Series Starter : Firsts in Series Collection

by Kaylee Ryan

  I take way too many pictures. It’s going to be hard to choose my favorite. I can’t wait to surprise Evan. I slip the outfit back into my bag and put her back into her sleeper, and just like that, Daddy has no idea. After making sure she’s settled back in the pack-n-play, I take a few pictures of her sleeping and then run my equipment back out to the truck.

  Chapter 23

  Evan

  I wake with a startle. I hear Lexi downstairs and I panic. Jumping from my bed, I rush down the hall. It’s not until I hear Kinley’s voice that I stop to take a breath and proceed down the steps at a normal pace.

  Kinley has Lexi on the couch changing her diaper. My little angel is not impressed with this. “I know, sweet girl. It’s almost over,” Kinley coos to her. “It’s okay, Lex, as soon as we get you in some dry clothes, we’ll get you a bottle.”

  “She giving you trouble?” I ask.

  Kinley jumps. “You scared the crap out of me.” She finishes changing Lexi and as soon as she picks her up, her cries turn to a low whimper. “Nah, she’s just not happy with the fact that we had to change her clothes and diaper before bottle. She soaked through.” She stands with Lexi in one arm, dirty diaper and clothes in the other.

  “I can take her,” I say, walking toward her.

  “I got it. Just relax,” she says, carrying a now pacified Lexi into the kitchen. I look around and see she cleaned up.

  “Kinley, you didn’t have to clean,” I tell her as I follow her into the kitchen. It too is spotless.

  “I know I didn’t have to. I wanted to. How you feeling?” she asks.

  “Better. I feel human again.”

  “Good. You only slept about three hours.”

  “Three hours of sleep, after what I’ve had total the last two days makes it feel more like twelve,” I laugh. Kinley is completely comfortable in my home, making a bottle for my daughter. She doesn’t mention the kiss, and I don’t either. I can’t. If I ignore it, I can pretend I did it because I was exhausted and thankful for her. That was only part of it. The other part? I blame those sweet lips of hers.

  Okay. I need to stop thinking about it. “So, I was thinking. I really need to go get a truck. I was wondering if you would want to come with me. I don’t know that I can handle a newborn in a car lot for hours.”

  “Sure, but you can go and I can stay with her if you want. I don’t mind at all, or Mom would be happy to watch her.”

  “Yeah, Aaron said the same thing. At first, I wasn’t really thrilled with the idea of leaving her just yet….” I stop there and wait for her reply.

  “I’m good either way. I don’t have anything in the studio for the next three days. So, anytime you want to go, I’m your girl.” She smiles.

  ‘I’m your girl?’ I wish like hell she was.

  “Great, thank you. I just would feel better to have someone else with me. I know I need to get over leaving her; hell, I need to find childcare.”

  “I think you should talk to Mom. She would love to do it. I’m happy to help too on days I don’t have a shoot. Right now, that’s about two to three days a week. I can book them on the same days. The only time that wouldn’t work is when I have to go to them. More often than not, that’s on weekends for birthday parties and events, so it could work.”

  “You really think she would be willing?” I ask.

  “Hell yes, she would. She’s always telling Aaron to settle down and give her grandbabies, you know this. Besides, it wouldn’t be every day with me helping out. I’ll talk to her and see what she thinks,” she tells me.

  “That would be…perfect! I don’t like the thought of people I don’t know keeping her. She’s so tiny.”

  “Well, I know I would love to spend a few days a week with her.” I watch as she kisses Lexi’s cheek. “All right, little one, let’s get you fed.” She passes by me to go back into the living room.

  “You sure you don’t want me to take her?”

  “No way. This is my Lexi time.” She grins. “Is there anything you need to do? Go check in at the stables? We’re good here.”

  Yeah, I need to kiss the hell out of you. “That’s all taken care of. The stables are in good hands.”

  “Well, just kick back and relax, Dad. We got this.”

  “In that case, I’m going to go shower. Maybe we can go to the car lot after she eats? Is it okay to take her out this young?” I have no clue what the rules are for this kind of thing, or even if there are any.

