Chapter 21 Charlotte
TWENTY-ONE
CHARLOTTE
I roll from one side to the other before letting out a loud sigh.
I can’t sleep.
I’m completely exhausted from working and spending the evening helping Jude, and yet I can’t stay asleep.
Every time I drift off, I wake up thinking about Jude and Ava.
I want to know how the first night is going.
It feels like I should be there helping him.
I grab my phone from the pillow next to me and look at the screen.
My ringer is on, so I already know Jude hasn’t called, but I check just in case.
Is it weird for me to call him?
What if he’s sleeping and I wake him up?
I roll to my back and stare at the ceiling. I know I shouldn’t worry about Jude. He’s probably asleep and has been handling the night with Ava just fine.
But what if he is having a rough night?
Babies are temperamental. Even though Ava was fast asleep when I left, it doesn’t mean she’s still asleep. Because it’s three in the morning, I fight the urge to call Jude to check in.
What if I just text him?
I grab my phone before I can change my mind.
CHARLOTTE
How’s everything going?
I stare at my phone. It’s so late—or early, depending on how you look at it—and I know he probably isn’t going to see this text for a few more hours. I still feel better for sending it though. At least if things aren’t going great, he knows I’m up and thinking about them.
I’m about to place my phone back on my pillow and force myself to fall back asleep when Jude’s face pops up on my screen. It’s a silly picture he took of himself last year when we were out golfing. Every time I see it, I smile. Except now, my stomach drops at the sight of his name on my caller ID.
“Is everything okay?” I ask the moment I swipe to answer.
“Char.” My name comes out raspy. Before he can say anything else, the loud sound of a cry makes me jump.
Before I realize what I’m even doing, I’m out of bed and shuffling around in the dark to find some clothes. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing. Everything. I don’t know.” Jude groans. “I’ve tried everything. Feeding her. Rocking her. Changing her. Feeding her again. Ava just won’t stop crying. She’ll fall asleep for a few minutes and then wake up crying again.”
“I’m on my way,” I get out, grabbing a pair of jean shorts from the one box I started packing before crawling into bed.
“You don’t have to come over,” Jude hurriedly gets out. “It’s just that you texted, and since you were awake, I figured I could call and ask what I’m doing wrong.”
My chest hurts at the vulnerability in his voice. “You aren’t doing anything wrong. She’s just a baby. Sometimes babies just cry. I’ll be there soon.”
“You really don’t have to come, Char. I can handle it. Get some sleep. I only called to see if you had any tricks I didn’t know about.”
“I know you can handle it, but I’m awake, and I’ve already decided I’m coming over. I’ll be there as soon as I can. Try walking around the house with her. Maybe a change of scenery from your room will help.”
Jude sighs, but he doesn’t argue anymore.
I hang up the phone before he can try again to convince me that he doesn’t need help.
I button my jeans shorts and grab a jacket and zip it up.
I’ll need to come back later today to pack, but that can wait.
Right now, I want to get to Jude’s and help him with Ava.
He sounds exhausted, and I don’t want to waste any time getting over there.
Before I can knock on the front door, Jude’s pulling it open with red-rimmed eyes and disheveled hair. “You’re here,” he remarks, his voice low and full of exhaustion.
I smile before turning my attention to Ava. She’s in his arms, looking just as tired as he does. She cries before her head falls against his shoulder.
“Oh, sweet girl.” I carefully take her from Jude and cradle her to my chest. She lets out a small little whimper as I hold her close.
“I don’t know how she’s still awake right now,” Jude mutters. I look at him, and it’s only now that I realize he’s wearing a pair of glasses.
I’ve never seen him wear glasses.
It gets worse.
I swallow as I can’t help but let my gaze travel over him.
He’s shirtless.
In a pair of gray sweatpants.
It must be because I’m also short on sleep, but my head feels fuzzy at the sight. I rip my gaze from him and focus on Ava.
How can he look so good on so little sleep?
How did I not know he wore glasses?
I rock back and forth, watching carefully as Ava’s eyelids flutter open and shut.
