Page 6 of One Pucking Life

My pulse spikes. My body goes ice cold, but my heart’s pounding loud in my ears.

She grabs the carrier and lifts it like it’s show-and-tell. “This is Care Bear.”

“Care Bear?” I glance inside at the baby. A tiny baby dressed in pink blinks up at me with big blue eyes.

Monique chuckles awkwardly. “Well, her name’s Caroline Elena. But remember how Care Bear was Caroline’s nickname onVampire Diaries?”

“Monique,” I say, trying to keep my voice level, “I barely remember anything about that show. What are you doing here?”

She shifts her weight and raises the carrier a little higher. “Her name is Caroline Elena Park.”

I blink. “Park?” My throat goes dry. “Why does she have my last name?”

She tilts her head. “Why do you think?”

“Wait. What?” The words are jumbled in my mouth. “You’re telling me… Care Bear… Caroline… this baby… ismine? She’s my daughter?”

The world tilts. I grab the doorframe to keep from losing my balance.

“Yes,” Monique says, her voice soft. “She’s yours.”

What is going on right now?

“You’re sure?” My voice cracks.

“I’m sure.”

I step out onto the porch, shutting the door behind me to muffle the party noise. Monique follows me to the bench, setting the baby carrier down between us. My hands are shaking.

“What’s happening here?” I ask quietly. “You said you don’t want to be a mom.”

She nods almost cheerfully. “Right. Care Bear is the sweetest. She’s an easy baby. But I always knew motherhood wasn’t for me. I had an amazing couple all lined up to adopt her and everything. But after she was born, I thought I could do it. I backed out of the adoption because I was flooded with hormones, and she was so cute, so I thought,Yeah, maybe.But time passed, and… I realized I can’t. I thought about calling the original adoptive family back, but then I figured I owed it to you to at least tell you first. I mean, she’s basically your twin.”

I stare down at the baby. She’s got dark hair like mine. Big blue eyes that are wide open, watching everything. Something heavy and warm settles in my chest—something I can’t even name.

“How old is she?” I manage.

“Four months. She can sit up on her own and roll over. She’s super smart. And she’s got the cutest laugh.” Her tone softens.

“You’re… leaving her with me?” It doesn’t feel real.

“That’s the plan,” she says brightly.

“Monique, I don’t know the first thing about being a dad.” I run my hand through my hair, struggling to catch up. “I—” My voice falters as I look back at the baby. “I’m not ready.”

She pats my knee. “No one’s ready. You’ll figure it out. First-time parents always do.”

I close my eyes for a second, then open them again. “You’re dropping her off. Just like that.”

“I know it’s a lot.” She exhales. “Jon and I leave in the morning. I brought everything you’ll need—diapers, clothes, bottles, formula. There’s a folder with her birth certificate and medical records—your name’s on them. Jon made sure we had custody paperwork drawn up, just in case. We tied up all the legal stuff. But it’s your call. I included info on the adoptive parents if you want to reach out to them.”

My mouth feels like sandpaper. “Monique, she’s your daughter.”

“She’s ours,” she corrects gently. “And I know this is the best thing for her. I wrote her a letter—for when she’s older—explaining everything. I included a flash drive with all the pictures and videos I’ve taken since she was born. I wrote down anything I thought would be helpful, like medical history and a few stories about her first four months. If she wants to find me one day, she can. But this is what I want.”

I nod, not sure what else there is to say.

“Would you like to hold her?” Monique asks.

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