Page 6 of Manny's Surprise Baby

“Yeah, but I’m not parent material.” He chuffed. “You know me, Colin. I’m not looking to settle down anytime soon. I wasn’t planning on having kids until I finally gotforcedinto marriage,” Seth grumbled. “I don’t know the first thing about raising a child.”

“Have you met the little girl yet?” Colin asked.

“Once. But we didn’t really talk much.”

Colin chewed his lower lip. “Perhaps you’ll be a natural at fatherhood.”

Judging by how freaked-out Seth was, that was hard to imagine.

“Maybe if Letty had told me about this kid from the beginning, I’d at least know the child. But I’m a complete stranger to her.” He had a deep line between his brows.

“She’s probably terrified right now,” I said softly. “What she needs is stability and to feel like she belongssomewhere.”

Seth met my gaze. “But how do I do that for her?”

“It won’t happen overnight. She probably won’t trust you for a while.” I sighed.

“Awesome.” He scowled.

“Meet her physical needs first, and gradually the emotional stuff should fall into place. Once she believes you aren’t going to bail on her, she’ll probably warm up to you.” I studied his tense face.

“God, my house isn’t kidproofed.”

“She’s eight, not two.” I smirked, earning a scowl from Colin.

“They’re both equally terrifying to me,” Seth muttered.

“Well, she probably knows not to stick her finger in an electrical socket, but she’ll need help with homework. She might even like boys already. She’ll have completely different needs from a baby.” I’d taken care of all ages of kids up at the compound. I found children easier to relate to than adults, and I tended to get along with them better.

Groaning, Seth covered his face. “This is a nightmare.”

I had a certain grudging sympathy for him. Alphas weren’t made to take care of kids; omegas usually handled that. “You’ll probably be fine.”

He dropped his hands to his lap. “You sound about as sure as I feel.” He glanced to Colin. “I don’t even know where to begin. She’s coming to my house tomorrow.”

Colin grimaced. “So soon?”

“She’s been with Child Services while the lawyer contacted me and we did the DNA test. But now the only thing keeping her from coming to live with me, is me.” He sighed. “Obviously I can’t turn away my own child. And frankly, I think I’d have trouble turning away any kid who just went through what she’s gone through.”

His empathy was surprising. I studied his tense features, feeling a reluctant respect that he was doing the right thing. “It feels scarier because you two are strangers to each other. Once you know each other’s quirks, it should get simpler.”

“What’s her name?” Colin asked.

“Emily.”

“Do you have a nanny lined up?” Colin kissed Garrett’s head, as if the conversation made him feel more protective toward his son.

“A nanny? No.”

“Well, who’s going to pick her up from school when you’re at work?” Colin scowled.

He winced. “Crap. I hadn’t thought of that.”

“Seriously?” Colin shook his head. “You do have a bed for her, right?”

“Yes. I have her in the bigger guest room.” He sighed. “Damn. I wasn’t thinking about when I’m not there. She’s not a little baby, and so it never occurred to me I’d need to hire anybody to watch her.”

Colin met my gaze. “Pretty sure it’s not okay to leave an eight-year-old alone for extended periods of time. What if you get an overnight assignment?”