Page 6 of Staying for You

“They’re cute.”

“I agree,” I tell her, helping Brody out of his seat so he can come up to the counter with us. Holding his hand, we slowly make our way up to order more food. I glance over at Cami and stop in my tracks. She’s taken off her coat but left the mustard-colored beanie covering her head. Wearing a black and white striped long sleeve t-shirt, I see every beautiful curve and wonder why she’s been holding back carbs from her menu. Black leggings show off legs that would bring any man to his knees. Even the light brown sheepskin boots on her feet are cute.

Long dark hair falls over her shoulder in big waves, bright blue eyes stare back at me. They’re gorgeous despite the fact that they’re clouded with sadness and exhaustion, if the bags under her eyes are any sort of clue.

I clear my throat and let her order in front of me. I can’t help but allow my eyes to linger on her ass a few too many seconds.

“I’ll have a number three. Do you still large size it? What was that called?”

“You want a large sized fry and drink?” the bored employee asks.

“Yes. That. And an apple pie.” Then she quickly changes her mind and shouts, “Nope. Two of ‘em! Warm, right?”

“Yeah. We warm them up.”

She moans and looks over her shoulder at me. “That sounds so good, right? You want one? He does. I can see it. Make that four because I’m not going to be the only one eating two. And an ice cream cone, too. But make it small because it’s for the little boy. And maybe include a cup, too? Just in case he needs a spoon, right?”

I’m standing behind her, holding Issy in one arm, Brody’s hand in the other, and all I can think is “Who is this woman?”

She’s not only beautiful but seems confident.

Just as I’m about to grab my wallet to pay, I feel Issy tense up in my arms and then she makes a grunting noise, her face turning red.

Then…

The odor.

The unmistakable smell of a baby pooping her pants fills the space between us. Brody giggles, Cami looks equally grossed out and completely amused.

“Oh my gosh, was that her?”

I chuckle and shift her a little bit so her bottom isn’t resting on my arm anymore. “Well, it certainly wasn’t me.”

Her eyes are wide when she asks, “Do you need to, um, change her?”

Well I’m not planning to let her sit in her own poo. “Yeah. I’ll be back in a little bit.”

“Want him to stay here?” From the way she asks, it sounds like the idea terrifies her.

“Nah, I’ve got it.”

She sighs with relief. “Oh. Okay.”

I make my way over to where we were sitting and grab the diaper bag, draping it over my shoulder. Then I knock several times on the women’s bathroom door even though I’m almost positive no one’s in there. We were the only ones in the restaurant but just in case there’s an employee, I figure I better be safe.

No one calls out so I open the door slowly, call out, “Anyone in here?” and because silence greets me, I grab the trash can by the door, prop open the door, and get to work changing Issy’s diaper as quickly as I can. I manage to get Brody’s diaper changed as well, throwing my sweatshirt on the floor for Issy to sit on and then bracing her with my legs so she doesn’t fall or scoot away onto the dirty bathroom floor.

“You two need to learn to use the toilet,” I mutter and hear a female giggle behind me. Spinning around, I see Cami leaning against the door watching.

“I wondered how you were going to manage that.”

“I’m an old pro. This is why I’m the best uncle on the planet.”

“You actually did pretty good.” She nods in approval then steps into the bathroom, nudging my leg aside and reaching between my legs to lift Issy into her arms.

“This okay?”

I nod in reply and finish up Brody, glancing over at Cami out of the corner of my eye. She’s bouncing up and down, talking to Issy and smiling. She’s really pretty when she smiles, even though something tells me she hasn’t done much of it recently.

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