Page 11 of Baby Contract

"I need to get you food that has substance."

"Hot dogs are packed with various substances. I'm fairly certain they contain three varieties of meat," I deadpan.

“We’ll have to discuss this with Errol. I’m not sure he’ll put hot dogs on the menu at home.” Is there really a whole menu? I thought the Conrads had money. This really is a whole other level. “But I’m sure I can smuggle you some in.” I fight a laugh because I’m pretty sure he’s serious.

“Maybe we should discuss a name for the baby.” I can’t keep calling the baby “baby.” It’s weird. Then again, weird would match her father.

“We can come up with one if you wish. But the birth certificate should have one on it. Right?”

“Not always. Sometimes people can’t decide, so they come back later to fill it in.”

“If I was to guess, she named her Chanel or Mercedes.”

“Not Hermes?”

“Possibly.” He shrugs like this is actually a real possibility. I thought we were joking.

What kind of woman did he hook up with? Carr is too smart for this. I believed I was well-versed in Target, but his mental fact sheet proved otherwise. Then again, most men think with their other head when it comes to women.

“We’re all loaded up, sir,” Ben tells us. I swear every person that passes us stares. I’m sure they’re wondering why we’re here. Carr doesn’t exactly fit in here with his custom suit and black card. “Did you eat that?” Ben nods toward my hot dog, of which I have only a few bites left.

I pick it up and polish the rest off. “Now I did. Delicious.”

“The yellow stuff is cheese,” Carr informs him.

"Errol would hate this.”

“Hey, Carr said he liked it. Talked about putting it on the menu back home.” I laugh out loud at the look of shock on Ben’s face.

“You’ve a better chance of getting Errol to make coconut cream pie which is like zero because he hates coconut.”

“I’m guessing nachos are out then too.” He doesn’t even respond to that one.

“Don’t worry, love, I’ll get you the yellow cheese if it's the last thing I do.” He winks at me. I guess we’re still pretending we’re a couple. I thought it was a joke, but he’s really sticking to it.

I'm curious about the whereabouts of his child's mother and their relationship. I’m guessing they’re not on great terms with her dropping her baby and taking off. Don’t get me wrong; Carr should step up either way, but they should be a team at the very least.

We get the baby loaded up and are on our way. When we make it back to the mega mansion, I take over feeding her before giving her a bath. Once I put on a fresh diaper and onesie, she falls asleep quickly, sucking on her pacifier.

“Holy crap,” I mutter when I step back into the nursery. All the furniture from Lullaby Love is already set up. Carr really did get everything.

“She’s been so calm since you got here.” Carr is freshly showered. I can tell he’s exhausted.

“I’m glad I could help. She’s a sweet girl.” I rub her chubby cheek.

“What is that?”

“It’s a pacifier. It will help soothe her.”

“There is so much I don’t know.” Carr runs his fingers through his hair, dropping down in the rocker.

“It’s going to be okay. This is all new to you.” I lay her down gently into the crib. “You’ll get the hang of it,” I try to reassure him. Sure, he might have made some shitty choices to get here, but he clearly cares about the baby girl. He’s been watching her sleep out of fear. I’m actually impressed with how present he’s been.

“You really are a lifesaver,” Carr says when I hand him one of the baby monitors. I’ll keep the other. There are a million Target bags that need to be unloaded and gone through, but that can wait for tomorrow. It’s been a long day, and exhaustion is beginning to creep in.

“Do you have a shirt or something I can wear to bed?” I'm actually not sure where I’ll be sleeping. I’ll need to go tomorrow and collect my things from the hotel. I should probably check in with the agency too.

“Of course.” He stands quickly. “You’ll need a room.”

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