Page 31 of I've Got You

“True, but still, we’re here if you need anything.” He pulled me close and patted me on the back. “It doesn’t matter if it’s the middle of the night. Got it?”

I stepped away and opened the car door. “Got it.” I smiled at him. “Go and relax with Carter. I’ll yell if I need anything.”

With a nod, he backed away, giving me a small wave.

Before long, I was at home and running Libby a bath, hoping it would help her relax a little more and hopefully exhaust her so she’d have a better chance of sleeping. While the water was running and Libby, who’d woken with a lower temperature and a happier mood, was crawling around my bedroom floor, I took the time to shoot out a couple of texts to organize cover for tomorrow. Thankfully, tomorrow’s specials were already prepared, and would only need twenty minutes in the oven to get ready for the morning rush.

I had faith Katie would manage just fine filling in for me.

I contemplated letting Scott know I wouldn’t be around, even though it was one of the rare shifts he wasn’t working with me. My fingers hovered over my cell before I shook my head and placed it in my back pocket. He’d said himself he wasn’t ready for more, and while a text wasn’t a big deal in the scheme of things, I didn’t want to push him any harder. But that didn’t make me not want to reach out to him.

I turned off the tap when the water had reached the right level, and double-checked the temperature. Rounding up Libby was next. She was standing on her bare feet, sans clothes, sporting just her diaper while gripping the side of my bed.

“Hey, cheeky girl. What are you up to?”

She angled her head in my direction, her mouth forming a smile. “Da Da.”

That never got old. Every time she said my name, my heart became fit to burst. I’d never known it was possible to love another human being to the extent that I did Libby, and every day, it managed, somehow, to grow that little bit more. I had no idea how that was even possible.

“Come on then. Bath time.”

Bath time was never a hardship. She loved them. Yeah, the bathroom always ended up looking like a mini tsunami had occurred, but her happiness while splashing around was worth the cleanup.

“Ba, ba.” With her knees bobbing up and down, she squealed.

“Yep, bath time. Come on then, baby girl. Bath, then bed.”

By this point, she’d angled herself to grip the bed with just one hand and was fully facing me. And then, holy shit, she did it. She released her death grip and took a step forward, then a second, and a damn third and fourth, squealing in delight the whole way before she toppled over on her ass.

Wide-eyed and heart pounding, I’d stood there transfixed, too overwhelmed to cheer her on or react beyond the grin I shot her way. I raced toward her, dropped to my knees, and pulled her into my arms, raining kisses on her face and blowing a raspberry on her neck.

“Da Da.” She tapped my face and wriggled in my arms. I held on tighter for the barest of moments, wanting her to feel every ounce of my love and pride. And then, reluctantly, I set her down. She gripped my hands and then released, and I was sure if she could speak, she’d be telling me to get the hell out of her way so she could carry on. Independent to the core, my Libby had known her own mind from day one. And I wouldn’t have it any other way.

I edged out of her way and got to my feet, creeping backward to give her room to walk. If she fell, or likely, when she fell, there was nothing around to injure her. After five stops, stumbles, and restarts, she was finally in the bathroom, butt naked and happily splashing around.

Kneeling on the floor beside the bath, I played with her, some of her toys, and the water until I was soaking wet and her eyes had become glassy. “Come on then, buttercup. Out we come.” When she was tired was the only time she held out her arms to get out of the bath. “Ready for some milk?”

“Boc boc.”

I wrapped her in a large towel and carried Libby to her room. While she seemed less grumbly than I imagined she had been for Carter and Tanner, I still expected she’d have a difficult night, so once she was in her sleep clothes, I rubbed some teething gel on her gums and gave her some more pain relief. I then sat down with her in my arms, and she drank from her bottle. As she did so, I stroked her whisper-soft hair from her forehead and smiled as her eyes drooped and her suckling slowed.

I was lucky to have Libby. Nothing about parenting had come easily or exactly naturally, but she made every single moment, the wonderful and the terrifying, worth it.

Finally asleep, I lowered her into her crib, turned on the baby monitor, and headed to the kitchen. I stared around the quiet room, feeling strangely at a loss. With Libby already in bed and not being well, unease thrummed through me. I rolled my eyes at myself as I pulled out some ingredients to make a simple pasta dish, frustrated that a break in routine shook me. It wasn’t like life was monotonous, per se, but having a quiet house earlier than usual and being on tenterhooks that Libby would be unsettled through the night made my home feel kinda off.

I chopped a few veggies and fried them up, putting the pasta on to boil. My phone weighed heavily in my back pocket, the urge to reach out to Scott niggling at me. With a bemused sigh, I pulled it out and opened my messaging app. After hesitating for the barest of moments, I typed out a quick message.

Me: Hey, did you manage to catch up with your sister?

I watched small bubbles appear and stared at them expectantly, casting a quick look at my cooking food.

Scott: Yeah, thanks. Saw the kids too. I think I convinced her to come over for a few days to visit. Yeah, not quite sure if that’s a good thing or not.

Me: Why not? The whole coming out thing?

I didn’t even falter as I typed out the words. I assumed that was his reasoning, so I figured it best just to come right out and ask him.

The bubbles were back.

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