Page 46 of The MC's Surprise
Vegas
Iwas lucky my mom didn’t completely rip me a new one once I told her about how Sierra had only shown up when she was already seven months along. Keeping it to myself for a few weeks while we figured everything out was better than me hiding it from her for seven months. It didn’t make her any less determined to meet Sierra as soon as possible. Since I didn’t want her stressing herself out and possibly having another mini stroke, I agreed right away. I was technically supposed to work, I’d purposely scheduled myself to work to avoid the damn blood drive, but I would just text Charlotte and let her know I couldn’t make it. Perks of being the owner; I could take time off when I wanted.
After picking through the baby clothes and finding a few outfits Sierra couldn’t stop staring at that, we moved onto the crib set section. It was set up like little mini rooms, with matching dressers and rocking chairs next to them. I knew Butch had one at his place, but I’d never used it before, so when I sat in one and realized it spun, I couldn’t help myself.
“Vegas, it’s a glider, not a toy,” Sierra’s mom, Noelle, chastised.
“Why can’t it be both?” Sierra countered. She eyed the glider with just a hint of jealousy. “If I spin around like that, I’ll throw up. He should spin for the both of us.”
I barked out a laugh, giving myself one final spin before standing. Apparently, I’d overdone it just a little because I immediately stumbled and in an effort to avoid crashing into Sierra, I landed on my ass instead. It made her laugh, which was a major improvement from earlier.
Forgetting to tell my mom I was having a baby was bad enough. Making Sierra cry made me feel like the worst person on the planet, and I would do anything to never see her cry like that again.
“At least he has the energy to keep up with the baby,” Noelle commented with a smile. “Come on. I like the look of this one over here.”
We followed her from display to display, listening to her commentary as she explained the pros and cons of each one. I did everything I could to make Sierra laugh throughout the shopping trip, including climbing into a crib to make sure I’d fit in there with the baby if they needed cuddles and asking the worker if there were strollers big enough for adults. I didn’t care that I looked like an idiot in public. Watching the way her eyes danced as she tried to keep her laughter quiet made my heart skip a beat. I always wanted her laughing or smiling. She was gorgeous when she smiled.
“What’s that? A fancy trash can?” I asked as Noelle scanned the tag.
“It’s a diaper genie.”
I frowned, picking up the display to look at it. “What makes it magical? Does it take out the trash for you?”
“That’d be nice,” someone commented from the next aisle. When I stood a little straighter to get a look, I saw a young man wearing the store uniform filling the shelves. He did a doubletake when he saw me staring at him. “Uh… I didn’t say anything.”
I grinned at him. “Yeah, you did. If you want me to save you from certain despair, you have to show me what makes it so magical.”
Sierra snorted, elbowing me. “Shut up. You aren’t offended, don’t act like you are.”
True. I was just having fun and she was still smiling. And the kid relaxed a little at my teasing, straightening to come around to our aisle. He didn’t really look like someone who would work in a baby store. He had piercings and I could see a big bandaid peeking out of his shirt that I often saw people wear when trying to hide tattoos. His finger nails were even painted black. I tipped my head at him.
“This place doesn’t really seem like your style, man.”
He smirked and lifted one boney shoulder. “They were hiring and I needed a job I could do after school. And the manager is nice. She doesn’t care how I look as long as I show up on time.”
I nodded, lips pursed. “Hard to find managers like that. How old are you?”
“Nineteen,” he murmured as he did something fancy with the diaper thing. “Okay, so when you have a dirty diaper, you stick it in here. The magic part is that this bit here blocks the smell so you don’t have to take every diaper outside and your house doesn’t smell like poop.”
“No shit?” I asked, watching as he balled up a paper towel and shoved it in there. “How do you take it out?”
He opened the middle of it and showed me how to tie off the bag once you ripped off the filled portion. Things I probably should’ve known babysitting the kids. But Butch never had oneof these things when they lived at the clubhouse and when I babysit at his place, I always just threw the diapers in the outside trash on my way out for the night. I didn’t know shit like this existed.
Clapping the kid on the shoulder, I said, “Thanks, man. This shit is wild.” Almost like an afterthought, I pulled one of my cards out of my wallet, handing it to him. “If you’re still looking for a place to work after you graduate, I’m always hiring. You gotta be twenty one, though, so stay in school.”
He looked between me and the card, his smirk growing into a full grin. “Are you seriously offering me a job just because I showed you how a diaper genie works?”
“Nah. I’m offering you a job because you look like you belong in my crew, not in a baby store. And we’re always looking for prospects. Figured it was easier to lure you out there with a job instead of a club invite. Only after you graduate though. I’m not going to be that asshole who pulls a kid out of school.”
He chuckled and nodded. “Alright, thanks. I’ll… look you up when I’m old enough.”
I narrowed my eyes and he retracted his statement. “When I graduate.”
That got him a sharp nod and I offered him my hand. “Nice meeting you…”
“Tom.” He wrinkled his nose. “It’s a family name.”
Sierra leaned in, her eyes twinkling. “His name is Justin. It’s not any fancier than yours.”
