“What?” he asked, but I ended the call as Charlotte started to wail.
I thought about grabbing her and bringing her to the kitchen with me while I figured out the contraption, but even in my limited experience with her, I knew that was a bad idea. It’d be easier if I just got it ready, so I left her in the crib and hurried to the kitchen only to stare at the bottle maker. Damn, the thing was intimidating.
Hillary had put a stack of clean and sterilized bottles next to it, as well as the instruction booklet. I opened it only to find out it hadtwenty-seven steps.
This is insane.
Charlotte’s crying got louder.
Shit! I should’ve brought her with me.
I pulled up YouTube on my phone and searched for a step-by-step tutorial on how to use the contraption, quickly finding one that was only thirty seconds long. That was why I loved watching videos. Two minutes later, I had a bottle ready and hurried to my daughter’s room, setting it on the table as I picked her up from her crib. She was so tiny that when I lifted her, I needed both hands so I could properly support her head.
“Charlotte, your daddy’s got the bottle ready. Come on, babygirl. You’ve got to calm down for a few seconds so you can drink it.”
Her little face was so scrunched up that she kept missing the nipple. What felt like a million years later, she finally latched on to it and started to drink.
Fuck yes.I felt victorious.
“Yeah! That’s it, baby girl.”
She drank like a champ but didn’t manage to empty the bottle. I had strict instructions from the nurse that I was to feed her every two hours so she could properly gain weight. Ella checked herself out of the hospital the day following Charlotte’s birth. Thankfully, they allowed me to stay with my daughter so the nurses could teach me the basics.
I quite enjoyed feeding her. She fell into a milk coma right away. I was tempted to put her down, but I had to burp her first, so I placed her on my shoulder, patting between her shoulder blades. After a few moments, she gave me a nice big belch. After that, she promptly woke up and started to wail again.
What? Does she want to drink more?
I put the nipple to her mouth, which only made her cry harder. Nope, that wasn’t it.
A few seconds later, I heard what was undoubtedly a diaper explosion. Why did I keep forgetting about the diaper?
We went to the changing table, and I put her down. Standing at the end of the changing table, I slowly unfastened her diaper as I grabbed a new one from the drawer. The second I removed the old one, she had yet another explosion, which all landed on my custom-made shirt.
Let me just clarify for anyone who doesn’t know: Shit does stink, and baby shit is the worst! Once again, I wondered how my parents managed with all of us. There must have been a constant stench that lingered about the house.
Charlotte instantly calmed down. Now that she’d emptied her belly, she fell asleep on the changing table.
Shaking my head, I cleaned up my little girl the way thenurse had shown me before putting on a fresh diaper and onesie. She was still asleep as I picked her up and gently placed her back in her crib. Then I looked down at myself to see the mess.
Yep. I, Beckett LeBlanc, CEO of the bakery branch of The Orleans Conglomerate, was covered in shit.
I needed to take a shower, but I didn’t want to leave Charlotte alone while I went to the master bedroom. I decided to use the guest bathroom and left the door open so I could hear in case she woke up.
I checked my phone, momentarily stunned that I had fifteen unread messages. Then I realized Anthony must have already spoken to the family. Everyone had written to me. I read my brother Chad’s text first.
Chad: We’ve got you-. Any questions you have related to kids, just let me know. Want me to drop by tomorrow?
Chad was the oldest, and he had a daughter, Bella, as well as a toddler, Simone. And he was most definitely going to be the first person I called.
Beckett: Yes, please.
I read Xander’s message next.
Xander: Anthony just told me what happened. Need help with the legal side? I can pull some strings to get the best custody lawyer in the country.
He was very pragmatic. I replied to him so he wouldn’t start pulling those strings, since they weren’t necessary.
Beckett: It’s all good. I’ve got parental rights. Maybe I’ll get your lawyer to double-check everything, but it’s not an emergency.
