“That would do it for anyone,” I assured her softly.“You have nothing to feel guilty about, Daph.You’re an amazing mom.”
And she was.She was so naturally loving and maternal, always putting Jojo’s needs above her own.There was no doubt she loved her little girl with everything she had.I aspired to be like her if I was lucky enough to have kids of my own.
“Go get some rest.She’s in good hands.When you’re up for it, maybe we could talk about a regular day I can take Jojo.Or maybe an evening when you don’t already have daycare lined up.It would give me more of a chance to bond with her.”
She nodded, rising to stand.“She adores you, that’s for sure.And I’ll definitely think about that.Thanks, Lulu.”
“Anytime.”I waved a hand.
After grabbing what I needed out of Daphne’s car and waving her off—once again assuring her we’d be fine—I carried JoJo back into the house.
The few times I’d taken care of her before had been for things like swim or music class.Now, I realized that without a planned activity, I didn’t have the faintest idea what to do with her.
“Got any ideas?”I asked Ranger, who cocked his head to the side.“No?I always think better with caffeine.Let’s start there,” I suggested as JoJo gurgled in response.
After sending Hudson a quick selfie of me and JoJo, with Ranger looking like he might actually be smiling, I left him out back, strapped JoJo in the stroller, and headed for the bakery.
“Oh my goodness, look at you, JoJo!”Greta squealed when we walked into the bakery, the sugary scent making my mouth water as always.
“She’s the cutest,” I agreed.“And all mine for the day.”
“So, a large coffee then?”She quirked a brow, making me laugh.
“Definitely.I love being with her, but I have to admit I’m not used to planning my days around an eight-month-old.And I have Ranger too.He’s back at the house.”
“Doing Hudson a solid on that, huh?”
“More like he seems to think I need security while he’s out of town,” I muttered.“But Ranger is just an added bonus, so I don’t mind Hudson being a bit over the top.”
“Seems to come with the territory when it comes to you.”
“That’s what I’m gathering.”I couldn’t hide my smile.
“Katie mentioned going to the lake today.That could be something to do with Jo,” she suggested as she handed me my coffee.
“Good idea.I’ll give her a call.”
Riley’s now-familiar truck pulled up out front, and a moment later, the man himself strode into the bakery.
“Ladies,” he greeted with an easy smile.“And baby,” he added before a look of concern crossed his features.“Daphne okay?I don’t think I’ve ever seen her without Jo—unless she’s working.”
“She needed a break,” I replied, mindful of my response.I was touched, if not surprised, by the evident concern in his gaze, but I didn’t want to share anything too personal on Daphne’s behalf.Though I still hadn’t gotten to the bottom of it, they clearly had history.
But when his intense stare persisted, making it clear I hadn’t given him enough information, I offered him a bit more.“Jo’s cutting a tooth, so there’s been some sleepless nights.And I guess her dishwasher broke this morning.It’s just a lot.She does everything on her own and does it so well.But she deserves some time to herself, so I offered to help out.”
“She tryin’ to nap?”Riley demanded bizarrely.
“What?”I asked, confused by his line of thinking.
“Daphne, is she trying to nap?”he repeated.
“Um, hopefully?”I was still confused.
“I’ll go take a look at the dishwasher.”
“Oh, I’m not sure—”
“When she wakes up, I’ll go look at it,” he cut me off before turning to Greta to order a drink.I simply stared at him, shocked by his intensity when it came to my cousin.
