"I gather that's common for babies." I took the folder and sat beside Roan on the bed. The first sheet had a quarter-page photo of a young woman who was—and I really shouldn't have thought this first thing, but I did—fartoo attractive.
Her credentials were fine. She'd just left a job at the local daycare to go to school for childhood development. She had some time off of school right now and was looking for a nanny job.
The next woman was middle-aged with several grown children of her own. She'd been a stay-at-home mom, but her youngest had just gone off to college. She was looking for something to do with her time now.
The last candidate was a grandmother who had raised several children and grandchildren. She currently had two grandsons in the house, but they were teenagers and didn't need her as much now.
"Who do you think?" Roan asked.
I chewed on my lip. "The grandmother, I think. She has the most experience."
"I agree," Roan said. He took the folder from me and handed it to Doryu. "Can you have someone run a background check on her?"
"Of course," Doryu said. He stood and smiled. "I'll have someone come get you when the meeting is ready."
"Thank you," I said.
As soon as Doryu was gone, I flopped backward on the bed and stared up at the ceiling. "I'm not cut out for this."
"For what?" Roan asked.
"This," I said, gesturing around the room. "All of this. I'm not a mother. I never wanted to be a mother." I sighed. "And yet, I can't stand to be away from little Alex."
Roan chuckled. "I imagine many mothers feel that way when they're new at the job."
4
"I've broughtsome of my things here to stay and help for a while." Doryu smiled down at me as I rocked and fed little Alex. "I want to be available to you if you need me."
My heart swelled with affection for the man. "You're the sweetest."
He carefully took Alex from me so I could stand. I stretched my back and winced at the pop of my spine.
"You should rest," Doryu said. "I can watch Alex." He cooed at the baby and kissed his head.
I smiled at the two of them. "No, it's okay." I smiled at him. "I want to spend as much time with him as I can." I didn't really know how long I'd have him.
Doryu frowned. "What do you mean?"
I shrugged. "I'm not his mother." I gestured to Roan who was sitting on the other side of the room, looking at his phone. "We're all just flying blind until we know what to do about the other babies, who their mothers are... We need more information."
Doryu looked stricken as he stared at Alex and repositioned his bottle. "I keep forgetting that part."
"I'm already in love with him, too," I whispered. "But we have to think about what's best for him."
Doryu met my gaze and nodded. "I understand. I'll do whatever I can to help."
"Thank you," I said. I kissed Alex's head and went to sit by Roan. "When will the nanny be here?"
I'd insisted we meet with her before officially offering her the job. The council meeting was this afternoon, and she was coming to meet us, then hopefully stay with little Alex so we could all go to the meeting.
"She should be here soon," Roan said. He put his arm around me and kissed my temple. "How are you feeling?"
"I'm okay," I said. "A little overwhelmed, but okay."
"It's a lot to take in," he said. "But you're doing so well."
I chuckled. "I don't feel like I am."