  “We’ll keep her bundled up and no one gets to touch her. They need to keep their germy hands off. Other than that, yeah, we can take her.”

  Just like with everything else this girl has said and done, her protectiveness for Lexi causes these…feelings I have for her to grow. I’m in deep trouble with this one. Even knowing that, it’s impossible for me to keep my distance.

  I rush up the stairs to shower and change. By the time I make it back downstairs, Kinley has Lexi in her car seat and is shoving items into the diaper bag. “Better safe than sorry,” she says.

  “I agree. This is a first venturing out with a newborn baby; hell, we can take half the house if you think we might need it.”

  This causes her to throw her head back and laugh. I’m not trying to be funny; I’m being serious. “Let’s go, funnyman.” Kinley grabs the diaper bag, leaving Lexi for me.

  “Two hours, not bad,” I say to Kinley as we load Lexi up in my new truck.

  “Nope, not bad. I had the same experience when I bought my Durango from Todd. He doesn’t push and makes the process so much less painful.”

  “So, how about we grab something to eat?” I ask her.

  “Yeah, or if you want to get this one home, I can stop and pick us up something,” she offers.

  “How about some of your mom’s lasagna?”

  “Perfect. I’m going to run by the house really quick, but I’ll meet you there. You two good?” she asks.

  I look at my daughter so tiny in the backseat of my new Dodge one-ton truck. “Yeah, we’re good. See you soon.” I fight the urge to pull her in for a kiss. That seems to be our thing, kissing. Instead, I watch her climb into her Durango and drive away.

  I take my seat and adjust the mirror so I can see in the backseat. Kinley said I have a mirror at the house that I can hang on the back of the seat so I will be able to see Lexi while I’m driving. That must be installed pronto. Lexi whimpers and I know it’s getting close to time for her to eat again. “Let’s get you home, baby girl.”

  Chapter 24

  McKinley

  I didn’t tell Evan why I needed to stop by the house first, and he didn’t question me. I plan to pack a change of clothes and stay with him and Lexi tonight. He needs help until they get into a routine. I have nothing going on tomorrow, or for the next few days actually. It’s the perfect time for me to help him. I also want to talk to Mom, if she’s there, to see if she is interested in watching Lexi for him on the days I have a full schedule. I’m positive she’s going to be over the moon excited, but I want to ask her just the same.

  “Just the lady I need to talk to,” I say when I see her sitting at the kitchen table.

  “Well, that’s a warm welcome. How are Evan and Lexi doing today?” she asks.

  “Good. When I got there today, Evan was exhausted and frustrated. I guess Miss Lexi was up most of the night and he was running on no sleep since the night she was born.”

  “That boy, he should have called us.”

  “Yeah, he had almost convinced himself he can’t do this---that he can’t be a dad to her. I made him eat some of your lasagna, which he inhaled by the way, and take a nap. I took care of Lexi, snuck in some shots with her little Alabama outfit, and cleaned up while they were both sleeping.”

  “I can’t wait to see them. Evan didn’t catch you?” she asks.

  “Nope, he slept through it all, so did Lexi,” I laugh. “Anyway, I’m going to grab a few things and stay over there tonight. He didn’t ask me to, but I don’t think he will. He’
s too busy trying to prove he can do this. I feel bad for him because most people have a spouse or significant other to share in the duties. Evan is adjusting to all of this on his own,” I explain.

  “That’s very nice of you, dear. I think Aaron is planning on stopping over in a little while also.”

  “Even better. I can nap while he’s there and then take the last shift with Lexi. That will help Evan be available for her tomorrow during the day, so he can start to get a routine down. Maybe once he gets the daytime routine without being exhausted, the nights will fall into place.”

  “How did you get so smart?” she teases.

  “Hey, Evan’s looking for someone to watch Lexi during the day. You know of anyone?” I ask her. I don’t even get to count to ten before she’s volunteering her services.

  “Me. He can bring that sweet girl to me. I would love to watch her. I know Carol would do the same thing if I wasn’t able to do it for you or Aaron.” Mom and Carol are best friends. She was heartbroken when they moved to Alabama, but that’s what was best for Jeff and his treatments.

