Chapter 6 Hot Chick. Cool Baby.
HOT CHICK. COOL BABY.
LUCIO
Delilah hasn’t moved from the landing at the top of the stairs. She’s just gawking at the upstairs apartment with her mouth open as my two brothers, sister, and mother walk around her, dropping items on every available surface before they head downstairs to grab more.
“I just can’t believe this,” she whispers before she takes an uneasy step forward, as if she moved too fast, everything would disappear.
“This is the last box,” Vinnie says as he pushes past me, knocking into my shoulder just like he did the last three times he made the trip up the steps. The once punk-ass teenager is now a college kid with more muscles than brains. “Where would you like this, ma’am?”
Delilah’s eyes sparkle as she stares at the box in my kid brother’s hands marked Little Kid Shit. “Anywhere you’d like.” She looks almost as happy as she did this morning when she ate the blueberry scone.
Vinnie grunts, lifting the box higher because he always likes to show off his strength, even if the woman is way out of his league.
As the star quarterback in high school and now the sophomore starter for one of the biggest football colleges in the area, he thinks he’s God’s gift to all humanity, especially women.
Delilah might have thought I was full of myself, but she doesn’t know Vinnie and how his ego barely fits in the room with the rest of us at Sunday dinner.
My ma grips Delilah’s shoulders, and Lulu instantly grabs at Ma’s pearls again, but my mother doesn’t seem to mind. “Dinner’s at one tomorrow. You know where I live, honey.”
“What?” Delilah’s face scrunches up again, the tiny wrinkles returning toward the tip of her nose. She turns to me, looking for help, but I only shrug.
I’m not about to say anything. Family dinners have always been a special time and a requirement if you were born into this ragtag group of people I call my family.
Although my mother seems warm and fuzzy, she doesn’t often invite people we just met to sit down at our table.
But Ma being Ma, she is doing her best to make Delilah feel included, and I’m sure she’s pushing us together in some way.
As if living under the same roof and working at the same place isn’t enough, Ma wants to make sure we don’t spend a moment apart.
“Family dinner is always on Sunday at one.”
“But I’m not…”
“Don’t say it,” Ma tells her, beating me to the words, and gives Delilah her very stern, motherly, don’t-mess-with-me look. “The more, the merrier. Family is more than blood, baby.”
Delilah seems to eat it up, smiling bigger and brighter than she has before. “Thank you so much, Betty. It’s very kind of you to offer, but I think it’s going to take me days to unpack everything and get settled.”
“Hush now.” My ma waves her hand in my direction. “Lucio will help, and besides, you need to eat. One o’clock. Don’t be late.”
Delilah only nods.
“We’ll be there, Ma,” I say, saving Delilah because she looks overwhelmed.
Ma walks over to me, throwing her arms around my shoulders and putting her mouth right next to my ear. “Don’t fuck this up,” she whispers as I stare at Delilah and she stares at me. “You help this girl and keep them safe.”
“I know, Ma,” I whisper, but neither of us is speaking softly enough for Delilah not to hear us.
Ma doesn’t say anything I don’t already know or think. In the short amount of time Delilah and Lulu have been around, they’ve grown on me, and I feel responsible for their safety.
As quickly as my family gathered to save the day and fill the upstairs apartment with so much baby stuff the place looks like we robbed the going-out-of-business sale at Toys “R” Us, they disappear, leaving us alone.
“So, your family is…” Delilah looks around the room and pauses with wide eyes. “I don’t know how to describe how I feel.”
I rub the back of my neck and start to laugh. “They’re crazy at times, but—”
“They’re amazing, Lucio. You’re so lucky to have them.”
She moves into the small, well-stocked kitchen which I had outfitted with new appliances after the last tenant moved out. I follow, keeping my distance because I don’t know what type of traumatic shit she’s been through, and we don’t know each other well enough for me to start looming over her.
“This place is beautiful. Are you sure you don’t want to give it to someone else?”
“And what, put you guys on the street?”
She turns then, facing me with little Lulu staring at me too.
“You could’ve.” Her eyes dip to the floor, but I stay quiet because I wasn’t trying to be a hero in this situation.
I did what most people would do when someone is in need.
Especially when they have a baby in tow.
“I mean, my father didn’t have a problem doing that to us. ”
“Listen.” I move forward, closing the space between us now because I want her to understand I want them here.
“I don’t know what bad shit you had happen or what type of people you’re used to having in your life, but you needed help, and I had a place.
I couldn’t sleep at night if I dropped you and Lulu off at a shelter when I had the means to help. ”
Lulu holds her hand out, reaching for me, and I take her from Delilah’s arms without thinking. Even Delilah doesn’t put up a fight and just hands her over like we’ve known each other for years.
