Page 6

6

GEORGIA

“ A uggie, quit pestering Jasper. I swear that hound has the patience of a saint,” I say. I take my first sip of coffee, dark roast, double cream, just the way I like it.

Auggie makes barking sounds as he wraps his arms around Jasper’s neck. Jasper looks at me with his soulful brown eyes, tail a thumpin’. He’s charming as all git-out, all white except for a dark brown patch circling his left eye with long Bassett Hound ears. He’s short to the ground with little bowed legs and big paws but long-bodied. He weighs in at a decent fifty pounds. He’s the best dog I’ve ever known. I’ve come to the conclusion that we humans don’t deserve dogs. They’re way too good for us. “Good boy Jasper. You take such good care of our sweet pea.”

Even though I’m expecting it, my heart races when my phone starts chirping.

“Good morning,” I say, sounding breathless.

“Hello Georgia.” I can’t help the thrill that goes through me at his low honey-toned voice. “Thanks for taking my call.”

“Cade, it’s not like I have a choice now, is it?” Auggie is on his morning roll now, already having moved on from Jasper, he’s waddling around our cramped living room jabbering to himself. I swear, every single toy is out of the toybox and already discarded as Auggie moves on to greener pastures. Clarence, our cat, decides to stroll in at that moment and August’s eyes light on him.

“August, no!” I say sternly. Our cat is not nearly as forgiving as Jasper.

“Meow.” August totters towards Clarence who jumps easily onto the back of the couch and out of the toddler’s way. His tail twitches and his eyes narrow as if daring August to try.

Auggie squeals loudly and I hear Cade chuckle. “I guess he’s wide awake.”

“Yeah. I, on the other hand, am on my first cup of coffee. I’m not there just yet.”

“It must be a lot to handle all by yourself,” Cade says.

My hackles go up. “We do just fine. I don’t need your pity.” There might have been a little more bite than I’d intended.

“I didn’t mean anything by it, Georgia. It’s a compliment.”

I blow out a breath. “I’m sorry Cade. I’m all out of sorts with this situation. I don’t know how I’m gonna share my baby. We’ve been doing this on our own for almost two years. You’ll have to be patient with me. I say on our own, but that’s not true. Mama and Pops help out a lot. So does Ava.”

“I’m sure they do. How are your mom and dad? How about Grammy and your Papaw Charlie?”

“They’re all real good. How about your family?”

“Good… good.”

There is an awkward pause then I blurt out, “Have you told them? About August?”

“Only Quinn.”

“He must hate me.”

“Georgia, why would he hate you?”

“You know why. Because I kept August from y’all.”

“That’s not their business. This is between you and me. They may feel a certain way about it, as I’m sure your folks will as well with me showing up. We can’t control that.”

“Your parents never liked me anyways. I’m sure your mom will have plenty to say.”

“I can handle my mom. Her bark is worse than her bite. She means well.”

“Nobody will ever be good enough for her baby boy,” I say. “She took exception that I happened to be older and from the other side of the tracks.”

“Ha! Two years older is hardly a cougar.”

“You know I’ve thought a lot about it now that I have a son. You were barely twenty-five, and your whole future ahead of you. Your lifelong dream… everything you’d worked for… laid right at your feet. As a mom, I get where she was coming from.”

“She means well but she was dead wrong about us.”

“To be clear, I’m not giving her a complete pass. She never thought I was good enough because we didn’t come from money. That is unacceptable.”

“That’s a bit harsh, Geege.”

“Come on Cade. Don’t you remember what she said when we had that knockdown drag out? We were going at it like a couple of hens in a chicken coop. She said I was after your money and I was clingy because you were going to be a big baseball star. She called me a cleat chaser! The nerve! I can’t even imagine what she’d have said about me winding up pregnant. I’m sure she’d have said I was trying to trap you. Like you weren’t in that bed right alongside me.”

