Page 78 of Accidentally Yours

“I’ll have you know that I remembered my name yesterday.”

“You cried when the dishwasher beeped and woke the baby up.”

“It was an aggressive beep. I think the dishwasher is breaking.”

“You’re breaking, and we need help.”

“You’re trying to replace me,” she said.

“Oh my God.” I chuckled. “I’m not trying to replace you, sweetheart. I’m protecting you.”

“You’re saying I’m unhinged and can’t take care of our daughter.”

“You’re wrong. You’re sleep deprived and delirious. You’re heroic, beautiful, and one burp cloth away from an emotional collapse.”

“Too late. Emotional collapse activated.”

I heard Daisy’s cries coming from the bedroom. “I’ll go get the little princess. Enjoy your bath.” I leaned over the tub and kissed her.

Walking over to the bassinet, I stared down at my daughter, flailing and crying. Scooping her up, I held her against my chest, and the sweet sound of silence filled my ears.

“God, I missed you so much, princess.” I swayed back and forth, my hand softly circling her back. Walking over to the bed, I climbed on and sat up against the headboard. “You look bigger than you did when I left this morning. Who told you to grow while I was gone?”

She made soft cooing noises. Bringing up my legs, I lay her in my lap and held her tiny hands.

“Okay, listen. I know you don’t speak English yet, or any language, really. But I need to say this. You’re only two weeks old and you’ve already wrecked me.”

She cooed, and it melted my heart.

“I thought I knew what love was. I thought I understood what it means to be afraid of losing something. And then you came along with your tiny socks, tiny diapers, and your uncontrollable bodily functions and eyes that look exactly like your mom’s. Some days, I’m terrified I’m going to mess this up. But I promise you that I won’t. Even when you’re fifteen and slam the door in my face, or you hate my rules and think I’m just some old man. I will always be here for you. No matter what.” I lifted her and rested my cheek against her soft head. “I’ll be your safe place, okay? You don’t ever have to be the strong one for me. I’ve got you, and I always will. And your mom? She’s everything and more. One day, you’ll look at her and think, ‘How did I get so lucky?’ And you’ll love her just as much as I do. But not too much, okay? She’s still mine, and I had her first. Like, yes, she’s yours now, but she was mine before she was Mom. And I’m just saying, I don’t want to lose my spot.”

“Wow. Are you jealous of our daughter?” Willa walked into the bedroom with a towel wrapped around her.

“No. Oh my God, Willa. Why would you say that?”

“Because I just heard you emotionally negotiating your rank in the household with a two-week-old.”

“I was just saying?—”

“Jesus.” She laughed. “I married an emotionally unstable billionaire with a mommy-sharing complex.”

“Just remember, Willa. I was here first.” My brow arched.

“You are just too damn cute.” She leaned over and kissed me. “Since you’ve got this whole parenting thing down, I’m going to pour a glass of wine. If I don’t fall asleep on my way to the kitchen.”

“See, if we hire a nanny, you can do that nonstop all day.”

“I’ll think about it.” She walked out of the room.

“How about only part-time?” I shouted.

ChapterThirty-Four

Willa

“So, I got to thinking. Maybe we should start with a night nurse,” I said to Damien as he fed Daisy her bottle. “I can handle parenting as long as I get some sleep. What do you say?”

“Maybe we should ask the boss of the house first,” he said, staring down at his daughter.

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