Page 78 of Waiting for Her

Jack:Then, you’re welcome

I lean my head back, close my eyes, and take a deep breath.

There’s only one way to move forward. Nothing else makes sense. We’ve both been stuck in a rut, but now I know what was holding her back. I didn’t realize how much I needed that small amount of closure.

Feeling like someone is watching me, I keep my head rested against the chair.

“So, you called her?” I ask, not needing to look to know who’s standing in the doorway.

Mia’s unapologetic when she replies, “I did. I invited her here tonight, too, but she thought maybe you’d want time alone with your nephew.”

“Looks like you’ve got a handle on things here. We’ll just be taking a nap if you need us,” Cole jokes.

I still don’t open my eyes, but I smile, waving a hand of dismissal their way. “Big man and I are fine. Go. Take your nap.” I look down at Anderson still sleeping soundly. “We got this, don’t we, buddy?”

As if on cue, Anderson’s little face scrunches up and his bottom lip pokes out. I think he’s going to start crying, but then I hear the wettest fart I’ve ever heard—and felt—in my life.

I still in my rocking, eyes wide. I’m not sure I have the confidence to move my arm that was resting on his butt. “What. The. Heck. Was. That?!”

I’m holding Anderson with as much stability as I can while I stand, desperately trying not to let his backside touch anything else of mine. I’m looking at Mia and Cole for answers, but they have completely innocent looks on their faces. Not even the least bit concerned with the catastrophic sound that emitted from their newborn. There’s no way that noise could have come from his tiny body. And if it did, I’m pretty sure my brother needs to check to make sure some of his intestines didn’t just fall out his butthole.

“You got this, right?” Mia teases, reaching over to take Anderson back from me. Any other time I would protest, wanting some cuddle time. But I’m more than happy to hand him off right now. She can have the little poop pants. Especially when I look at his tiny little bottom after handing him off and see some nasty color coming through his sleeper.

I go to the bathroom to wash my hands and arms and do a double take when I see what’s resting on the counter.

When I make my way back into the living room, I see Cole sitting on the couch, head leaned back looking like someone beat the hell out of him.

“What the hell is happening to your family? Stool softeners and hemorrhoid cream? Did Mia’s giant boobs make your son have farts that could come out of a 400-pound truck driver? And what the ever-loving hell is this thing?” I ask, holding up some strange suction cup funnel attached to a bottle.

“That’s parenthood, man,” he says without so much as popping open an eye to look at what I’m showing him.

I crinkle my nose and look at it again, drop it unceremoniously on the end table and plop down on the chair just as Mia comes shuffling back into the living room.

“That was his third blowout of the day,” she mutters followed by a yawn.

“Y’all are making me want to have babies so bad,” I tease.

Cole’s middle finger is aimed in my direction before his arm flops back to the cushion.

“Worth it,” he murmurs with a small smile. I stand up, take hold of Anderson now that he’s clean again and place him on my chest before sitting back down on the chair, his tiny body curls up into a ball.

We sit in silence for so long I’m pretty sure both Mia and Cole have fallen asleep. Their snoring and mouths wide open as drool slips out is a pretty good indication. I pay attention to those clues.

“Yeah, you do seem pretty worth it, little guy,” I whisper into Anderson’s ear before I gently stand. I wrap a thin little blanket around his body, covering his head with a little cotton hat. I step out into their backyard to take Anderson on a little stroll in the fresh night air.

I walk around the small outdoor space, listening to the quiet hush of the night. His soft squeaks every so often causing my lips to quirk. I take a seat on one of their patio chairs and sigh, relaxing with him in my arms.

“Buddy, one day some girl is going to grab hold of your heart and it’ll bring you to your knees. When that happens, you just come visit your favorite uncle. I’ll be here to give you lots of pointers.”

“I have a feeling he’ll be coming to you for lots of advice,” I hear Mia say before she takes a seat in the chair next to me, but not before bending down to kiss Anderson on the top of his head first.

“You were supposed to be resting,” I scold her.

“I’ll sleep eventually. You know, before he came, I would have told you to run in the other direction.”

“But now?”

“I see the light in your eyes again, having her back in your life. I also see life is about so much more than holding a grudge.”

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