Chapter 3
three
. . .
Al
Two and a half hours later, thanks to a friend of Vanessa’s at Harvard, we have official confirmation: Emmy is my biological child. It’s not enough for legal determination, but it’s enough of an answer for me.
Thanks to the magic of a black American Express card, an entire nursery will be delivered in a few hours, and we leave the baby store with a portable crib, a car seat, and a stroller.
I don’t know how Riley survived carrying Emmy on the T and a bus with her in her arms, but my baby deserves the princess chariot of her dreams.
Vanessa drove us to the lab in her SUV so Emmy could use Leo’s car seat, but it’s not a long-term solution. She needs to be able to transport her kid, too.
We make a pit stop at the hotel and Riley grabs her suitcase, and then it’s back to my place. I guess it’s a good thing my sister moved out a few weeks ago, otherwise there wouldn’t be enough bedrooms for the three of us.
I suppose Emmy’s crib could go in my room, but she deserves a space of her own. Also, what if I wake her up when I come home late from games and road trips? No, it’s better for her crib to go in my childhood bedroom, and Riley will take Cari’s old room.
That’s when it hits me all over again.
I have a kid. A living, breathing human who’s dependent on me. What the fuck, man?
Emmy starts to cry as we walk into the house, the first real sounds of annoyance all day.
She’s been a perfect angel since the moment she showed up on my doorstep, barely making a peep.
I don’t know if she’s usually this chill or if she’s as stunned by the day’s events as I am, but I won’t be upset by the lack of noise.
From the few times I’ve met Vanessa and Larsson’s son, he never stops screaming.
“I need to change her,” Riley announces. She sets down the diaper bag and pulls out a mat, then gestures for me to hand her the baby.
I don’t want to let my princess go, but with the way she’s yelling in my ear, perhaps it’s for the best.
In less than two minutes, Riley swaps out the soiled diaper for a fresh one, snaps her buttons back into place, and then deposits Emmy back into my arms. I’m surprised at how right it feels to hold her. I’ve never spent much time around kids, especially not enough to hold them.
But with Emmy… she belongs with me. The lab tests only confirmed what I already knew to be true. She’s mine.
“Uh, Al?” a voice calls from upstairs. “Are you home?”
My blood runs cold. “What are you doing here?” I don’t want to do this now, but I guess she’s forcing the issue.
Cari bounds down the stairs wearing only a towel, her long hair wet around her shoulders. She stops in her tracks when she sees the audience.
“Why are you holding a baby?” she demands, her voice rising into a high-pitched screech.
Of course, that sets off Emmy, who cries out. Her screaming sobs ring in my ears as I bounce my knees the way Riley taught me, trying to soothe her.
Riley returns from the bathroom, hands freshly washed, and snatches Emmy from my arms. “You didn’t tell me you had a girlfriend,” she hisses.
“Okay, everyone needs to calm down,” I shout. I don’t know whether I’m talking to myself or them. No, definitely them. But also, a little bit me. “Carolina, go put on clothes. Why are you even here?”
“A bird shit on my head on my run. Your place was closer.”
Frustration bubbles through me, and I pinch the bridge of my nose. “Great. Get dressed, and then we can talk.” Stepping closer to Riley, I run my hand over Emmy’s back. “It’s okay, sweetheart. It’s okay.”
Riley looks up at me with her big blue eyes, clearly peeved. “I’m not your sweetheart.”
“Was talking to my girl,” I say with a chuckle. “But glad to know where we stand.”
She scowls at me, continuing to sway in place.
After a few moments, Emmy’s sobs die down, and she settles against Riley’s chest. Her eyes blink slowly, clearly exhausted by the outburst.
I’m exhausted, too.
Cari skips down the stairs, wearing one of my Grizzlies T-shirts and a pair of my sweatpants.
“Hi, I’m Cari,” she says, holding out a hand for Riley to shake. “You’re the woman trying to baby trap my brother?”
Riley’s eyebrows shoot sky high. “Brother?”
“Yeah. So what’s the deal here?” She glances between us. “Don’t tell me you fell for it.”
“We just got back from the lab. The baby’s mine.” As stunned as I am, I can’t deny the bubble of happiness ready to burst inside me. “Cari, I have a kid.”
