“Please, Sheena. I need a few more days.”
She snorts. “I’m not falling for it this time. I give you a few more days, and before I know it, months have passed and I have neighbors complaining to me every day about your dog again. I’m done.”
I clutch my chest as the pressure increases. Is there an invisible elephant sitting on it?
“I’m sorry, Sloane, but I have a business to run. You’re thirty-one. You need to start acting like an adult.”
She swivels on her heel and marches out of the apartment without another word.
“Well, hell, Boozer. What are we going to do now?”
Chapter 5
“Nothing says Thanksgiving like a surprise baby.”
Zane
Iexit the car – a car I had to borrow from a friend since I refuse to buy one – and stare up at Eli’s house. It’s Thanksgiving and the entire Raider clan is gathered at my big brother’s house to celebrate the occasion.
I wasn’t supposed to be here. I was supposed to be exploring South America on a motorcycle for a few weeks. Instead, here I am trying to figure out how to remove a baby seat from a car.
How the hell is this my life? I admit I’m a player. But I’m always careful. Always.
The door flies open and Mom rushes out. Ready or not – here we go.
“Zane, my boy.” She hurries to me. “We didn’t expect you today.”
“Mom.” I kiss her cheek.
“Why are you standing outside?”
Has she not heard about the baby yet? My brothers didn’t tell her?
I glance toward the house and notice all five of my brothers are standing on the porch. Which can only mean one thing. They’ve started some kind of bet about how Mom will react to me having an unexpected child.
My brothers will use any excuse to start betting. When they aren’t pranking each other. I’m usually part of the fun. Hell, I start the fun most days. But fun died the second Daisy dropped Adele at my doorstep.
“I’m… ah…” How do you explain you have a child you didn’t know about to your mom? I motion to the interior of the car.
“Zane Raider! Why is there a baby in this car?”
She doesn’t wait for an answer before reaching inside to nab the baby. “Hello, little one,” she coos. “Get the car seat. We’ll discuss this inside.”
She hustles inside without waiting for a response. Meanwhile, I still don’t know how to remove the stupid car seat.
I guess I’ll figure this out on my own since YouTube wasn’t any help. Eli nudges me out of the way. “I’ve got this. You better get inside and deal with Mom before her head explodes.”
My oldest brother unclicks the baby seat as if it’s nothing. “How do you know how to do that?”
He slaps my shoulder. “You’ll learn.”
I frown. I don’t want to learn. I don’t want to be a father. Moreover – I can’t be a father.
“Did you find out where Daisy is?”
He sighs. “Sorry. Not yet.”
Damn. I can hardly return Adele to her mom if I don’t know where she lives. Something inside me rebels at the idea of giving Adele back. I ignore it. I can’t be a dad.
