Chapter 20 #2
Evan shook his head immediately before he even stopped talking. “No, I won’t be running off after Max. There are times when I’m going to have to be traveling for my job, but I don’t intend to put anybody else in front of you, baby. Above all thingsb I am pro-Sam. Now tell me what I can do.”
He searched Evan’s slate blue gaze for a few seconds then he rose up on tiptoe to kiss the underside of Evan’s jaw. “Okay. We’re gonna need stuff.”’
Evan pulled out his phone, opening a notes app. “All right. What kind of stuff? You know I’m hopeless. I’ve never had to deal with a baby.”
Sam felt his lips curl and a bit of a smile.
“You’re hopeless for a lot of reasons, guapo, but I can work with it.
We’re going to need diapers, onesies, baby socks, blankets, wipes.
All the things that we need for a newborn.
I’m sure Hillary will probably have to supplement with bottles and formula, that kind of shit, but Annette should be able to mobilize a lot of that. ”
“Sure.” Evan rubbed a hand up and down his arm. “God, we don’t have anything here, do we? Carrier, stroller, any of that shit.”
“Yeah, we’re starting from scratch.”
“All right, baby. You go check in with Hillary, and I’ll get on the phone with Annette and get her started getting everything we need, and then I’ll see if Hillary will let me come talk to her.” Evan looked appropriately contrite. “I need to apologize to her.”
“You’re not the one who needs to apologize.”
“I do for not having her back as well as I should have. I’m not going to apologize for Max. Like you said, that’s not my job.”
“No, no, and he can— Well, I’m not getting in the middle of that.” Personally, he thought Max didn’t even need to be here, but— He sighed and pursed his lips. That wasn’t his call.
He was just the dad.
Hillary could decide what Max’s involvement could be.
He went into the room to check on Hil, who was sitting there with her phone in her hand.
“I talked to Abue. She says that we can have another Thanksgiving dinner when I come home.”
“Oh, I think that would be fun. And just think of all the Christmas stuff you’ll get to do.”
She pleated the sheets with her fingers. “Do you think she’s going to be okay?”
“I think she’s going to be fine.” He was not entertaining another option.
“Okay. I’m glad you’re here, Papa.”
He moved to sit on the edge of her bed, holding her hand. “Evan’s here too. He’s trying to get it arranged so you get some of the things you need for the baby and some stuff for you.”
“Cool.” She gave him a knowing look. “You really love him, huh?”
“Yeah, I do.”
“Is he going to be like living with us, you think?”
He hoped so. “Yeah, I do. He’s going to keep his place here. It’s not like we won’t need it, right?”
She sighed softly. “Because we’ll have to come up and see him because—”
“That’s right, because she’s half his. Have y’all decided on a last name?”
Had she? He wasn’t sure Hil had included Max on anything, including Natasha’s name.
“I’m going to make her a Biyalik, because there’s lots of Marróns, and it’s important to his folks. I didn’t think that you would care.”
He smiled, because he didn’t. She was his blood, no matter what. “It’s totally your decision, and your mother let me give you my last name, so I think that’s fair.”
“Yeah. I’m trying to be fair, but it’s really hard.” She gave him a ghost of a grin. “I don’t want to be nice.”
“Well, right now, and always, it’s up to you to decide how nice you are to him, okay?” She needed to know she was driving the bus.
“I know.” She sighed. “But Annette and Bobby have been sweet. I was so damn mad, Papa.”
“Yeah, I find that lots of times that’s how it goes, huh?” He breathed with her through another contraction, waited to continue until it was over. “I think, if it’s not hard, then you’re not actually being fair. You’re just getting what you want.”
“I think so too.” She rolled her eyes at him.
“It was stupid to be so mad, but I was surprised, and I wasn’t expecting—I know he’s not, like, waiting for me.
I’m not waiting for him. That’s not the thing.
” She sighed, the sound so soft. “But I didn’t expect him to bring some really, really skinny, cute blonde girl home to meet his parents with his baby mama, you know, sitting right there. ”
Sam chuckled. He couldn’t help it. “Yeah, that was a little weird.”
That was the understatement of the century.
Her eyes went wide. “Can you imagine if you’d done that to Mama? Abue would have killed you. She would have ripped your parts off.”
“I think that that’s accurate.” His mama had opinions about how women should be treated, and pregnant women were a step above any others.
His mama would have made sure that never, ever happened again. Hell, he might have cocked up his toes and died just from the way she glared at him.
“Evan would like to come in and see you. He says he owes you an apology, baby. Are you ready to hear that or do you want me to tell him to wait?”
She didn’t have to have anybody in there who she didn’t want to, including his lover, but it would be nice if they could all be in the same space. He could use the moral support.
“Evan didn’t do anything wrong, Papa. Max was his family first. Besides that, I know that Evan went to yell at him.”
“I think that that’s probably the truth.” Sam chuckled. “In fact, I can almost guarantee you that’s what happened.”
He texted Evan.
She says you can come in.
Rock on. Be right there. I have Sprites and Dr Peppers.
You rock
“He’s on his way.”
They talked together and made it through a contraction before Evan knocked and opened the door, carrying Cokes and candy bars and a stuffed bear. “I come bearing gifts.”
“You’re amazing. Thank you.” He stood and got things organized.
“I’m sorry I ruined Thanksgiving.”
Evan snorted. “Are you kidding? I’m still thinking about ordering us all a pizza. We can get turkey anytime. Hell, I’ll find whatever you need.”