“I know how it sounded but underneath it all, she’s got a good heart. She was being an overprotective mama bear. I was mortified then and still am. I’m sorry you had to hear all that.”

“I survived. I won’t put up with her shenanigans this time around. I’m older and wiser.”

“She’ll have to accept you and your rules if she wants to have her grandson in her life.”

The thought of dealing with Wendy is too much. I am in no way, shape or form ready for this. It’s all too much.

“I’m scared, Cade,” I admit.

“And I’m not? I’m brand new at this fatherhood thing. You’re two years ahead of me.”

“I don’t know if I can do this. Your mama and daddy… your brother. I just can’t handle it right now.”

“I’ve got you, Gigi. You won’t be alone. We’ll worry about the family later. Let’s give ourselves time to catch our breath. One thing at a time. Okay? We’ll take it real slow.”

“Promise me you’ll have my back with your mom.”

“I promise. We’ll be a team,” he says confidently.

He always was that confident sort… born with that special something. Destined for great things. I call it stardust. He probably has every right to be arrogant, but he isn’t. My glass, on the other hand, has always seemed half empty. Until Auggie. Now everything makes sense. Hard to explain really. I’d have thought practically raising my little brother and two sisters would have been enough but apparently, they were practice. I was made to be a mom. I love everything about it. Most of the time anyhow.

“When do you want to meet?” I ask.

“I’ve got a three-game series beginning tonight then a day off before travel. After that, I’ll be on the road for the next ten days. How about we meet tomorrow morning, then, if you’re comfortable with it, I’ll meet August on Monday before I head out.”

I chew on my lip as I absently doodle around the edges of my to-do list. “I guess that will work. Where?”

“How about Nellie’s Diner around nine?”

“Okay. I’ll have to make sure I can find someone to watch Auggie. I’ll let you know if it doesn’t work. I’ve got your number now on my caller ID.”

“See you tomorrow, Georgia.” His voice sounds all warm and buttery, sex on a stick, but I refuse to fall under his spell a second time. Fool me twice, shame on me.

After we hang up, I sit there in confused silence until Ava’s voice interrupts my musings.

“Hey sissy,” Ava says, swirling in like a high-energy filly. She’s the youngest of the four of us. A little immature for twenty-one because we’ve all spoiled her half rotten but she has a beautiful heart and rescues any kind of stray, be it plant, animal or human. My baby sister is fierce and quite the idealist. Her living with Mom and Pops is very convenient for me. She adores August, and between her and Mama, I’m lucky to have built-in babysitters. She also fills in spur-of-the-moment when her busy social calendar allows it.

I smile at her, my heart full of love. Her wild corkscrew curls are in total disarray and from the vivid colors smeared all over her white tee-shirt I know she’s been in her basement studio paintin’ up a storm.

“What masterpiece are you working on now?”

“The same landscape series that’s due at the end of the semester.”

“Can I peek?”

“Always. Go on down when you drop off Auggie. I picked up a shift at the store so I won’t be there this afternoon.”

“Fine, be like that,” I tease.

She looks at me appraisingly. “So, Mama says the cat’s out of the bag.” August is now wrapped around Ava’s leg so she picks him up and props him on her hip.

“Unfortunately.”

“What are you going to do?”

I hold up my palms and shrug. “Not much choice. I either work it out amicably or I’m sure he’ll take me to court.”

“Jerk.”

“Ava, as much as we may hate it, he is,” I pause and nod at Auggie, “his father.”

“Damn that fickle fate that put you and him in that store at the exact same time!”

“Language,” I chide.

“Last time I checked you still aren’t my mama even though you think you are.”

“No, but I’m August’s mama and I want to give him a fighting chance at being a good citizen instead of a potty mouth like you.”

“Ha! Before August you could curse with the best of us. Now, butter wouldn’t melt in your mouth. As a matter of fact, I learned most of it from you!”

I laugh. “You got me there, however, now that I have a child I have to lead by example.”

