He shrugs. “Fuck knows, why cut off a finger when you just needed a fingerprint to get into a phone,” he retorts. “Who the fuck knows why you do the shit you do.”
“Rest assured, King, I haven’t kidnapped a baby. I’m helping someone out. She’s asleep up in my room.”
“You didn’t kidnap her either, did you?”
I go to roll my eyes but stop. It is sort of what I did.
“She’s free to go when she wakes up,” is all I say.
“You’re meant to be getting Luca that warehouse,” he reminds me.
“I’m on it. Shit’s in play.” Picking up the bottle from the jug of cold water, I say, “Hold your wrist out.”
Frowning, he asks, “What the fuck for?”
“Gotta make sure the milk is warm.”
“How do you know this shit?” he asks sticking out his arm.
“I’ve watched Victoria and Rudi with River.”
“Don’t let Luca know you watch his old lady, he’ll cut your eyes out.”
This time I do roll my eyes. Like I stare at her like that.
“It’s warm,” he tells me.
“It doesn’t burn?”
“Nah, so if that’s all. I’m going back to bed.” He turns to leave when he stops and adds, “If your girl that you haven’t kidnapped is still here in a couple of days, let Luca know.”
He disappears and I take the kid in the bar and sit. He greedily sucks on the bottle as soon as the teat touches his lips.
This isn’t so hard.
My phone rings and the baby flinches. Trying to hold the bottle to his mouth in one hand and digging my phone out of my pocket with the other is a chore but I answer and put it on speakerphone, resting it on the table.
“Hey, my love, I’m just checking in.”
“Why are you whispering?”
“He’s asleep. I’m in his bathroom. I don’t want to wake him.”
None of these are images I want but with my mom, it could be worse.
“Did he ask you back or did you wheedle your way in?”
“He asked me, thank you. I don’t wheedle my way in anywhere.”
It amuses me when she huffs, offended, when I’ve seen her in action.
“Why do people pat babies backs after they’ve had a bottle?”
“Why?”
“Because I’m feeding a baby and he’s nearly finished his bottle.”
“It’s to burp them. You don’t want to pat too hard but not too softly either. Keep doing it until they bring up their wind. Now tell me why you’re feeding a baby? You haven’t made me a grandma and forgotten to tell me, have you?”
