I nod, though I’m not sure of that myself.
She sets her plate on the table and rests her hand on my leg. “Of course it is. You’re the man who brought in Boeing.”
I manage a smile, reaching for a strand of her damp hair. “You showered.”
She nods. “I was feeling disgusting.”
I cover my face with my hand. “God, the nurse said you weren’t supposed to shower alone.”
She takes my hand, squeezes. “Hey, it’s okay. I’m fine. If I didn’t pop my stitches falling over the crib, I wasn’t about to in the shower.”
I sit forward, alarmed. “You fell?”
She waves it off. “I caught myself. It was fine. The hard part was the walk from the bedroom to the nursery with her crying through the monitor. But… I was thinking. Now that you’re going back to work, maybe we should put the crib in our room.”
I look at her, throat tight. “I’m really failing at this, aren’t I?”
She tilts her head. “You’re working for us. I’d hardly call that failing. Irritating, yes, but not failing.”
Ma returns with a sandwich for me and a glass of water for Brooke. Brooke takes it with a polite thanks.
After my first bite, I glance at Ma. “I gave you the baby monitor. How come it ended up in the bedroom?”
She smiles, shaking her head. “I don’t think you did, sweetheart.”
I frown, brows pulling tight.I could’ve sworn I had.
Penny lets out a sharp wail from the baby monitor in Brooke’s pocket. Brooke starts to push herself up, wincing, but before she can get far, Ma springs to her feet.
“I got it,” she says quickly, already halfway to the nursery.
Brooke sinks back down, her hand brushing absently over her stomach.
I give her a reassuring smile. “She’s got it.”
Brooke doesn’t smile back.
I lean forward, voice gentler now. “I know you two haven’t exactly… clicked.”
Brooke scoffs. I ignore it, pressing on. “Just, give her a chance.”
“She hasn’t liked me since the day we met,” Brooke says flatly.
I counter, “Can you blame her for that?”
Brooke bites her lip, laughing. “I thought it was great.”
I look at her cheeky smile. “Uh-huh. Great for you, maybe. You’re not the one who got walked in on by his mom.”
Brooke laughs. “You’re the one who gave her a key.”
“It was for emergencies,” I say. “How was I supposed to know she’d be dropping by with lasagna?”
I shake the memory away just as Ma comes back from the nursery, Penny naked in her arms. “Where are the onesies?” she asks.
“I’ll show you.” I jump up, kiss Brooke on the forehead on my way to her.
In the nursery I fling open the chest of drawers. My mom facepalms. “Of course, why didn’t I check there?” She laughs.