Her eyes widen and her mouth drops open. “Are you shitting me?”
“One hundred percent factual.”
Still stunned, my sister tugs me into a hug. I lean into her silent support. But I should have known the quiet wouldn’t last long.
“Is this what you want?”
I’ve been over the hookup scene for a while. I want a relationship, a family of my own. Well, it may be unconventional, but I’m getting part of what I wanted. Even though I still want a great love in my life, maybe that can come in the form of a daughter rather than a romantic partner.
I can have my happily ever after. I can have good things in my life. I’m worthy of it, damn it.
“It absolutely is,” I tell my sister, but my eyes meet Riley’s.
“And you’re the baby mama?” Cari asks.
“I’m Riley.” Her face crumples, and her eyes well with tears. “Her mother was my sister. She passed away last week.”
Cari’s smile drops. “I’m so sorry.”
“Yeah. It was… well, I’m still processing.” She blinks a few times, no doubt trying to prevent the tears from falling. “But I knew that Alberto deserves to know his daughter.”
“Call me Al,” I interrupt. “Everyone does.”
My sister’s eyes gleam with mischief. “And who is this little one?”
“This is Emmy,” I tell her proudly. “Emilia.”
Riley gives me a subtle nod, and I lift my baby from her arms, cuddling her against my chest, facing outward.
Emmy babbles happily, and my heart twists at the look on my sister’s face. She’s already in love with her, that much is obvious. It’s not hard. Emmy’s pretty damn-near perfect. I already know I’d commit murder to protect her, and I only met her a few hours ago.
“This is my daughter.”
Cari gives a little shriek, then makes grabby hands for the baby. I settle my daughter in her arms, and as Cari’s eyes flutter closed, I swear I see a tear escape.
“Are you okay?” I whisper, my hand on Emmy’s back. Ready to snatch her back if I have to.
“Al, you have a kid,” she whispers back. “I never thought this would happen.”
I swallow. “Me neither.”
“Fuck knows Tony won’t give me a baby to play with anytime soon.” She laughs. “Crap. I probably shouldn’t say fuck around a baby.”
“She can’t talk yet, but she’s definitely aware of her surroundings,” Riley says, a smile on her face. “Do you, um, live here?”
“No, I live across town with some of my teammates,” Cari says.
“She’s on the Boston Revolution rugby team,” I say, ruffling her damp hair while smiling from ear to ear. My sister scowls at me, but then her gaze drops to my daughter in her arms, and she grins again. “Our brother, Tony, lives in Denver.”
“And your parents?”
“They live in Florida with our abuela. They came for a visit over the summer, but the winters are too harsh for them.” I chuckle. “You’re going to need a coat.”
Cari’s eyes ping back and forth between us, then land on the suitcase in the corner.
“Why does she need a coat?”
“I’m from Arizona,” Riley says easily, but her shoulders can’t hide the tension within her. “I’ve never actually seen snow before.”
“You’ll see a lot this winter,” I promise.
My sister glances at me again. “Al…”
“Riley’s moving in with me,” I announce. “She’ll take care of Emmy during the day and while I’m on road trips. Basically, she’ll be my new nanny.”
Cari laughs. Full-on belly laughs, shoulders shaking. I swoop in to take Emmy, but she clutches her tighter.
“You don’t do anything by halves, do you? Next thing I know, you’ll tell me you’re getting married.”
I freeze. “Why would you say that?”
“Because all you’ve ever wanted was to settle down with a family,” my sister says, as if it’s obvious. “Boom, instant family for you.”
“We are not getting married,” Riley blurts out. “I was planning on going back to Phoenix until he made me an offer I couldn’t turn down. I don’t want to leave her, not if I don’t have to.”
My sister laughs again. “Of course he did.”
This time, when I go to take Emmy from her, she lets me, and I’m instantly settled by holding my kid in my arms.
“What am I going to do with you?” I murmur, taking in her sweet, chubby cheeks and innocent brown eyes.
“Love her,” Riley says, stepping beside me. She wipes a spot of drool off Emmy’s chin. “All you have to do is love her.”
“I already do.”