Page 34 of The Surrogate Nanny
I handed Nori the pink sippy cup. She sucked some of the juice concoction before handing it back to me and walking towards the little kid’s play area. I wanted to chase after her and hold her hand while she was around other children, but I resisted. Instead, I took a note from Simone’s parenting playbook and allowed Nori to explore independently.
“What did you plan on telling her about me?”
“Excuse me?” Simone asked, eyebrows knitted in confusion. I turned towards her and propped my arm up on the back of the bench.
“When she became old enough to realize that some children come from a two-parent household and asked about where her father was, what did you plan on telling her?”
“The truth.”
“Really?”
“Yes, really. How else would I explain it? Nori, your daddy was a soldier, and he went off to war and never came back?”
I grinned at her cheekiness. “That’s one way of telling it.”
“I didn’t want to lie because, deep down, I knew. I knew you’d pop back up in our lives one day...and I was right. I just wasn’t prepared.”
My eyes trailed away from Simone’s to find Nori stumbling behind a butterfly. She fell flat on her face on the rubber playmat. Her wails made my chest tighten, and she struggled to pick herself off the ground. I jumped to my feet, ready to rescue her, when Simone grabbed me by the back of my shirt.
“It’s okay, Anthony. Let her pick herself up if she can. We won’t always be there to pick up the pieces.”
“But she’s hurt,” I protested, somewhat exasperated by Simone’s lack of concern.
“She’s fine. She just wants to be comforted. Relax.”
“How do you know that? She’s crying.”
“Yeah, but kids have different cries, and that’s not an “I’m hurt” cry. You’ll learn the difference soon enough.” I sat and chewed my bottom lip. I waited anxiously for Nori to pick herself up. I released a pent-up sigh when she wobbled in our direction with fat tears rolling down her face. My eyes widened when she came to me instead of her mother. I looked at Simone guiltily. Instead of being annoyed by Nori’s choice, Simone smiled encouragingly. “Don’t be shy. Our daughter wants to be comforted by her father.”
Thank God she’s not jealous.
I picked up Nori and placed her on my shoulder.
“It’s okay, baby. Daddy’s here.”
***
“We’re...home,” I groaned as I shifted the SUV into the park. “Get out.”
“You first,” Simone challenged as she reclined her seat back.
“Why does it look like you’re prepared to spend the night in the truck?”
“Because I am. I can barely move,” she complained.
“Welcome to my everyday life,” I joked morbidly. I was in so much fucking pain from my leg that I was tempted to limp into the garage and cut the son-of-a-bitch off. I tensed when I felt Simone’s hand on my thigh. Her touch was gentle but unexpected.
“Go inside, Anthony. Grab the Epsom salt from underneath my bathroom sink and pour it into a hot bath. I got Nori.”
“That sounds like too much work,” I huffed. “Can’t we smell like outside for one night?”
Simone delivered her signature side eye that Nori inherited from her. “That’s gross. No one is getting in a bed without bathing tonight.”
“The couches in the living room are leather. We can take a cat nap and shower later. No offense, but you look like you could use a nap. Plus, Nori is down for the count,” I reminded her after checking the rear-view mirror. Nori hadn’t graduated from a rear-facing car seat, so I had to rely on the mirror on the headrest to see her chubby face. “She’ll be so distraught when her face paint is washed off.”
“Face paint or not, she’ll still be a little shark,” Simone replied.
“Thank you, Simone.”