“She hates me.” Jude’s deep voice breaks me from my thoughts of what seeing him shirtless in a pair of glasses is doing to me.
I look at him and make sure I keep my gaze locked on his instead of looking at his abs, which are on full display. “She doesn’t hate you.”
He lifts an eyebrow and cocks his head in my direction. I look down to find Ava fast asleep. Her little lips are parted, and drool has already started to pool.
I roll my eyes, understanding the point he’s trying to make but not agreeing with it. “She’s probably just so overtired that she finally couldn’t fight it anymore.”
“Mm-hmm.” He walks into his kitchen, and I try not to focus on the way the muscles of his back ripple with his movements.
I walk slowly with Ava and make sure I bounce with each movement. If it’s been a struggle to keep her asleep, I want to make sure I don’t do anything to mess up the fact that she’s finally sleeping.
“I’ve got terrible news for you,” Jude drawls. My eyes move to him, finding him leaning against his kitchen island. He props his elbows against the surface, his head falling forward in exhaustion.
“What’s the terrible news?”
Despite the lack of sleep, he manages a smile as he looks back up at me. “Clearly, you’re her favorite, which means you can never leave us. Not until I figure out how to calm her down on my own, at least.”
I shake my head. “I’m not her favorite. She’s just a baby and is in a new place with new people. In no time, I’m going to have to pry her away from you to get snuggles in because she’ll be so obsessed with you and not want to go to anyone else.”
He lets out a defeated groan. “I hope you’re right, Char. I don’t want to fail her. I want to be her comfort person, and it’s killing me that I couldn’t get her to stop crying tonight.”
I hate to see him look so sad and defeated. It’s not something I’m used to with Jude.
“It has nothing to do with you. I promise. Why don’t you go get some sleep, and I’ll watch her?”
His eyes scan my face. It takes everything in me to keep my gaze locked with his when he pushes himself off the counter and straightens his spine. “I didn’t call you to make you watch her for me. I can handle it.”
“I’m not offering because I don’t think you can handle it. I know you can, but you’re going to have to learn to accept help, Jude. You’ve had a long night, and I’m already here and wide-awake. Go get some sleep.”
Ava stirs in my arms. He focuses on her for a moment, keeping whatever he’s thinking to himself. Her eyes open, but her exhaustion eventually wins out, and after a few rocks back and forth, she falls asleep once again.
“I just don’t want you to think I’m using you. I only called for advice. Not free childcare.”
I roll my eyes at him. If I weren’t holding his daughter, I would push him in the direction of his room myself.
But since I’m trying desperately to keep her asleep by rocking from one foot to the other, I keep my hands to myself instead.
“I’m about to stay in your house for the summer.
I fully plan on helping with Ava when I can because I want to. Now, stop arguing and get to sleep.”
Jude lets out a deep, throaty laugh, and it does funny things to my body. “You’re kind of cute when you’re bossy.”
“Jude,” I warn. He can’t flirt with me when he’s shirtless, wearing glasses, and in a pair of gray sweatpants. That’s basically illegal and definitely against the rules.
He puts his hands up in surrender but begins to back up to his room. “If she becomes too much to handle, please wake me up.”
I nod. I’m not going to wake him up unless there’s an emergency, but he doesn’t need to know that. “Okay. Now, go get in bed.”
His eyebrows raise to his hairline. “Trying to get me into bed, Char?”
I scoff. Even when exhausted, he finds a way to still be a flirt. “Jude.” His name is said as a warning. It reminds me of the way my mom used to say my name when I was about to get in trouble for something.
He takes the hint because he smiles and changes the subject. “Thanks, Char. I know I probably sound like a broken record, but I don’t know what I’d do without you. Wake me up in an hour or two, and I’ll take back over.”
I nod, thankful that he doesn’t say anything else. He turns around and walks to his room, disappearing from sight.
The moment he’s out of view, I let out a deep breath.
I softly run a hand over the top of Ava’s head. “Who knew your daddy looked so good in glasses? This is a very dangerous discovery.”