, dude. Mind if I put Sophie’s and my future child on the list now so I know we’ll have a spot?
Ty: You should take Izzy to the Carlyle today. I hear they do a nice lunch spread.
Mom: I heard you’re spending today with Izzy! Think I can get a few pictures to print out at Walgreens? I want to put her on the fridge!
I look up from my phone and into Winnie’s unrepentant eyes without answering any of them. “If you weren’t the mother of my favorite niece, I would kill you.”
She cocks her head shamelessly. “Tell me, Rem. How’s that cleaning going that I set up for you?”
“Hand over the baby, Winnie.”
She pretends to pout, but she hands Izzy to me and places the diaper bag on my shoulder.
And when she sees I’m already on the move, she calls toward me, “Rem! Why are you leaving so soon? You don’t want to hang out here with your favorite sister? Have a cup of tea? Chat about the weather?”
I hold up my middle finger over my shoulder as I jog down the stairs, spinning around to face her and strap Iz into the carrier when I get to the bottom.
“Thanks to you, we’re a little busy today. Got a library playdate with Flynn and the boys to get to now.”
Winnie grins and waves and then blows a kiss to Izzy. “Have fun.”
I don’t even bother waving before turning to head down the block and placing a kiss to the top of Izzy’s sweet head. “I’m sorry I left you overnight with a crazy lady, baby.”
Izzy kicks and squirms, and after I’m assured she’s secure and comfortable in her spot in front of me, I pull out my phone one last time and commit to something thathasto be out of another dimension.
A playdate. With Flynn. And three infants.
Me: We’ll meet you at the library in 30. But I’m going to be really disappointed if they don’t have snacks.
Remy
Izzy and I turn up the block where the library is located, and she snorts a snot bubble right into my chest. I laugh, grabbing a tissue from my pocket and wiping at her teeny nose. “That’s better, girlfriend. Can’t be meeting up with Flynn and the boys with boogers on our face, can we?” I shake my head down at her. “No way.”
She stares at me as I chat, and I smooth a hand over her fuzzy-haired head. When I look up to focus on the library, movement catches me off guard out of the corner of my eye.
After a double take, I realize it’s Flynn, Ryder, and Roman, walking out of the Naked Turtle…a bar I haven’t been inside in at least ten years.
“Did you really just come walking out of a bar with two babies in your arms?”
Flynn shrugs. “What’s the big deal? They weren’t drinking.”
“Were you?”
“Sure.”
My eyes widen slightly, but he qualifies his answer with a grin before they can pop out of my head.
“Green tea.”
Bastard. I smirk. “Fatherhood has changed you, bro.”
“I’ve always been the same. The babies just make it more obvious.”
“How? What are they? Baby highlighters?”