Page 193 of Treason's Temptation
“I vouched for you. Can you keep a secret?” Blue asked, offering her pinky.
“For you, I will,” she replied, curling her finger and sticking her tongue out at me.
“How the mighty have fallen. This has to be a record,” I joked.
“You can be the apple of your mother’s eye, but this baby is mine. AndBlue, of course.”
Blue blushed at Evie singing her praises. I couldn’t help but admit that I was a little jealous. I had always been Grandma’s special baby. She hid my secrets and always slid me extra dollars compared to the other grands. Usually, I wouldn’t give up without a fight, but I didn’t mind being replaced by Blue.
Nobody loved you like your grandma on your mother’s side. A beautiful combination of teacher and friend. A voice of reason and the answer to all your worries. When you’re down, she’ll lift you and carry the world on her shoulders because a grandmother’s love has no bounds. Blue never had that.
That was all Evie cared about the rest of the night, ordering me around for Blue’s every need. After dinner, she pulled out the old family albums showing off my baby pictures while Danielle filmed the intimate moment. Evie wasn’t worried about me making it easy to dip outside. I laughed at the old oak tree. June, Ward, and I had been beaten with plenty of switches hanging from it. One day in particular, she sent us to get our own switches. June always thought he was so damn smart and picked the smallest one. He learned a lesson he never forgot.
The storm door creaked as Mom stepped outside, standing next to me. She didn’t say anything, just gave me that signature ‘I’m proud of you’ look.
“What are you grinning at, woman?”
“I can’t believe my baby is having a baby.”
“I haven’t been a baby in a long time,” I replied, sounding like Evie.
“After forty-two weeks and thirteen hours of labor, you will always be my baby. You’ll see.”
“I didn’t always make it easy either, but all this is because of you. Long days of teaching and taking care of kids that weren’t yours never stopped you from being there for me. Pushing me. Sacrificing. Never accepting less than my best, even when it got on my nerves.”
“Whatever you chose to be, I wanted you to give it your best. What’s all this deep talk about? Are you and Navie okay?”
“Yeah, I haven’t messed it up.”
“Good. I like her for you.”
“Why is that?”
“She’s got you thinking, and that’s a good thing. Are you sure that’s it?”
“I’m scared. Having a kid is a big responsibility.”
“You’ll be fine, Tre.”
“That’s all you’ve got for me?”
“If you’re scared, that means you care enough to get it right. It’s the people who think kids and parenting are easy that scare me. You and Navie will figure it out and have plenty of support.”
I peered over my shoulder at the door opening, “Here she comes now.”
“I thought you snuck away to reply to an email, sorry I interrupted,” Blue admitted, curling into my side, the cool night hair brushing against her skin.
“Look at you. I’m just talking to Mom.”
“Don’t apologize for running a tight ship. He needs a break sometimes.”
“You heard her. I’m right,” Navie smirked.
Tonight, when I closed my eyes, I planned on reminding God I needed a boy to level the playing field around here.
Chapter 31
Two weeks until the election. . .
