Page 30 of Run the Play
“What?” Reid asks, shock written all over his face. “That’s a torture device.” Reid taps at the screen of his phone and pulls up a video. He scrunches up his nose and shakes his head vehemently as Foster takes the phone out of his hands to watch. He, too, looks thoroughly disgusted at the thought of sucking snot from a baby’s nose.
“Bro, you can’t do that to your kid. They’ll be traumatized.” Foster shudders, tossing the phone back to Reid.
“Snot and shit, that’s what babies do,” Sloane says calmly.
“I’m not cut out for that,” Reid says.
“You better learn,” Corie tells him. I watch as she bites down on her cheek to keep from laughing, but when she sees the horrified look on Reid’s face, she loses it as laughter bubbles out of her.
I’m laughing so hard, I have tears coming out of my eyes. Soon, everyone is laughing, even Baker, and we’re all wiping at our eyes.
“Okay, more gifts,” Sloane says, getting us back on track.
With a shy smile, Baker continues to open each gift with care and a heartfelt thank-you after each one. There are more items we have to explain to him, and instead of fear written all over his face, I see nothing but determination.
He’s going to be a good dad.
“He will,” Landry says, startling me.
“I didn’t know that I said that out loud.”
“You did, and you’re right. Daddy Sinclair is going to be just fine. We’ll make sure of it.”
“That sounds familiar,” I say, tearing my eyes from his to watch Baker open the bouncing seat I got him.
“A bouncing seat?” Baker asks.
“They soothe the baby so you can do things like clean or cook. The bouncing motion helps settle them.”
Baker nods slowly. “I think I’m going to need that.”
“You will,” Corie assures him. She leans forward from where she’s sitting on the floor, passing him gifts. “This one says up to forty pounds, so you’ll be able to use it for a while.”
Baker nods as the corner of his mouth tilts up in a smile. “Thank you. Truly, I didn’t know where to start, and this—” Baker looks around at all the gifts littering the floor around him “—is so much. I don’t know how I would be making it through this without all of you.”
After we all take turns hugging him, we get to work cleaning up. Corie and Sloane are packing up gifts while Reid, Foster, and Baker start packing them outside.
“I think we’re going to need my truck too,” Knox says. He grabs two handfuls of gift bags and heads out the door.
I begin by picking up glasses and plates and taking them to the kitchen to start cleaning up. I’m standing at the sink, running dishwater, instead of using Landry’s dishwasher when I feel a presence behind me.
“You know the dishwasher works,” Landry says. His hands land on my hips as he reaches around me and flips on the light over the sink.
I’m holding my breath, waiting for him to step back, but he never does. “Yeah,” I say with a heavy exhale.
He leans in close, his lips just a breath away from my ear. “Want me to show you how to use it?”
“Do you know how?” I ask.
His deep laughter surrounds me and warms me like a blanket on a cold winter’s night. “Yes, I know how. I’m a big boy. I can even wipe my own ass.”
I hold up my hand, which is dripping with water. “No, I don’t want to see that. And as for the dishwasher, I know how to operate it, but we mostly used paper plates. There are only a few dishes. I don’t mind washing them by hand.”
“Then move over,” he says, his hands finally leaving my hips for him to step up next to me. “I’ll rinse and dry.”
“You don’t have to.”
“I know I don’t have to. They got the gifts handled, and I’m not going to just stand here and watch you work. We’ll have this done in mere minutes.” He winks, and my heart does this flutter thing in my chest. It's almost as if it has wings and they’re flapping rapidly.