Her eyes soften and she suddenly rushes over and hugs me squishing Auggie between us. “You’ve always been the best example. You never swore that bad. Only when you were mad.” I hug her back feeling tears burning my eyes.

Ava pulls back her brows furrowed. “I’m sorry that jackass, oops, I mean Cade, is back. We were doing just fine without him. Now he and his snobby family will try and take over. It will be a cold day in hell before I let that bit… um… I mean Wendy Jennings butt into our lives! She doesn’t deserve to shine your shoes!” Ava huffs.

Sniffling, I chuckle at her outrage. Honestly, it makes me feel better. “Well, she isn’t my favorite either.”

Ava sits down across from me with Auggie contentedly on her lap as she plays patty cake with him. “I’m pretty sure she was cheering Cade on when he left without having the balls to tell you face to face.”

“More than likely,” I agree.

“She’s probably gonna stir up all sorts of trouble claiming grandparent rights and all that nonsense.”

“Ava, I’m already freaking out and you aren’t helping. Cade promised nothing is going to happen without talking about it first.”

“I don’t trust him as far as I can throw him. He knows how to use his charm to get what he wants. All those baseball players have to do is snap their fingers and those two-bit cleat chasers come a running. He’s bad news. If I were you, I wouldn’t trust a dam… darn thing he has to say.”

“Dam,” Auggie says with an irresistible grin. I give Ava a dirty look.

She has the grace to look sheepish. “I’m tryin’.”

“Try harder.”

“He has no idea what you went through after he dumped you! He broke your heart into a million pieces… and that was before you found out you were pregnant. Every time I think about how shallow and selfish that man is, I could gouge his eyes out!”

I can’t help but laugh at her fiery remarks. “I love you Ava, I really do, but you’re going to have to be part of the solution, not the problem.”

She rolls her eyes at me. “Have you thought about how you’re going to introduce him? Baby boy, this here is your daddy .”

“I guess since he’s so young that might be the best way to handle it. Doesn’t seem right to introduce him as plain ole Cade.”

“That just kills me, I swear to God! He doesn’t deserve to be called daddy. He didn’t do nothing to earn it. What has he done besides ‘the act’?”

“It’s not his fault he didn’t know about August. That’s on me.”

“He ran off on you. He’s a selfish, entitled athlete who is used to getting his way on everything! Don’t you dare even let me hear you start blaming yourself.”

“Sis, although I appreciate your loyalty, the fact is he is going to meet his son. I need help deciding how best to introduce them.”

Ava sighs dramatically, her expression sour. “I suppose at this age, Augs won’t understand what’s going on. It’s probably best to hold your nose and introduce him as his daddy. I don’t envy you none.”

I look at my baby and weigh my options. He’s as smart as a whip. “At least he’s too young to have any emotional baggage, so I’m not too worried about how he’ll react when I introduce them. I think with his outgoing temperament he’ll be fine.”

Standing, Ava hands August to me. “I’ve gotta go. Mama had a cancellation so I’m getting a manicure and then going straight to work from there.”

“Brat.”

“You’re just jelly.”

I hold out my hand to show her my closely clipped nails. “Hardly. Ava, I need a favor. I’m meeting Cade tomorrow morning at nine if you or Mama can babysit.”

She sighs. “I can. I don’t go to work until three.”

“Thank you. I’ll put you in my will.”

She rolls her eyes. “I’ll surely want for nothing then. Bye, Auggie,” she says, leaning in to kiss his cheek. He grabs a fistful of hair and tugs. “Let go, you little heathen.” He giggles as she pries her hair from his grasp one finger at a time.

“Auggie, let go,” I say. “I swear I think his terrible twos have arrived early.” When she’s finally free she sweeps out, the screen door banging behind her.

“Well, August Jacob, time for a bath.”

“Baf,” he parrots and I burrow into his neck. It smells of that intangible baby scent that’s all his own. I don’t know what the future holds for us but we’re in for a roller coaster ride and I’m determined to make this as smooth as possible for my baby boy.