Page 192 of More than Friends

She’s shaking her head and laughing. “There’s way more poop out of his diaper than in his diaper. How?”

I look down at my shirt. It’s definitely ruined.

“I’m going to give him a bath.” She starts to take off his sleeper.

“Need help?”

She shakes her head. “I’ll ask Juno or Celeste to help.”

She looks me up and down and says, “You need to take a shower.”

I look down again. “I do, but I could help first.”

She waves her hand and walks out to the hallway. “I’m sure Juno will be happy to help. Go shower.”

I wait until she’s found Juno and then I go to my room, whip off my shirt and throw it in the trash. I sit on the bed with my head in my hands before taking a shower. I feel like I’m suffocating right now. I feel like the walls are closing in.

I need a distraction.

I need to get over her. It’s that simple. I need to move on.

I walk to the shower considering how I’m going to do just that.

Chapter Sixty-Eight

Maggie

It’s been icy betweenus since our fight at Camp David. He’s helping with Ian as much as he can, but he’s not talking to me unless he has to. We haven’t spoken about custody again. He’s just kinda dropped it.

Ian starts crying as soon as we walk into the apartment. “He’s hungry,” Declan says. “Why don’t you feed him, and I’ll unload and start unpacking?”

He’s out the door before I can respond. I take Ian back to the nursery and feed him in the glider. Once Ian’s settled for the night, I go into the bedroom. Declan is silently packing his things. I just watch him without a word. My heart feels like it’s in my throat. I don’t want him to go, but I know he doesn’t want to stay. He’s done way more than he needed. I should be grateful, but right now I just feel – I don’t even know. I feel a jumble of emotions, and I can’t even begin to sort them out.

“That’s enough for tonight,” he says without looking up. “I’ll come back in the morning.”

The next morning, he silently moves things to his place. When he finishes, he comes into the kitchen and says, “I was thinking of hiring a nanny to help you out.”

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