  “I had a feeling you might feel that way. I’m good with helping too.”

  “You make sure you tell him I would be honored to watch that little angel.”

  “Will do. I’m going to go gather a few things and head over there. When Aaron gets there, I’ll sleep.” I dash up the stairs, throw some clothes into a bag, grab my toothbrush, and call it good. It’s not like I’m trying to impress him. I’m just trying to keep the guy from being dead on his feet, so he can take care of his daughter.

  When I get back to Evan’s, I don’t bother knocking. I just walk on in. “Kinley?” Evan yells from what sounds like upstairs.

  “Yeah, it’s me,” I call back. I can hear Lexi crying.

  “Could you come up here please?” he yells back. His voice sounds funny. I drop my bag in the living room and make my way up the steps. “Where are you?” I ask. Her cries are getting louder as I reach the top of the steps.

  “In the master bathroom,” he replies.

  I slowly push open his bedroom door and Lexi’s cries are coming at me in surround sound. “Kinley,” Evan yells for me.

  “Yeah, I’m here. What’s wrong?” I ask, pushing open the bathroom door. What I find has me biting my tongue, trying not to laugh. Evan has a naked Lexi, holding her high over the bathroom sink, and she’s covered in, well, shit. “Oh, my God, what happened?” I manage to ask. The look on his face is just too damn funny.

  “What does it look like happened? My little angel made all this,” he says, nodding to her. “I’m in over my head here, Kinley,” he admits.

  “Where is her bathtub?”

  “Uh, I don’t know. In her room, I guess,” he breathes out. I rush out of the room and into Lexi’s in search of her bathtub. Sure enough, I find it in the bottom of her closet. I grab the caddy, which has all the baby wash, and snag one of her washcloths and towels before I dash back to Evan’s room.

  “Give me just a second,” I say to Evan as I race back into the bathroom. I set the baby tub inside the big tub and turn the water on, throwing in the little rubber ducky that tells you if the water is too hot. Once the temperature is good, I stand and reach for the messy baby. “Let me have her.”

  Evan hands her over, and I place her into her baby tub. The screams get even louder. “Looks like Miss Lexi doesn’t like bath time. It’s okay, sweet girl,” I coo to her.

  “Is she hurt?” Evan asks. I don’t take my eyes off of Lexi, but I can hear the strain in his voice.

  “No, she’s not hurt. She’s just not happy. She’s got shit up her back and, apparently, she’s not a fan of bath time. This is all new to her too. We just have to give her some time. She can sense you’re tense, Evan,” I tell him.

  “Hell yeah, I am. I had no idea what to do. If you hadn’t come back when you did, I don’t know….” He trails off.

  “Let me get her cleaned up. Why don’t you go get me a fresh diaper and some clean clothes?”

  Evan doesn’t say anything else, but I hear the door close, so I know he’s gone. “All right, little miss, you need to calm down. We just need to get you clean, and then we’ll get you all snuggled back up.” I begin to sing “Girl Crush” by Little Big Town. It’s the song that was playing on the radio when I got here and the first thing that popped into my head. Regardless of the words, it soothes her, and her wailing cries turn to a soft whimper. I keep singing, and by the time I have her all cleaned up, she’s quiet as a mouse, except for some leftover hiccups from getting herself so worked up.

  Picking her up, I lay her against my chest as I slip the hooded towel over her head. I’m soaked, but she’s clean, so that’s all that matters. I wrap the towel around her and stand. Opening the bathroom door, I find Evan sitting on his bed, a pile of clothes and a diaper beside him.

  “Kinley, I panicked,” he says softly. “What would I have done if you hadn’t shown up?”

  “Evan, you have to remember Lexi takes her cues from you. She can tell if you’re stressed or worked up about something. You have to stay calm for her. This is not going to be the last time this type of thing happens.”

  He lies back on the bed and throws his arm over his eyes. I give him time to process what I just said and tend to Lexi. “All right, Miss Lexi, now that you’re all clean, let’s get you dressed.” I lay her on the bed and unwrap the towel from her body. I make quick work of getting the diaper on her to avoid another accident. Next is her onesie, and finally, the little purple sleeper.

