Page 6 of The Yips

“Okay, kid. Time to meet your crazy aunt, Kylie,” I said, straightening him in the carrier.

I saw her before she saw me and held up the sign I’d made as a joke.

Surprise! The baby is yours!We got a ton of strange looks and some laughs while we waited.

She ran over to me, and I dropped the sign when she carefully embraced us. Crew giggled and kicked his arms and legs in excitement, reading our emotions.

Kylie wiped a tear from her eye, “Can I hold him?” She asked, her voice cracking with emotion.

“Of course, let me get him out of the carrier.” I removed Crew from the sling wrap and passed him to Kylie.

Crew snuggled into my sister, and I snapped pictures as she sobbed into his head. I wiped my own tears, doing my best to hold back full-on sobs.

“Your Auntie has been dying to meet you, Little Man.”

Kylie held him tight as we waited for her luggage to arrive on the carousel. She pointed out two bags, and I retrieved them so that she wouldn’t need to hand Crew back to me yet.

“Just two bags?” I asked, confused as to why she would be traveling so light for a cross-country move.

“Yes, I donated everything else; none of it was worth the cost of moving it back home.”

“Sorry to pull him away, but it’s a lot easier to travel with him strapped to my chest.” I gestured to the empty sling hanging limply at my chest.

Reluctantly, she returned him to me, and I adjusted him back into his carrier.

“Have you thought any more about getting an apartment together?” Like my parents, Kylie thought that by living together, she could help me reduce costs and have more security. As much as I would love to live with my sister, our income level was not even close, and she would need tosubsidize my expenses for it to work heavily. It also wasn’t fair for her to live with an infant.

“A little bit,” I answered as we approached the parking garage, hoping to put off the conversation a bit longer.

Kylie swiped the parking ticket out of my hands and put it into the machine to pay the fee. “I’m not letting you pay for parking after getting up at dawn to pick me up.”

“I don’t get to sleep in very often anyway,” I gestured at Crew, but I was relieved not to have to cover the cost of parking. There wasn’t much left for convenience luxuries like parking garages. “How was the flight?” I asked, aware of Kylie’s dislike of flying.

“I followed Kendra’s advice and took some melatonin before we took off. I woke up when we landed with my head on my flight neighbor’s shoulder.”

“Was your neighbor understanding?”

“You could say that. He gave me his number.” She winked with a smirk.

“Only you could encroach upon someone’s personal space on a five-hour flight and leave with a date. Did you drool on him?”

“You know it,” she laughed, and I joined in with her.

“Can you still watch Crew for my next closing shift?”

“Yes, just send me your schedule. I haven’t started work yet, so I’m completely free. I plan to spend as much time as possible with this guy. If I can’t do it for any reason, I’ll work with Dad to cover.”

“I’m so happy you’re home.” I meant this sincerely, not just because she’d be helping me with Crew, but because I needed a friend.

“Are things any better with Kendra?” We had a major argument when I found out I was pregnant with Crew, and she was upset that I chose to continue the pregnancy. Shehad repeatedly said that I was going to ruin my life. She had an abortion just after college, and her advice to me felt like she was trying to reassure herself she had made the correct decision. I respected her and her decision, but it wasn’t for me.

“Meh, she’s never been great with babies, and I think it’s hard to look at him and say I made a mistake.”

“That’s for sure.”

CHAPTER 8

Sam

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