Page 16 of Baby Contract

“The cheese is so good, though.”

“Seriously?”

The man nods. I roll my eyes.

“Fine. I’ll book a flight.” This is too good of a deal to let slip through my fingers. Plus, Remington is a bastard who should never be allowed to win a single thing, not even a foot race against a middle schooler.

“Also, bring a girl.”

I cock my head. “We don’t run that kind of business, Kyle.”

“No, not that kind of a girl, but like a fiancée. You know how he’s into families.” Unfortunately, I do. Yamamoto would always ask me if I had met someone yet and tell me I should have children while I was a young man. “Remington is here pretending he’s married with a baby. Mr. Yamamoto can’t stop talking about how cute the baby is.”

Fuck.“Book me a flight for the fourth. Actually, just rent out the whole first class cabin.”

“The whole cabin?”

“I’ve got a baby myself.”

“Since when? Actually don’t answer that. I don’t need to know. I like that you’re fighting fire with fire.” Kyle gives me two thumbs-up. “It shows dedication.”

He disconnects before I can correct him, but I have to admit that Remington having a baby out of the blue seems odd. My mom knows all the gossip, so I text her.

What’s this about Bob Remington having a kid and a wife?

That slimy prick? Who would ever willingly procreate with him? I haven’t heard anything. Let me check around. Also, why?

He’s in Japan trying to steal a deal from me.

Terrible. I’ve always disliked him.

After dealing with a few other business matters, I hunt down Addison and Violet. Ever since movie night, Addison has been avoiding me, and because I’ve been busy with work, I haven’t done much to address the wall she’s erected. A nice guy would respect the boundaries she’s trying to impose, but I’m not a fan of the space. Watching the movie with her while Violet slept in the other room filled me with more contentment and satisfaction than I’ve ever experienced. Not even closing eleven-figure deals has made me so giddy. I don’t know what it all means other than where I go, she should go, too.

I find her outside, sitting on a big blanket with a book. Violet is lying on her back wriggling her little hands and feet in the air. “Never mind maneuvers, always go at them,” I hear her say.

“Master and Commander?” I ask in surprise. Addison didn’t seem like the 19th century naval sea battle type of reader.

“You were reading it to Violet, so I thought I’d continue the story. She seems to enjoy it.”

I crouch down next to the baby and tickle her belly. She’s starting to smile and gurgle when you make faces at her, so of course I stick out my tongue and cross my eyes. I get a happy response, which makes me act sillier. In the back of my head, I acknowledge that this is out of character for me, but there’s a dopamine rush from getting this little being to giggle. I think that’s why babies are small. Their power is so immense that they need to be tiny or they’d shift the balance of the universe.

“I never would have guessed you would be the type to be so playful,” Addison observes.

“I didn’t think you would like books about seafarers.”

“It’s a bromance at heart, and everyone likes those. Kind of like you and Errol.”

I sit back on my haunches. “Me and Errol? He’s old enough to be my dad.”

“But you treat him like a friend. It’s not the usual employer-employee relationship.”

“Don’t ever let Errol hear you call him an employee. He’s the master here. I’m just the guy who eats at his table.” I reach out and lift Addison’s chin until I can look at her eyes. They’re wary, as if she’s not sure what my next move is and whether she will like it. She probably won’t. “I’m taking you to Osaka. You and Violet.”

“Umm, okay. Can I ask why?”

I hesitate, wondering how truthful I should be and then decide lying will only cause more problems down the road. “I need to show someone that I’m a family man. Violet is now my family.”

“I see.”

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