Page 24 of Taming Bull

“Hey Marcus,” she cooed, rubbing a finger down the side of his chubby cheek. “I’m your favorite aunt, Moni, and we’re gonna be great friends. I’ll teach you how to catch frogs, race dirt bikes, fly jets, swear like a pilot, and give your dad all sorts of gray hair.”

“Great. Thanks,” Havoc grumbled, fighting back a smile. He looked scary, but he was about as vicious as Brahma.

“Want to hold him?” I asked Monica.

She eyed the baby skeptically. She was kind of weird about babies. Naomi, Monica’s best friend, had a toddler named Maya. Monica loved Maya and considered her family, but I rarely saw her hold Maya.

“What’s wrong? You scared of babies?” Havoc asked.

“No, I’m not scared of babies,” Monica snapped, still watching little Marcus like he was Gizmo, star of an old comedy horror movie. Cute and harmless now, but if she handled him wrong, he’d turn into a gremlin and attack her.

Havoc chuckled. “You sure? You look terrified.”

“I’m not scared of babies, per se. I’m scared this whole pregnancy bug could be contagious, and I’m not about that life.”

Stocks eyed her. “I don’t think pregnancy is contagious, babe.”

“That’s what the man wants you to think, but you don’t know for sure,” Monica replied. “The girls all keep catching motherhood like it’s the goddamn flu. I ain’t catchin’ no baby bug, Butter.”

She was being ridiculous. “I’ve been babysitting for more than a decade and haven’t gotten pregnant,” I said.

“Yeah? Well, you go ahead and take your chances, but I’ll be over here livin’ my best childless life.”

“Oh, come on, Auntie Moni.” I leaned closer, practically setting the baby on her lap.

Marcus’s eyes drifted to her and he gave her a lopsided smile. He was adorable, and she couldn’t help but return the gesture. Recognizing her moment of weakness, I doubled down on my efforts.

“He smiled at you! Look, he likes you.” He most likely just had gas, but she didn’t need to know that.

“Of course, he likes me. I told you, I’m the cool aunt.”

“You sure you’re not the chicken aunt?” Havoc asked, goading her.

She scowled at him for a minute before turning on Stocks. “You just gonna let him talk to me like that?”

Stocks threw his hands up in the air. “Do you have any idea how sexy you look with a baby in your arms?”

Her scowl only deepened. “Don’t you start in, too. It’s bad enough I have my mom beggin’ for grandbabies.”

“It’s your body. Your choice. But you gotta admit, we’d have one hell of a cute baby.”

“The cutest.” A smile tugged at her lips, but she fought it like a champ. “Okay. Fine. Hand over the little ankle biter.”

“Careful with his head and neck,” Havoc cautioned.

She snorted. “Oh be quiet, you big lug, I know damn well how to hold a baby.”

After the initial awkward handoff, Monica leaned back in her seat, cradling the baby in her arms. As she studied his features, her expression softened. “He’s got your big ass forehead, Havoc.”

Havoc’s eyebrows shot up. “I don’t have a big ass forehead.”

“Yeah you do. And you passed it along to this poor little man. Thankfully, he’s got his mama’s cheek bones and eyebrows.”

Havoc’s lips tugged into a smile. “Yeah.”

“His skin is darkening. He was so pale when he was born, but now it’s the perfect shade of caramel brown.” Her gaze roamed over Stocks and I couldn’t help but wonder what was going through her mind. Was she considering what their child would look like? As her attention returned to the baby, emotion flooded her eyes. Her shoulders dropped and she let out a breath. “Fuck.”

“What’s wrong?” Stocks asked.

---