Total pages in book: 122
Estimated words: 115706 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 579(@200wpm)___ 463(@250wpm)___ 386(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 115706 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 579(@200wpm)___ 463(@250wpm)___ 386(@300wpm)
“I smiled before.”
“No, you grimaced like you were about to turn into The Hulk.”
I force a smile. “Better?”
Aubrey shudders. “No, that’s horrifying. Never mind. The grimace was less scary.”
As I roll my eyes, Aubrey swings open the screen door and disappears into the house.
I fidget as I stand and wait for Aubrey to call me inside for what feels like a lifetime. But finally, she calls my name and I head into the house. Once in the living room, I find Aubrey sitting on a couch, its back covered with a crocheted blanket, with my tiny daughter in her lap.
“See?” Aubrey says to Raine, her temple resting on Raine’s head while looking at me. “Mommy’s good friend Caleb is just a normal, nice man with silly scribbles all over his body and funny hair all over his face. Isn’t he silly and funny?”
Aubrey fake laughs, and my little daughter joins her nervously, but even as Raine laughs, she’s gripping Aubrey with her tiny, splayed fingers like a lifeline.
“Caleb, did you get into Raine’s box of markers and draw all over yourself, you naughty boy?” Aubrey asks breezily. “If you did, that’s not allowed. Is it, Rainey?”
Raine shakes her head.
“Remember when you did that, Pooh Bear?” Aubrey coos, poking Raine’s belly playfully. “Remember how Mommy laughed and gave you a bubble bath?”
Raine frowns. “Mommy said, ‘You not allowed do dat, Rainey.”
“She did say that, but gently. Mommy wasn’t mad at you, Boo. Mommy thought everything you did was the cutest, funniest thing, ever. She loved you so, so much.” Aubrey chokes on her last few words, causing her to stop and inhale deeply before starting again. “Remember Sully in Monsters, Inc.? Caleb is like him. He looks scary and big, but he’s really silly and funny.”
As Raine considers this new bit of information, I make a mental note to watch Monsters, Inc., as soon as possible.
“Can you say hi to him?” Aubrey prompts softly, poking Raine’s belly again.
Much to my thrill, Raine waves shyly at me and squeaks out the tiniest, “Hi.”
That’s it. Put a fork in me, I’m done. My heart is a puddle. My fate sealed. Come hell or high water, no matter what it takes, I’m going to do whatever it takes to become the father this cutie pie deserves, so I can hear her calling me “Daddy,” as soon as possible.
“Hi, Raine,” I reply softly, even though I want to scream it out of excitement. “I’m Caleb.”
“Say, ‘Hi, Caleb!’” Aubrey prompts cheerfully.
“Hi, Coobie.”
Aubrey and I exchange a small smile at her adorable pronunciation. Aubrey’s grin wasn’t a wide one, like mine, by any stretch, but it nonetheless feels like progress.
Aubrey calls to me, “Hey, Caleb, what’s all that scribbling on your skin? Did you do that with markers?”
My heart is pounding. “No, they’re tattoos. Body art that never goes away.”
“Never?” Aubrey whispers. “Did you hear that, Pooh Bear?”
“Never?” Raine whispers, looking up at Aubrey with astonishment.
“Ask him.”
Raine shakes her head, so Aubrey presses forward.
“Only adults are allowed to get tattoos, right, Coobie?”
I look at Aubrey like, You’re not seriously going to adopt that nickname for me, are you? And Aubrey smirks her reply. Clearly, yes, she is.
“Yeah, that’s right,” I say to Raine. “Tattoos are only for adults, since they never go away.”
“Can you say tattoos, Pooh Bear?”
“Tatta.”
“That’s right,” Aubrey says, giggling. “How about body art?”
“Bobba art.”
Aubrey chuckles again, as I bite back a smile.
“Perfect,” Aubrey coos with a kiss to Raine’s head. “Good job.”
Feeling emboldened, I hold up my arms and interject, “Yup. No bubble bath in the world will take any of these bad boys off. That’s why I had to be sure I loved every single one.” It suddenly occurs to me I’ll need to find room on my body for Raine’s name somewhere, once I get back to LA and get with my usual guy. I’m pretty much out of real estate on my skin at this point, but I’m sure he’ll figure something out.
“Guess what?” Aubrey says, drawing me out of my thoughts. “Caleb doesn’t know how to color in a coloring book!”
“I know how!” Raine blurts, like it’s a crazy coincidence.
“Maybe you can be a good friend to Coobie and teach him how.”
Damn, she’s good. I was already hell-bent on hiring Aubrey as Raine’s nanny, out of convenience and continuity. But now that I’ve seen Aubrey in action with my daughter, I bet I would have hired her, regardless, even if she were a total stranger applying for the job and using this interaction as her interview.
“I teach?” Raine asks Aubrey.
“I bet Caleb would really like that. Why don’t you ask him to find out.”
“I’d love to be your student, Raine,” I say eagerly. Too eagerly, probably, given the scowl on Aubrey’s face.
“Let her ask you,” Aubrey scolds quietly.
“Oh. Sorry.”
“Go on, Pooh Bear. Ask him.”