Page 14 of Don't Get Me Wrong

“Over a year.”

Well, that would explain why he was so into what we were doing then. It’s cute that I thought I incited some kind of rabid passion in a man. The kind that makes him forget his own rules. In truth, he was just really, really horny. “Oh.”

I swallow against the churning disappointment that I have no right to. I need to pull myself together here. I had the best initiation to sex ever, and I knew going into it that it wasn’t a relationship. It was a fling, and I can’t regret it. It’s just that no other man will ever compare now that I’ve spent the night in his arms.

The important thing here is the baby. She needs us right now. My heart will be just as broken later as it is this morning. I can deal with it then.

Who would leave a baby on his doorstep? Who even knows he’s here? Devon didn’t tell me when he was coming back, much less the real owner of the house so...wait a minute. “Devon,” I say.

“What about Devon?”

I gesture to the baby. “Maybe the baby’s mother thinks Devon still lives here.”

He holds the baby out and looks closely at her face. “She’s got the Sanders’ gray eyes, I think. You might be right.” He shakes his head. “That irresponsible prick. But that doesn’t explain why the mother would leave the baby with no explanation.”

“Maybe the mother didn’t leave the baby. Maybe someone else did. Or maybe the mother is having big enough problems that this seemed like her best option.”

Only someone in desperate straits would leave her child like this. We need to find her.

“There’s a girl, a blonde, younger than me, I think. She’s been around a couple times looking for him. She was pretty big the last time I saw her.” I make a round motion over my abdomen to symbolize pregnancy. “I think she thought I was covering for him when I said he was out of town. She wouldn’t leave her name, but I’ve seen her on campus near the science lab when I go to class.”

“That’s not a lot to go on.”

“I know, but it’s something.” I start digging through the diaper bag to see what supplies we have.

“Do you know what any of that stuff is?” he asks, looking down at the items in curiosity.

“Most of it. I babysat some during high school. I even took the certification course from Red Cross.” I don’t say that I babysat all the time because I was the girl with no plans on the weekend. No boyfriend. No dates.

“Today is Sunday. There are no classes. We can’t look for her on campus.”

I sit on the couch, a little dejected. “I know.”

“Do you think we should just keep her until we find this girl tomorrow?”

We. He said we.

“The baby is probably your niece. Do you really want to take her to CPS today? Put her in foster care?”

His arms tighten visibly around the little pink bottom. “No. No, she stays with us until we find her mother. Or her father, though I don’t know what good he would be. This baby deserves to be with family. Maybe her mom just needs help.”

I'm glad he’s not instantly making the mom out to be a villain. It would be easy to do, if you don’t figure that mental health issues are probably at play here. “I bet she’s scared, if she’s been doing it all alone and can’t find Devon. She looked really young—maybe even a freshman. She’d have to be desperate to just drop her child off. She might need more than just financial help. She might have some psychological issues. Postpartum depression can make new moms do things they normally wouldn’t. She shouldn’t be alone.”

“Says the future social worker.” He offers the baby to me. “Do you want to hold the baby?”

“Um, sure.” He passes her to me, and I coo at the serious little face. “I just hope the mom doesn’t do anything more drastic until we can find her.”

“We’ll find her, and we’ll help her.”

I hope so. I look up to find Nick is staring at me with that hungry look again. “You look good with a baby in your arms.”

“I thought the same about you.”

My heart is beating so fast right now.

“I’m having some indecent thoughts about you right now, Katie. I hope you’re proud of yourself.”

The baby takes the opportunity to cry, and our crash course in babies commences.

---