The tall teenager nodded and walked around the couch to sit on the floor where Hollyn was laying on a soft blanket on the rug. She was chewing on her hands and kicking her feet in the air, seemingly oblivious to the tension radiating off the adults in the room. I heard Daire talking to the baby in a low voice as she lowered herself to the living room floor. Daire wasn’t the happy-go-lucky little girl I remembered, but there was nothing wrong with that. She’d been through a traumatic event that was bound to affect her and force her to grow up a little faster than she would’ve otherwise.
I pointed out all the baby monitors and each room to Campbell as he followed me to the nursery. The kid didn’t say much, but I could tell he was taking note of everything and evaluating the safety measures in place. He was taking his task very seriously, which I appreciated. It made the thought of leaving Hollyn with him slightly less terrifying.
Running through all the things he might need for the baby in the nursery, I paused mid-monologue and told him, “You’re right about me being overly worried and overprotective because Hollyn is my first kid. But it’s also because I nearly lost her. She almost died the day she was born, so I know what the fear of losing a child is like. I know how awful it feels to not be able to do a damn thing to help her. So, I’m doing everything in my power to make sure I never have to feel that way again. It might seem silly, or like I’m going overboard having Daire here to help you out, but I honestly don’t know if I’m going to be able to walk out that door and leave her behind when the time comes. Having Daire here is more for me than for you. I apologize if you feel offended; that was not my intention at all.”
Even though my dad had converted the basement into its own apartment, complete with its own kitchenette and entrance, this guy was practically going to be my roommate for at least the next few months. I didn’t want there to be any unnecessary hostility between the two of us.
Campbell sighed and gave me a look I couldn’t decipher. Those nearly black eyes of his were kind of unsettling when they were trained directly on you.
“Don’t worry about it. I get where you’re coming from; this is just the first time I’ve been so far away from my own brothers and sisters. This is the first time I’ve left home.” He cocked his head to the side and considered me for a moment before saying, “I heard you were in the Army. I actually thought about enlisting a while back, but I chickened out at the last minute. If Benny hadn’t come and dragged me away, there’s a good chance I never would’ve left.” A hint of a grin tugged at the corner of his mouth. “No one says no to Benny, ever.”
I chuckled because he wasn’t wrong. Uncle Benny was undeniably persuasive. “Well, I appreciate you being willing to give it a try. I hope you end up loving Denver. There are a lot of good people here. It’s a great place for a new start.”
Campbell nodded his head as he looked around the nursery. “I know a guy who comes to Denver pretty regularly because he likes a mechanic who has a specialty shop here. And I know someone who came to Denver looking to start over years ago. She was just unlucky that the devil was determined to drag her back to hell no matter what. And, of course, Benny loves it here. I never thought he would end up anywhere other than his hometown, just like me. But if he can live a regular life in a normal place like Denver, I guess anyone can.”
I frowned slightly. It sounded like this kid knew my uncle better than I did. He sure seemed to know more about his mysterious past than I ever had. It left me feeling a little left out.
“My Aunt Echo and Uncle Benny will probably stop by unannounced after I go back to work. Same for my mom and dad. They live right around the corner, so they’re really close by if you need anything when I’m not around.” I shrugged my shoulders and told him, “I don’t have siblings like you, but I do have a cousin I’m really close with, and a friend or two I grew up with who might pop in. They’re all related to Daire in one way or the other, so as long as she gives the okay, let them in.” There were times when I was younger that I longed for a brother or sister. Both my parents worked a lot and were busy, but I wasn’t often left to fend for myself. There was always someone there to take care of me, and when I got older, my parents even brought a foster child home every now and then. My mom’s line of work brought her into contact with kids in truly dire situations all the time. She wanted to help as many of them as she could, but she only intervened in a big way when it was a case that was really, really bad. I still kept in touch with a couple of the kids who were temporarily part of my family, but most had moved on and moved away. It was hard to stay somewhere that held more bad memories than good ones. They all still send my mom and dad cards on the holidays and keep them updated on their lives, which seemed to be enough for my folks. My parents assured me repeatedly they had no regrets about keeping our family small and unconventional.
“Nice to have your family close by.” Campbell sighed and muttered, “I’ll make nice with the sullen princess. I just wasn’t expecting her. I really don’t care one way or the other if she’s hanging around the first few weeks.”
I chuckled again and shook my head. “Daire isn’t a princess. She’s a hellraiser. Or, she was up until recently. She was in a really terrible accident with her older brother this summer. The aftermath has taken a toll on her, so she’s quieter now. She always looked like an angel but acted more like a little devil. If you underestimate her, you’re going to regret it.”
He made a sound like he understood the warning, then offered one of his own. “Since you know you’re going to have such a hard time when you have to leave your daughter all day, you should probably start leaving her for short periods and work up to a full workday; otherwise, you won’t make it out the front door. The first time I ventured out to find help for my family, it felt impossible, and I had to go back even though I didn’t want to. It gets easier if you ease into it. Maybe start with meeting a friend for coffee, then lunch, then a half-day event or something. Plus, it’ll give me and the moody teen time to adjust to each other.”
I wasn’t going to tell him again that he had Daire all wrong. He was going to have to learn that lesson the hard way. But he had a point about easing into leaving my baby alone with him.
The problem was, the only person I wanted to spend time with aside from Hollyn was Remy, and she made it pretty clear she was in a hurry to get away from me the morning I took her to her car. I knew I could call Joss or my dad and make plans with them, but the one I wanted to see, the person I wanted to know more about, was Remy. Even if it was nothing more than getting coffee or grabbing a quick bite to eat, I wanted to spend the fleeting free moments I had with her.
Pondering the dilemma of my own making, my thoughts were interrupted when Daire came into the nursery carrying a visibly uncomfortable Hollyn. “I think she needs to be changed.”
Campbell snorted and walked toward her to take the baby. “She does. I can smell her from here.”
I was going to tell him to hand her over when Daire put a hand on the center of my chest and pushed me in the direction of the door. “Let him do it. This is what you’re paying him for. I’ll keep an eye on him. You go take a nap or something. You look tired, Hyde.”