“What am I going to do with her when I go to practice? Games? Road trips?” he asks, freaking out again.
“Well, if Kate is truly out of the picture, you’re going to have to hire a nanny.”
“I can help,” Riley interjects. “I haven’t found a job yet, so I’m available if you need the help.”
“There you go. Problem solved for now,” I tell JJ. “There isn’t anyone we’d trust with our kids more than Riley. She’s the perfect person to help you until you can figure shit out.”
“Thanks,” he says, blowing out a huge breath. “I still can’t believe that she just dumped the baby here and left. Who would do that kind of thing?”
“I don’t know, but maybe it’s for the best,” I tell my best friend. Maybe this will make him change his ways.
“Do you have a guest bedroom?” Riley asks.
“Yeah, let me show you where it is.” He stands and shows her down the hall, and I grab the diaper bag and follow. If she plans to stay here and help with the baby, at least for tonight, she’s going to need whatever is in the bag. Jillian might need to run to the store first thing in the morning and stock him up on the essentials to get through the next few days with a baby in his care.
I feel like I’m more in the way than I am helpful, at this point. “Are you sure you’re okay staying and helping out tonight?” I ask my sister when JJ leaves the room for a moment.
“Yeah, I’ll be fine. He obviously knows shit about babies, so it isn’t like we can leave him alone with her. I’ll call you in the morning. I only saw the one can of formula and a few diapers, so we’re going to need to run to the store in the morning,” she tells me, confirming my earlier thought.
“I’ll get Jillian on it in the morning. Text her a picture of the formula so that she can get the same kind, as well as the diapers.”
She plops down on the bed. “Will do.”
“Do you want this for her?” JJ asks, holding up the car seat.
“It’s not recommended to let babies sleep in their seats but put it down over there, so I have it if I need it. I’ll just be careful and have her sleep next to me. Tomorrow, we can get a pack and play or crib for her to sleep in.”
“I’m so fucked,” he says, pulling at his hair once again. I’ve never seen him so stressed. “I don’t know what I’d do if it wasn’t for you guys.”
“We’ll get you through this,” I tell him, slapping his back. “I’m going to get out of here. Call me if you need anything. I’ll keep my phone on and next to me all night.”
“Thanks,” he says, the stress still rolling off of him.
“We’ll be fine,” Riley calls out, calm as can be.
Twenty-Eight
Derek
I make it home and find Jillian fast asleep on our bed. Her kindle rests on her chest, as if she fell asleep reading, which she probably did. Her cell is also next to her, like she was waiting on me to give her an update. I place both devices on her nightstand, making sure her phone is plugged in. I notice a text from Riley with pictures of the diapers and formula so we can get them for JJ in the morning.
I strip from my clothes, the exhaustion from the day and night finally catching up with me. It’s after one in the morning, and my body is feeling it. I slide between the sheets, my hand finding Jillian’s hip as I slip off to sleep.
“Derek, wake up,” Jillian says, shaking me.
“What?” I ask groggily.
“What happened last night?” she asks, still in bed next to me.
I give her the quick rundown of last night’s events and she’s shocked speechless. I tell her about the texts from Riley, and she hops out of bed so she can run to Target and load up on all things baby-related.
JJ: Dude, your wife and sister are lifesavers. I don’t know how I’m going to ever repay them. Your wife showed up here about thirty minutes ago, with a SUV full of so much baby stuff it looks like a fucking Target exploded in my house.
Derek: Like I said last night, we’re here for you, man. Let them help you. They know what they’re doing. Just don’t get any fucking ideas about my sister. I will kill you if you touch her.
JJ: I don’t think I’ll be touching another woman for a long fucking time at this point.
Derek: Don’t say I didn’t warn you; I know how you think when you let the head below your belt do the thinking.
JJ: Point taken. Now back to WTF am I going to do?! I’m not cut out to be someone’s dad.
Derek: Take a deep breath and deal with it, man. Have you called your lawyer?
JJ: Yes, he’s going to send over a lab company to swap for paternity. Said that the test takes a couple days to get the results. If they come back positive, he’ll file the petition with the courts for temporary full custody. I gave him Kate’s information that she left with me. Riley also found Evelyn’s birth certificate and some other documents in the diaper bag, so we have that information as well.
Derek: Sounds like you’ve got things under control then.
JJ: If you say so.
Derek: Have you held her yet?”
JJ: They made me just a little bit ago. After Jillian got here, she changed her into a new outfit, and then handed her over to me for a little bit. I felt like I was going to break her.
Derek: I felt the same way when Addison was born. But you’ll get used to it. Just take one day at a time.
JJ: I called Coach and told him what was going on. Told him I might need a couple personal days. He told me to keep him informed.
Derek: Are you going to go to practice this afternoon? I’m sure, between Riley and Jillian, they’ll be more than happy to keep the baby.
JJ: I probably should. It would probably do me good to hit the gym and some balls today.
Derek: Then I’ll see you there.
I toss my phone down and focus back on my own girls until Jillian returns home an hour or so later.
“How was it?” I ask her.
“He’s so stressed out, but damn, is that baby cute. If I wasn’t already pregnant, I’d totally have baby fever after seeing and holding her.”
“How was Riley?”
“She was fine. She ran home to shower and change clothes. She packed a bag with some stuff so that if she ended up staying the night again, she’d have her things. I told her that we could get her her car later today.”
“He’s lucky she’s able to just jump in and help him out like this. He’d be completely fucked if she wasn’t here.”
“I was thinking the same thing,” Jillian muses. “Wouldn’t it be super cute if they ended up together because of this?”
“Don’t even joke about that. I already warned him not to get any ideas about touching my sister.”
“Oh, come on now. She’s a big girl.”
“Not fucking happening,” I grunt. “He’s a manwhore.”
“People can change.”
“Still not fucking happening.”
“We’ll see,” she singsongs, a smile on her face, like she knows something I don’t.
The End!
Stay tuned for Riley & JJ’s story!
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Acknowledgments
To everyone who has supported me, thank you! Thank You for the impact you have made on my life and my writing. Please know that I appreciate you all!
xoxo,
Samantha
About the Author
Samantha Lind is a contemporary romance author. Having spent the first 27 years of her life in Alaska, she now calls Iowa home, where she lives with her husband and two sons. She enjoys spending time with her family, traveling, reading, watching hockey (Go Knights Go!), and listening to country music.
Connect with Samantha in the following places:
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The Perfect Pitch (Indianapolis Lightning Book 1) Page 20