  “Look at me, Daddy,” I say, holding her up in my arms.

  Evan sits up and takes her in. “Good as new,” I say with a smile. “Now, you two head downstairs while I clean up the mess in the bathroom. If it’s okay with you, I’m going to go ahead and put her tub in the spare bathroom and make sure all of her bath stuff is moved in there as well. I don’t know why I didn’t already have that done.”

  “I can do that,” Evan says.

  “Nope, I got it. You two go relax,” I say as I hand Lexi over to him.

  Evan holds her close. I watch as he breathes her in. When he realizes he’s busted, he just winks at me and walks out of the bedroom.

  Chapter 25

  Evan

  I’m sitting on the couch holding my little girl and she’s happy, clean and content. “I’m sorry I freaked out on you. Daddy’s new to all this and it’s going to take me some time.” She just watches me like I’m the most fascinating thing she’s ever seen.

  The feeling’s mutual.

  “Come in,” I yell when there’s a knock on the door.

  “Uncle Aaron’s here,” Aaron says as he comes into the room. “What’s going on, man?”

  “Oh, you know, this little cutie just had a massive explosion in her diaper. I freaked the hell out. Luckily, Kinley came in and saved the day.”

  “Ouch! Where is my little sister?” he asks, looking toward the kitchen.

  “She’s upstairs. She said she was going to clean up the bathroom. I offered, but she gave me strict instructions to come down here and relax. Apparently, the baby can tell when I’m stressed and that’s why I couldn’t get her to calm down,” I explain.

  “Sounds like a logical reason. Listen, don’t beat yourself up about it. You’re learning as you go. You’re going to nail this daddy gig.” He grins.

  “Now you sound like Kinley.”

  “Who sounds like me?”

  I look up to see her enter the room and my mouth goes dry. Kinley is standing at the bottom of the steps, wearing what looks like one of my t-shirts and nothing else.

  “What are you wearing?” Aaron questions her.

  “Oh, my clothes were soaked from Lex’s bath. I hope you don’t mind, Evan. I grabbed one of your shirts out of your closet.”

  Mind? Hell no, I don’t mind. She looks hot as hell in my shirt. “Evan?” she says my name again and I realize I’m still staring at her.

  “Yeah, no of course. That’s fine.” My voice cr
acks. Shit, nothing like giving myself away.

  “Aaron, I’m glad you’re here. I’m going to go upstairs and lay down for a few hours, so Evan can get a good night’s sleep,” she says.

  Wait? What? “McKinley, you don’t have to do that.”

  “I know I don’t have to do that. I want to do that. This way you will be rested tomorrow and can get little miss in her daily routine. I don’t have anything in the studio for the next few days, so this is the perfect time. You need the help, Evan. Say, ‘Thank you, Kinley.’” She smiles.

  She had to go and throw my smile out there, didn’t she? Damn girl, I swear she’s trying to get me killed. “Thank you, Kinley.”

  “You’re welcome. Now I’ll be upstairs taking a nap if you need me.” Just like that, she’s back up the stairs in my shirt. That’s when it hits me that my room is the only room with a bed. She’s going to be sleeping in my bed, in my shirt. Holy shit, she is trying to kill me.

  “You know how she is when she sets her mind to something. You might as well give in,” Aaron says.

  “Yeah,” is pretty much all I can say at this point. McKinley is upstairs in my bed. I need to stop thinking about it, need to change the subject. “So, did you see the new wheels out front?”

  “Hell yeah. I meant to tell you I liked your choice. The black looks sick.”

  “Yeah, it’s got coolers in the backseat in the floorboard. Thought with this little one that feature might come in handy someday.”

  Aaron laughs. “I’m sure it will. So, you going to hog my niece all night or can I hold her?” he asks.

  “Where were you a half hour ago?”

  “That’s my uncle psychic abilities showing through. I know when she’s clean, fed, and a happy girl.” He says that last part in a high voice as he talks to Lexi. She’s wide-awake as she watches him.