“THIS ISCARYS. I have you on speaker.”
“Blaize? Are you there, too?” The concern in Raiden’s voice caused her pulse to race. Rue was crying softly in the background.
“I’m here,” Blaize said. “I’m driving, so Carys is helping me out.”
Raiden exhaled.
“Is everything okay? Because when no one answered and I didn’t hear back from you, I was worried something happened,” Blaize said, getting right to the point.
“It’s Kit.”
Blaize’s knuckles turned white on the steering wheel. “What about her?”
“She fell.”
“Again?”
“I’m afraid so,” Raiden said. “Caught the corner of the dresser this time and had to get stitches.”
“Where are you guys now?”
“At the hospital.” The strain in Raiden’s voice said it had been a long day in Maverick Pass, too.
“Is Kit conscious?” Blaize asked.
“Yes.”
“Is that Rue crying in the background?”
“Yes.” He cleared his throat. “A nurse is helping me try to calm her so I could call you. The kid has a set of lungs on her, and I’m not cut out to be a parent. I’ve tried everything I know to do, which isn’t a helluva a lot, and none of it works.”
All of a sudden, Rue stopped crying.
“What just happened?” Blaize asked.
“The nurse swaddled her.”
“Did you change her diaper?” Blaize asked.
“Yes.”
“Feed her?”
“Did that, too.”
“Does she have a fever?” Blaize asked.
All these questions were spot-on. Carys had no clue why Blaize didn’t think he’d be a good father. Now that she knew his background and about his wife, was he afraid to admit he still wanted children?
It would be understandable after all the disappointments he’d endured. Most people would have folded the tent at this point. Not Blaize. He became stronger and more determined with every setback.
“The nurse checked. No, no fever.”
“That’s a relief.” Blaize released some of the tension in his grip on the steering wheel.
“There doesn’t seem to be a reason for her to be fussy,” Raiden said. “And Kit will be fine, by the way.”
“Will she?” Blaize asked.
