Page 77 of I Found You
Sipping my coffee that Wyatt made me, I had my phone in my hand, but I was hesitating. I had called out of work yesterday so I could spend the day trying to line up childcare for Jane. Wyatt and I had put together her crib in the downstairs bedroom on Sunday after we brought Jane home, dismantling the full-sized bed and storing it in the basement. I had just wanted to collapse and cuddle all day, but Wyatt was all in on getting the room ready for her. It was a nice sentiment, and I didn’t have the heart to tell him that when that room was empty, when they came to take her back, it was going to gut us. He knew that already too.
“Why aren’t you getting ready for work?” Wyatt asked as he came downstairs with Jane. From the moment she woke up, Wyatt had scooped her up and hadn’t put her down. She was going to be so spoiled, and she deserved every second of it.
“I have to call out again,” I sighed. “The daycare that she went to before is at capacity. I tried to call around yesterday, and a few places are supposed to call me back, but I haven’t heard from any of them yet.” I hurried to add, “Kara said thatshe would figure it out, but I told her not to worry about it. I just wish I was able to get everything tied up in a nice neat ribbon yesterday.”
“You don’t need to call out again. Go get ready.”
I shot him a glare with my finger pointed at him so he knew that I meant business. “We are not calling your father. It is too early and last-minute. Plus, it will be all day. He didn’t sign up for this. It’s my responsibility. I’ll figure it out today.”
“Wesigned up for this. I don’t care what the paperwork says.” Wyatt strolled across the living room to where I was sitting at the kitchen counter, and with his hand on my jaw, he brought his lips to mine. “And I wasn’t going to call my father.”
“I can’t just bring her to work with me.”
“But I can,” Wyatt smirked. “She can hang out with me at the garage today. I have a pretty chill day ahead of me as long as no one shows up with an emergency. Plus, Jackson will be there, so we’ll have two sets of eyes on her.” He must have been able to see the hesitancy in my eyes. “We’ll be fine. Now, get dressed before you’re late,” he added, hauling me out of my chair and swatting my butt as I passed.
The two prep periods I had in my schedule were spent trying to find a daycare with open availability for an infant. One of them would be able to take her, but not for another three weeks. I signed her up, my mind racing with how I was going to navigate the time between now and then. She couldn’t go to work with Wyatt every day. That wouldn’t be fair to him.
I was updating Josie with my dilemma, texting a bit as we tried to build some sort of a relationship, when she offered to babysit. I nearly dropped my phone as I stared at her message. Before I answered her, I quickly called Wyatt.
He switched it to a video call, and Jane’s face filled the screen, chewing on the corner of a baby crinkle book.
“She’s good. She’s safe, she’s fed, she’s happy. I’ve got this. Show a little faith in me,” Wyatt huffed, but amusement was evident in his voice. I think he was surprised that I hadn’t called earlier. But honestly, there is no one I would rather care for Jane than Wyatt. He loved that little girl.
“Actually, I wanted to talk to you about something.”
Wyatt quickly turned the camera back around to him. His brow furrowed, he asked, “What’s up? Is everything alright?”
“I found a daycare for Jane, but they won’t have an opening for another three weeks. I was chatting with Josie, and she offered to babysit.”
“Oh.” Wyatt paused, his gaze locked on mine. “And how do you feel about that?”
“I don’t know. Scared, mostly. I want to say no. She couldn’t take care of me. She couldn’t take care of Jackson. Why would I put her in charge of taking care of Jane? But I want to say yes too. I think she’s doing well. I know she’s trying really hard.” Rubbing my hands down my face, I groaned. “Ugh. What should I do?”
“Listen. I know you didn’t want me to ask, but I sent a group chat this morning to my family. My dad is happy to take her any day. Luke and Reid said that they would help whenever we need them to, too, as long as Luke’s not already scheduled for duty. If you ask for help, Maeve, people will show up for you. So I’ll take a day. My dad will take a day. Luke will take a day. Reid will take a day. Josie will take a day, if you want her to,” Wyatt said as he counted the team on his fingers. “And if Josie doesn’t work out, or you don’t feel comfortable leaving Jane with her, just drop her off here with me.”
Tears prickled my eyes. This man. The way he showed up for me time and time again. For so long, I had done everything on my own. Responsible for not only myself but Jackson too. Was this what a support network felt like? People you could rely on when you needed help?
“Thank you, Wyatt,” I choked out.
“Hey. Why are you crying? We’re solving problems here. Everything will turn out fine,” Wyatt soothed.
“I love you. I am so grateful for you. You know that, right?”
“I mean, I think I know that… but if you want to show me, maybe later tonight…” Wyatt trailed off, his eyes glinting with God-knows-what dirty thoughts. If they were anything like mine, then we were in for quite a night.
* * *
The next few weeks went by without a hitch. Everyone pitched in when they said they would. Jane was not just well cared for and cared about but spoiled rotten. Especially by Charlie. That man was wrapped tight around her little finger.
Wyatt and I were laughing about how many new baby toys were at his house each time we went by as we walked along the shoreline by the docks after dinner. The weather had cooled off now that we were into November, but unless it was raining or too windy, we tried to get down here most nights. Jane loved to watch the boats and seagulls, breathing in the salty ocean air. Or maybe that was me. There was somethingso peaceful about the waves in the ocean crashing along the shore, Wyatt’s hand in mine, Jane strapped to my chest. Most nights, Wyatt held her while we walked, but it had been a long week at work, and I needed a bit of Jane time to help me wind down tonight.
My phone vibrated with an incoming call, and I had to drop Wyatt’s hand to grab it from my pocket. My steps stuttered, and I held on to Jane tighter. Poor Kara. She was honestly a really nice person, but the sight of her name on my phone unexpectedly sent fear and dread coursing through my body.
“Hey, Kara,” I answered. My hands were sweating already. Wyatt stopped with me, his arm coming around my back and his fingers playing with the ends of my hair.
“Put her on speaker,” he whispered.
“Maeve, I’m sorry to call you so late. I wanted to give you an update, and I really didn’t want to wait until Monday. Do you have a few minutes to talk?”
