Page 81 of Say Yes to the Hot Mess

“All right,” she says, shooting me one last glance before her eyes drop to Archer. I notice her face soften when she looks at him.

Ha.That’s right—justtryto look at that chubby little face and do anything but smile. My baby is cute, dangit.

She turns and clicks her way out of the house without another word, Dex following her while I remain in the living room. A few seconds later I hear the front door close, and he returns.

“I’m so sorry, Maya. She had no right to barge in or say anything like that.”

I nod, sitting on the couch. My arm is starting to shake, probably from a combination of carrying Archer and the remaining adrenaline. “She really doesn’t like me.”

Dex looks pensive as he comes closer, sitting next to me. “I don’t know if that’s it, actually,” he says thoughtfully.

I sigh. “You’re probably right. I think she just wants what’s best for you, and she thinks she knows what that is. And single moms do usually come with baggage,” I admit.

He nods slowly. “They do, yes.” He glances over at me, and noticing the way I’m trying to shift Archer into my lap, he says, “Do you want me to hold him?”

“You don’t have to,” I say. “If I can just put him down—”

“I—I’d kind of like to, actually. If that’s okay?” he says.

“Oh,” I say, surprised. “Yeah, then. That’s fine.”

His eyes behind his glasses are hesitant, and there’s one lock of dark hair falling into his face. It’s a good thing I’ve got an out-of-commission arm or I’d fully be pushing that lock of hair away. Instead I just turn my body toward him, leaning forward and transferring Archer into his waiting arms.

And immediately I know I have to take a picture. The man I’m developing feelings for is holding my baby in his arms, cradling him tenderly and looking down at him with awe. I need a photo. I need a million photos. I need a time machine so that at any point in the future I can return to this moment, to this one second in time when something almost painfully powerful is happening to my heart.

I sigh, still looking at the two of them. Dex’s arm curves gracefully beneath Archer, and he’s still gazing down at him intently. My heart cannot take this. It’s going to explode.

What are all these feelings, and what do I do with them?

* * *

“You embrace them,”Scarlett says an hour later when I ask her the same question. She flops down on my sofa, her red hair spilling over the cushions. “You lean into those feelings, and then you go ask that man to be your baby daddy for the rest of your lives—”

“Whoa, whoa, whoa,” I say, laughing. “I think that’s taking it a little fast.”

Scarlett sighs, rolling over and then sitting up. “I know,” she says. Then she scoots off of the couch and down to the floor. “I just think you guys would make really cute babies. Wouldn’t they?” she says to Archer, who’s now awake and hanging out on his tummy.

His wise baby eyes look up at Scarlett with fascination, and then he makes a little raspberry sound, blowing several little bubbles with his tiny lips.

“I know,” Scarlett coos at him, running her hand over his fluffy hair. “I know. They would be so perfect together, huh? And you like Dex, don’t you? Don’t you?” She covers her eyes with one hand and then moves it again, beaming at him.

Archer watches her playing peekaboo for several long seconds before he finally throws her a bone and smiles—although honestly, I’m not sure if he’s really reacting to Scarlett. I’m not sure babies his age understand things like peekaboo.

He has to feel how loved he is, though, and that’s good enough.

I look at them for a bit longer, guilt surging through me as I remember what I said when I was loopy. I told Dex about Scarlett, even though she specifically asked me not to.

And I have to tell her. I don’t want to, but…I have to.

So I take a deep breath before finally blurting out what I need to say.

“I accidentally told Dex about you.” I cringe in the resulting silence. “And also we kissed, and I danced for a minute with Jude at the wedding. But mostly I just needed to tell you that I told him, and I’msorry, Scarlett, I’m so sorry. I was hopped up on the drugs they gave me at the hospital after this”—I wiggle my arm in its sling—“and I don’t have all of my memories from that conversation, but I really do think I told him.”

“Youkissed?” Scarlett says, her eyes bugging out of her head. A smile stretches across her face. “How was it? Was it incredible?”

“I—yeah, it was,” I admit. “But hold on. Aren’t you mad?”

“That you told Dex we’re friends? Nah,” she says dismissively. “I mean, it’s not ideal, but it wasn’t your fault. I don’t blame you at all.”

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