“I’ll repay you for everything.”
“Stop right there,” I say sternly. “I’m not looking for money.” I laugh as Lulu touches my lips, plucking at them with her tiny fingers and blows her own raspberry.
“Everyone’s looking for money.”
“I have a house, a bar, a great bike, and a nice family. I got everything I need. You’re helping me out by keeping the place in working order and lending a hand at the bar.”
I feel like a broken record, repeating the shit I’ve already told her, but she doesn’t seem to get it.
In her world, the one flooded with so much money they practically drown themselves in decadence, she probably doesn’t understand how someone could open their home to a perfect stranger.
But as Lulu plays with my face like I’m a Mr. Potato Head toy, Delilah finally seems to relax and let everything sink in.
“We’re done talking about it,” I say to her, but not like an asshole. I don’t want her to continually thank me or think she owes me something for helping her out. “There’s two bedrooms over there.” As I try to tip my head, Lulu’s grip intensifies, and those tiny little nails dig into my skin.
“Oh Jesus. I’m sorry,” Delilah says, moving toward me to take Lulu back. “I should probably feed her and put her down for a nap before she gets cranky.”
“I don’t think this kid ever gets cranky.”
“Trust me, she does, and it’s like the nine circles of hell when she has her moments.” Delilah laughs softly before kissing Lulu’s head.
“I have the bottle and formula from earlier. Just relax on the couch, and I’ll get it ready. Once she’s asleep, we’ll start unpacking.”
Delilah tilts her head and stares at me like I am part of some freak show act at the cheesy carnival that rolls into town from time to time.
“I can’t let you do this all alone,” I tell her because I know what she’s thinking.
“Cause your ma told you to?” she asks.
“Because I want to, and to be honest—” I rub my hands together, knowing I am going to drop something on her she may not care to hear “—I like you and the kid.”
Her eyes widen like my words are a shocking revelation.
I want to ask her if she has a boyfriend or anything, but I assume she doesn’t. If she does, he is a piece of shit for not helping out her and the baby instead of me. If she were mine, she wouldn’t be dealing with any kind of stress and certainly not living with her asshole father.
“Go sit,” I tell her, angling my chin toward the couch behind her. “I got this.”
She stares at me with her mouth hanging open, not moving as I walk toward the kitchen and start to prep Lulu’s bottle. A few moments later, Delilah walks through the living room and peeks into the two bedrooms. “The crib’s already set up.”
“We work fast,” I say as I measure the formula and heat the water. It has been years since I prepped a bottle, and my mother did it this morning, but it isn’t any more complicated than making a drink at the bar.
The leather of the couch squeaks as she sits down.
I finally turn around, catching sight of her holding Lulu across her lap and looking comfortable for the first time since she walked into my life.
Her eyes are moving fast, checking out the place and all the boxes of God knows what my family decided to drop off.
What kind of idiot would fuck this up?
Hot chick. Cool baby.
Not too much is complicated about the situation. I could never abandon my kid and baby mama, but that’s just how I was brought up. Then there’s the fact that my mother would have my balls in a vise for doing that shit to my own blood.
I shake the bottle, mixing the chalky formula with the water as I walk into the living room, watching them. “I’ll start unpacking while you feed her.”
She looks up at me with her big, beautiful blue eyes and long eyelashes, blinking for a second like she is trying to process what I said. “I’m sure you have things to do.”
“I don’t.” I kind of lie. I didn’t have anything solid planned, but I was supposed to play a game of football with the guys.
I hand her the bottle and make myself busy, giving her some space and time to think while she feeds Lulu.
I’ve done some fucked-up shit in my life, but never once did my family turn their backs on me. I can’t imagine what is going through her head after her father basically disowned her, leaving her without any money or a place to live.
I don’t even make it through the first box when she starts to speak. “I just want you to know no guy is going to show up on your doorstep, demanding to see me or Lulu.”
“I’m not worried,” I tell her and keep my back to her, slowly pulling out the baby items and placing them on the counter. “You’re allowed to have anyone over you’d like.”
“Lulu’s dad took off before she was born. I haven’t heard from him since and have washed my hands of him entirely. I haven’t been in a relationship with anyone since, so…”
“It’s not my business, Delilah.” My heart hurts for Lulu, and Delilah too. Not only do I want to beat her father’s ass, I want to strangle the prick who knocked her up and then abandoned them both.
“But I want you to know because—” she pauses as I finally turn around to face her “—I like you too.” She speaks so quietly I almost don’t hear her, but those words change things forever.