BIRTH OF A BABY DADDY (The Baileys #3)

Chapter 3

Harley

I wait until I’m around the corner of Main Street, outside a diner, before I lean my back against the wall and finally breathe.

“Sweetie, that might’ve been hardest thing Mommy’s ever had to do. Well, other than all the hours of labor, but I got you, so that was a win.”

Calista giggles and pats my cheeks like she was doing in the restaurant. I love that she unknowingly kept me from going ballistic after discovering a new fact about her father—he’s a liar.

“Oh, I’ve seen that look before.” A blond woman surprises me to my right. She’s in a turquoise diner uniform with pink polka dot fringe around the collar and sleeves. “Come on in. Pie’s on me.”

Her smile is welcoming, and after a bunch of strangers’ judgmental eyes were trained on me, I could use someone who might be Team Harley. At the very least, she has pie. I glance at her black name tag and find “Karen” printed there in white.

“Thank you. Pie sounds great, but I’ll buy it myself.” I follow her through the open door.

“Can you believe we have snow this late in the winter? I guess that’s what we get for living in Alaska. Are you new in town?” Karen grabs a menu and a high chair before leading us to a table in the back of the diner. She sets down what she’s holding and holds her hands out for Calista. “May I?”

My baby is only growing heavier and this lady seems like she gets my struggle, though I know nothing about her. I hand Calista over and shrug off my now-wet coat. “Thank you.”

“Oh, she’s adorable. I keep nagging my daughter to give me a grandbaby.”

“Nagging is putting it lightly. She just got engaged. Give her a minute.” A man behind the counter circles around with a warm, welcoming smile, obviously teasing Karen.

She shoos him away and rolls her eyes. He nods like “listen to me.” They’re cute.

“Anyway.” Karen secures the belt around Calista and ruffles her hair. “What kind of pie would you like?”

I glance over the menu. The meal Selena made was better than I thought, but I’m kind of hungry. Or my emotions are starving. Isn’t that always the case?

“I’ll have an order of fries, and how about the blueberry pie?” I ask Calista, whose eyes are busy staring at the man at the counter.

I turn to find him covering his face with his hands and sticking his tongue out when he removes them. Calista lets out a laugh that rings through the entire diner.

“And I’m the one who wants a grandbaby so bad.” Karen laughs, shaking her head at the man. “I’ll be right back. Drink? Coffee?”

“Please. Decaf though.” Long gone are the days I could drink caffeine after dinner. When your schedule revolves around an eighteen-month-old, it’s early to bed, early to rise.

She nods and disappears.

I hear the man behind me talking to Karen about how cute Calista is. I dig in my bag to pull out her soft cloth book and set it in front of her. She touches the cow embroidered there and says ‘moo.’

“Oh, she knows her animals already?” Karen flips the cup on the table and fills it with coffee. “I remember being so worried about my daughter hitting all those milestones.”

“Yeah. I never thought I’d be reciting the alphabet this early and hoping it clicks. I mean, she doesn’t even use a toilet yet.”

Karen laughs. “The pressure on mothers is intense.” She eyes my hand as I reach for the sugar. “Single mothers especially?”

I retract my hand for a moment. This woman is observant. I remind myself that I can’t trust anyone in this small town. What was I thinking? “Actually, can we get our order to go?”

She frowns and glances at the man who I’m assuming is also staring at us. This isn’t Seattle. This is some small-ass town in Alaska. They probably already know how I barged into a restaurant to find the father of my baby. I’m sure word travels quickly around here.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to pry.” Karen brings her hand to her heart. “I was a single mother and I just wanted to help you out. That’s all. I’m sorry if I overstepped. But please, stay in the warmth, eat your fries, and let Brian keep Calista occupied with peek-a-boo so you can have a moment to yourself.”

Her kind smile confirms my gut reaction outside—she’s a nice woman. I always go with my gut. Half the reason I went home with Denver, err… no, Rome. Man, that’s going to take some time to get used to. How many letters did I start over the past couple of years by writing the name Denver at the top?

“Thank you,” I say to Karen, mostly so she’ll stop staring at me with pity.

I’d usually scoff at someone looking at me as though I’m some kind of project for them, but if she’s telling the truth and she was a single mother, then she understands that over the past eighteen months, the only peace and quiet I’ve had is when I’m at school or work. Not that I’d change a thing.

Calista’s head falls back, laughing at who I guess is Brian. I smile, wondering what this town, these people look like through her eyes. Everything we’ve known is different, yet it’s still just us.

My phone dings inside my diaper bag, so I grab it.

Miranda: Did you do the deed?

Me: You say that like it’s a pleasurable experience.

Miranda: You available to talk?

Me: No. Too many ears where I’m at. Later tonight?

Miranda: But you saw him?

Me: By him if you mean Rome not Denver, yeah.

Miranda: You lost me?

Me: Denver IS Rome. They’re twins who like to play games with the women they sleep with.

Miranda: Like they switched spots on you midway thru the night?

Sometimes I wonder about Miranda.

Me: I’d know if someone switched spots.

Miranda: But if they’re identical, think about it. You’re passed out on the bed from one guy and then he slides out of the room and his IDENTICAL brother comes in. I mean you said you guys did it how many times that night? I always thought you were exaggerating. I mean a man…

Me: Thanks for taking me on a trip through your warped brain.

Miranda: Anytime. You know my delusion is your delusion.

Me: I think he has a big family.

Miranda: Do identical twins have the same DNA? How would you really know for sure whether it was Denver or Rome?

I roll my eyes. My best friend has a hard time staying on topic.

