Page 38 of Unexpected Delivery

“I love it, but that doesn’t matter. Do you guys like it?” I ask, frowning at Morris.

He’s on the floor assembling something. His head pops up, making his thick blond bun bounce. A wide smile crosses his face when he spots me, and little crinkles appear around his eyes. “We love it. You should check it out. That way, you don’t have to stay trapped in bed all day. Come see the oscillating chair-thing too.”

Hael and I come to a stop in front of where Morris is working, and I take a step back as I spot the box. It’s a brand I dismissed almost immediately because of the exorbitant cost attached to the name.

It has multiple modes and swears it mimics the swaying parents do when holding their baby. In addition to side-to-side, it also has front-to-back rocking capabilities, and it can be turned into a bouncy seat if you want to take off the attachments to make it oscillate.

The seat cover is in a rich dark gray, with cream-colored bars and stand.

I know how much that thing costs, and it’s not cheap.

Hell, it’s not even moderately priced.

“You bought that for Gracie?” I ask, and my eyes burn.

Adam wanted to wait until his family came to town once the baby was born to buy the stuff we needed. I didn’t have a baby shower, but he promised his parents and brother would buy anything we didn’t have. Because of that, he didn’t want us to wasteourmoney.

It drove my instincts crazy.

My system wanted to set everything up to make sure we didn’t miss anything, but any time those urges kicked in, I reminded myself that I didn’t plan to be there when the baby came.

I also didn’t want to piss him off by pushing the issue, but it’s clear now how little he cared about preparing for our child.

“We did.” Morris nods, grabbing a pole and studying the instructions. “There’s more if you’re up to checking it out. If not, it can wait.”

“Did you happen to find a baby monitor?” Hayes asks from the club chair he sat in to test it out.

“Yup.” Hael squeezes my hip. “Even remembered batteries for the receiver. What do you say? Want to see what we got?”

My lips roll together as I nod.

The postpartum hormones are no joke, but I’m not sure if they’re fully to blame.

No matter how fast my brain tries to come up with answers, I still have no idea how I’ll ever repay them for all they’ve done. It’s hard to explain because I know I’m not forcing them to be kind to me, but it almost feels like I don’t deserve it.

It’s impossible to tell if that’s leftover trauma from Adam or if it really is crazy how above and beyond they’ve gone for me and my daughter. And at the same time, I’m not strong enough to put a stop to whatever this is.

At this point, I’m along for the ride for as long as it lasts. “I would love to see the goodies you picked out.”

The amount of stuff they bought for me and Gracie is overwhelming. I appreciate it more than I can explain, but it’s also hard to receive such incredible gifts when I’m still stressing about how little I have to give in return.

Hayes cooks dinner while Morris works on assembling a stroller I didn’t even realize they purchased. It came with a super fancy car seat that can be clipped into it for ease if you need to grab and go.

Hael has Gracie strapped to his chest in one of those baby wear contraptions that I briefly looked at while shopping, but also decided I could never afford.

It’s probably best if I don’t try to guess the prices for all the things they bought. I have a bad feeling it would lead to a panic attack, and that’s not something I want to undertake tonight.

Hael laughs. He’s sitting on the other end of the couch, but his gaze is focused on Gracie. “She makes the silliest faces. She’s more entertaining than the TV.”

The television is on, but I’ve been distracted by Morris and the way he carefully moves step by step through the assembly process. There’s something sexy about the way he’s zipped through assembling product after product. And unlike Adam, who would have complained through the entire endeavor, Morris peeks at the instructions once or twice and then does the rest from memory.

Competence is strangely hot.

Hael’s phone beeps, and he tugs it off the arm of the couch. “By the way, Gracie’s appointment is at nine tomorrow morning.”

My jaw falls as my brain works through what he just said. “Wait, I thought it wasn’t tomorrow but the next day.” Oh yeah, Morris stayed with Gracie and me last night, meaning tonight will be the second night, and tomorrow is the day we have to be at the pediatrician’s office. “I would have forgotten. No joke. Mommy brain is a real thing.”

“It’s no big deal,” Hael says, running his hand down Gracie’s back over the stretchy sling. “I can take you. Morris has to handle payroll tomorrow, and Hayes needs to stop by the gym, but as it turns out, I’m free.”

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