“It’s done now. I love Avery, but I can’t afford a court fight, and I wouldn’t win, anyway.”
I don’t comment because I can tell Winter is barely hanging on and that she doesn’t want to lose her composure any further in front of me. Suddenly, Avery starts to fuss and I look down at her.
“You have to walk,” Winter says.
“Walk?”
“She likes it when you walk. It settles her down.” She looks around my living room for the first time. “She might like the swing.”
She shows me how to hold Avery with her chest against my shoulder, so she can look behind me as I walk. I take her across my living room and back, and it works.
“See that?” I grin at Winter. “Baby whisperer.”
Winter smiles sadly. “I should go.”
“Do you want to say goodbye to her?”
She shakes her head adamantly. “I already said my goodbyes.”
“Why don’t you come see her tomorrow?” I offer.
She blinks, almost as if she couldn’t believe I actually offered. “Really?”
“Yeah. I know you hate me, but I appreciate what you did. For Mallory and for Avery. I’m not trying to cut you out of her life.”
Winter smiles, although it’s bittersweet. “Thank you. Because I was thinking, if you ever need a babysitter…I mean, I don’t want you to pay me. Just…call me anytime you need me to help, okay?”
“I will.”
She puts her hand on the door handle and looks back at us.
“So I’ll text you tomorrow about coming over,” she says.
“Good. I took the day off, so whenever is good.”
She nods and turns the handle, opening the door and looking into the hallway.
“Remember to support her head when you pick her up or hold her,” she says. “And don’t put any blankets in her crib.”
“Okay.”
She takes a deep breath. “Okay, I’m going.”
“Okay.”
She remains frozen in place in the open doorway. “Harry, don’t leave her with random people.”
“I’d never do that,” I say indignantly.
“And don’t give her honey until she’s at least a year old.”
“Got it.”
She takes a step through the doorway, but pauses again, still not looking back. “Promise me you’ll pick her up when she’s crying,” she says, her breath hitching.
“I promise. Winter, we’ll be okay. You’ll see when you come by tomorrow.”
She nods and then closes the door behind her. I let out a breath and murmur to Avery.
“She’s kinda uptight, huh?”
The squishy, featherweight bundle in my arms coos again, and I can’t help but feel overwhelmed with emotion.
Basically, I’m fucked. My daughter is going to get anything she wants from her daddy without much effort. A boy, I think I could say no to on occasion. But not this soft, sweet little girl.
“Should we sit down and have a beer?” I ask her. “Maybe catch some preseason baseball?”
I put her in one of the swings and turn it on, complete with music, light show and vibrations. She’s mesmerized.
Grinning at her, I walk into the kitchen for a beer, popping the cap off as I walk back into the living room.
“We’re Cubs fans, by the way,” I tell her. “I ordered you a hat and a jersey to wear when we watch games, but they’re not here yet.”
Avery is still staring at the lights above her head, awestruck. I turn the game on, finally kicking back and relaxing. It’s going to be a chill afternoon at our place.
Winter had her panties in a bunch over nothing. I’ve got this.
Chapter Six
Winter
I jolt from the shrill blare of my ringtone.. Grabbing my phone, I see that it’s three in the morning. I just slept for seven hours straight. I haven’t gotten that much continuous sleep since before Avery was born.
I see Harry’s name on the phone’s display. I’ll admit I programmed his number into my phone as soon as I got home from taking Avery to his place. My reaction upon seeing that he’s calling me at three in the freaking morning is nothing short of panic.
“Harry!” I shout as I answer the phone. “Is Avery okay?”
“I don’t know.” He sounds frantic. “She’s been crying for four hours. She only stopped once for five minutes. I tried picking her up and walking around; I tried the swing, the bouncer and the stroller. I fed her, changed her, burped her, rocked her, begged her…I don’t know what else to do. What should I do?”
The sound of Avery wailing in the background pulls at every instinct inside of me to comfort her. I’ve always gone to her when she cries. I feel helpless being so far away.
“Does she feel warm?” I ask Harry.
“Uh…kinda? But I don’t know if it’s from all the screaming and working herself up or something else.” He groans with frustration. “Christ, how does something so tiny make so much noise?”
“Want me to come over?” I ask, already out of bed and grabbing a hoodie to put on.