Page 91 of Manny's Surprise Baby

“Because I had a bunch of vacation time saved up.”

“I should be there to help with the decision.” She curled her lip in a pout.

I scowled. “Emily, you always say you want to be grown up. Well, accepting you can’t always get your way is part of being an adult.”

“But I don’t like it.”

Seth laughed, and I smiled. “Yeah, it’s not always fun. That’s why we tell you to stay a kid as long as possible.”

“Okay,” she said grudgingly. “I’ll just have to trust you two to pick my sibling for me.”

I ruffled her hair. “Promise you’ll love whomever we bring home?”

She looked up with a little sparkle in her eye. “I promise.”

****

Brad arrived promptly the next morning. When I opened the door, I was surprised by how young he looked. He had skinny jeans, a bright pink T-shirt, and a black knit hat with blond hair poking out the bottom.

He stuck out his hand. “I’m Brad.”

“Pierce.” We shook. “Come in.”

“Thanks.” He moved past me, glancing around the house curiously. “Nice place.”

“It’s my… boyfriend’s house.” I’d never really had to address my relationship out loud before. The word “boyfriend” felt a little awkward rolling off my tongue for the first time.

“Cool.” He pushed his hands into his pockets and studied me. “We finally meet.” He smiled.

My face warmed. “Yeah. Sorry about the permanent position falling through.”

He shrugged. “It’s fine. I’m never at a loss for work.”

“You do seem in demand.”

“I love kids.” He sighed. “I’d rather just stay with one family for a while though. I get kind of attached to the kids, and then moving on is hard. It’d be nice to just watch the child grow up and be a part of that, you know?”

I liked his attitude. “I do.”

He sighed. “But whatever. For now I’ll just let the universe put me where it thinks I need to be.”

Emily came into the room. Her face lit up when she saw Brad. I wasn’t sure if it was because he seemed young or that he was cute. But whatever the reason, her cheeks turned pink and she smiled shyly. “I’m Emily.”

“Hey, Emily. I’m Brad. It’s cool to finally meet you.”

She clasped her hands. “I’m ready to go to school.”

“Never met a kid who couldn’t wait to get to school before.” Brad grinned, and Emily almost swooned staring at his dimples.

I cleared my throat. “I don’t think I ever asked you how old you are, Brad.”

He laughed. “I’m twenty-one. I know, I seem younger, right? I have my ID if you’d like to see it.”

“I trust you.”

His expression became more serious. “Good. Because I’m trustworthy. I’ll take good care of Emily. Promise.”

Seth came down the hall, cinching his tie. He stared Brad up and down before he held out his hand. “I’m the dad. Seth.”