Me: I have no idea but since I only slept with ONE of them I’m not worried about it.

Miranda: How’s Calista doing? I miss my chubby-cheeked girl.

I glance over to find her playing peek-a-boo. She’s a kidnapper’s dream. All it takes is a game of hide-and-seek and she’s in love with you. Brian is now back behind the counter, pretending he’s riding an escalator or walking down a set of stairs. He’s bringing out the big guns.

Me: She’s good. Already has admirers.

Miranda: Of course, she does. I’m telling you, she’ll break hearts.

I nod and type my response.

Me: I just need to get out of this town…

Screw it. I press her number and she picks up.

“I can’t keep texting you. I’m exhausted and my fingers hurt,” I whine.

Karen slides the fries in front of me and silently points at the ketchup on the table. Then she sits down and grabs a clean fork, puts a little pie on it, and holds it out to Calista. Calista’s eyes widen immediately. Seriously, I warn her all the time about strangers and how to be wary of anyone we don’t know.

“You sound tired,” Miranda says.

“I am, but I’ll be home soon.”

“When?” Miranda asks.

I can tell I’m on speakerphone now. In the background, I hear some soft music and a few grunts and moans.

“Are we alone?” I ask.

“No worries, my client has headphones in.”

I chuckle.

She’s back in Seattle, another step closer to becoming a registered massage therapist, and I’m here in Alaska, trying to get a guy who gave me the wrong name to give me his DNA.

“I don’t even want to know how you managed to text me. I’ll let you go. We can chat tomorrow.” The fries are calling my name and serving as a welcome distraction from the curveball life has thrown me.

“Yeah, I probably should go. I don’t think this guy understands this isn’t a happy-ending parlor.”

I hear the man’s voice, which makes me wonder whether he really had headphones in or not. They begin to argue, and I hang up to enjoy my greasy fried potatoes in silence. Well, not silence, because Brian has brought over a chair and he and Karen are enjoying entertaining Calista. They do the train and the plane with Calista opening up as though she’s the easiest baby ever.

Try feeding her squash or green beans and see how accommodating she is.

“That a friend?” Karen asks, her gaze falling to the phone.

“Yeah.” I dip my fry in ketchup. I look around the diner, figuring this woman must have other patrons, but all the booths are empty, so I guess she’s got all the time in the world.

“She from here?”

“No.” I shake my head.

“Man-da?” Calista points and screams when my phone lights up with my friend’s picture.

I click the ignore button before they can follow her line of vision.

“Are you new to Lake Starlight?” Karen asks, but there’s hesitancy in her tone. She’s worried she’s going to scare me off.

“I’m just here for a couple of days.”

“I thought so. I’d remember this little one.” Karen inches closer to Calista and scrunches her nose.

I smile. Brian looks oddly familiar. Do I know him? Of course I don’t.

The three of us sit there while I eat my French fries and let Calista be our entertainment. Sometimes it’s easier with her around. She takes the pressure off making awkward conversation with people.

“Are you staying at Glacier Point?” Brian asks. “We know the—”

“Cozy Cottage B&B,” I say before realizing I gave these people information they could use to track us down. Okay, Benson, cool it. This isn’t an episode of  Law & Order: SVU

“Oh, Selene’s the best. He went to high school with her.” Karen points at Brian

“She’s always been eccentric, but she’s kind. I’m sure you’ll enjoy your stay,” he says. “Plus, she’s on the outskirts of town, so you won’t be bothered by all the tourists.”

“Tourists? Is Lake Starlight a big enough town for that? It seems small.” I bite a fry, unsure of why I’m asking questions that don’t matter to me.

Karen glances at Brian.

“People like small towns. But with snow still coming, my guess is Glacier is filled. Wyatt was telling me the other day about record bookings this winter,” he says.

Karen nods. It’s clear they must know the owner of Glacier Point.

“And with all the shops downtown, I’m sure my nephew’s new restaurant will grab some attention, what with him studying culinary arts in Europe before he moved back home.”

I choke on my fry, coughing to get the potato back up. “Nephew?”

Brian gives me a second to gather myself. “Yeah, it hasn’t opened yet. He’s actually having the entire family over there tonight, but Karen was called in at the last minute and we’re a duo now so…”

“I told you to stay there,” she says, shaking her head in a way that shows she tried more than a few times.

“Not without you. We’ll experience it together.” He pats her knee and she looks at him as though he’s her savior.

What must that feeling be like? I wouldn’t know. I’ve only ever had myself to depend on.

“What’s the name of the restaurant?” I ask.

Surely there are two restaurants about to open that had a large table full of people tonight, right?

“Terra and Mare.”

“Denver, err… Rome is your nephew?” I ask, grabbing Calista’s book and tossing it in my diaper bag.

“Both of them, yeah.” He smiles like a proud father. His gaze falls to Calista. “Do you know them?”

I grab our jackets, swing my diaper bag over my shoulder, and pluck her up, but her belt keeps her restrained. She chants “Mama” over and over and starts crying.

“Here.” Karen unbuckles the strap. “Are we missing something?”

I glance back, getting Calista free, my heart racing as I swing her into my arms.

“Thank you for everything,” I say, digging cash out of my bag and tossing it on the booth.

“Wait,” Karen calls, but I push open the door and walk as far away as fast as I can.

Once we’re around the corner, I stop to place Calista on the ground then hunch down to put her coat on. “If you weren’t the most important person in the world to me, we’d never have come here.”

Calista steps into me, her head falling to my shoulder. I pick up her and order an Uber, wishing it could drive me all the way back to Seattle tonight. Adulting sucks!