Annabelle runs up the stairs.
“Well then, you better go follow her.”
I head toward the stairs, Jana watching me the entire time.
“And people wonder why I don’t want kids,” I mumble.
By the time I get to her room, Annabelle is in a drawer, throwing her swimsuits on the floor. She picks out a striped one and begins undressing. I turn around to face the other direction
“She’s stripping down. I don’t think I should see this,” I yell down to Jana.
“First of all, she’s undressing, not stripping, Kane! And she’s two. You’re fine.”
Turns out I only have to help Annabelle get her arms through the straps of her bathing suit. I go to help her with her socks, but she’s quick to turn around to do it herself.
Jesus, it starts this young with women thinking men can’t do anything right?
Kane returns with Annabelle in his arms, and she’s babbling about water, swimming, cold.
Jalen is asleep in the Pack ’n Play, so I follow them to the pool, leaving the patio door open a crack so I can hear if Jalen wakes.
“Are you going to borrow one of Ford’s swimsuits?” I ask Kane.
Annabelle goes to the bin and picks out her floaty, then drops it on the edge of the water. Then she goes back to the bin and grabs a few toys and sits down on the steps, playing with them.
“She’s pretty smart,” Kane says, sounding impressed.
“Uh-huh.” I still watch her, although I’m guessing Lena and Ford must’ve taught her she can’t just go in the pool. “Again, what are you going to wear in the pool?”
Kane looks at me. “I’m not wearing another man’s swimsuit, I can tell you that.” He strips off his shirt and takes off his shorts.
“Kane!”
“What? My boxer briefs are like a swimsuit. Think of the guys who wear speedos.”
I guess I understand his point, so I watch him hop in the shallow end and hold his hands out for Annabelle to jump in. She instantly abandons her toys and jumps at him.
“Float!” she screams.
“Annabelle, Jalen is sleeping. Let’s be a little quieter.” I put my finger to my lips, and she nods.
Kane positions her on her back while still holding her up. Slowly, he gets his hand out from underneath her and she floats with her arms and legs outstretched, her eyes squeezed shut. He claps after a little while and she flips over and treads water for a second until Kane picks her up. He praises her and her face lights up, then he throws her and she squeals.
I hear the baby start crying inside.
So much for Jalen sleeping.
“Whoops, we woke Jalen.” Kane cringes at Annabelle, but neither of them seems concerned.
I leave the pool and pick up Jalen, whose face is completely red from screaming. Where is that cute little boy from the Instagram pictures?
“Oh, you poor thing,” I say, realizing he’s wet all the way through his onesie.
I didn’t want to ask Imogen for a diaper lesson because I thought it would scare her. I’ve never changed a baby’s diaper, nor have I fed a baby, but I watched a few YouTube videos before I came over. Kane was so against babysitting tonight that the competitive demon inside me said we can do this. Plus, I want to help Paisley when her daughter is born. I might not want to be called Mom, but I do want the label best aunt ever.
I dig through the designer diaper bag and find a new onesie, a diaper, diaper cream, and wipes. While Kane is still outside, I pull up the YouTube video and lay Jalen on the upper portion of the Pack ’n Play to change him. He’s actually calmed down now and staring at the ceiling.
“Hey, little one.” My fingers tiptoe up his stomach and I unsnap all the buttons on the onesie.
I must say, to my surprise, I kinda feel like a natural. The onesie comes off, I take off the old diaper, wipe him down, apply diaper rash cream, and put on a new diaper.
“Whoa, check me out,” I whisper to Jalen. It might take me a long time, but I get him all snapped into a new onesie. “Good as new, little man.” I swoop him up and go back out to the pool. “Look who’s up.”
Annabelle looks over and turns back to Kane. “Catch me!”
She jumps in the water. Kane brings her back over to the edge. I sit on the opposite edge of the pool with Jalen in my arms.
“Sorry for waking him,” Kane says, coming over and letting Jalen wrap his little fingers around Kane’s big pointer finger. “Amazing how small they are, eh? To think I was this size once.”
I laugh. “I know.” It’s hard to picture this big burly man ever being this helpless.
“Kane! Kane!” Annabelle screams from the other side. “Catch me.”
She jumps in without Kane being there to catch her. He rushes over and gets her just as she’s going down.
Once she’s back up and in his arms, he tells her, “You can’t do that. I have to know you’re going to jump, and I need to be there.”
“Stop playing with Jalen,” she says.
Kane glances over his shoulder at me. I’ve never seen this side of Annabelle, but I guess before Jalen, she was the only child in the family and used to getting all the attention.
“You know what? I’m going to go fix his bottle. Do you want a snack, Annabelle? We could watch a movie.”
“One more jump,” she says.
I leave them and put Jalen in the bouncer. One of the many things Warner had to bring tonight. Imogen is just as organized as I would be if I were a mom, so she’s left clear directions for the bottle. I test the bottle on my wrist like I saw in the YouTube video, then go over to the bouncer.
“Open up, little guy.” I bring the bottle to his lips, but he doesn’t open them. He just stares at me.
“How’s it going?” Kane has a towel wrapped around his waist with Annabelle right next to him and wrapped in a ladybug towel of her own.
I do a double take because watching the two of them makes my heart flip.
“I know we’re tracking in water. I’ll clean up once I have her all set.” Kane picks her up, towel and all.
“Oh, I know.” My voice is quiet as I try to make sense of this foreign feeling inside me.
They disappear upstairs and I continue to attempt to give Jalen the bottle, but it’s a no go. He will not open his mouth.
“You’re stubborn like your uncle Kane. I got cocky, so you’re putting me in my place, huh?” I laugh, and he kicks both of his feet, staring at the bottle as though he wants it. “Then come on.” I run the nipple of the bottle over his lips again.
Jalen gets more antsy as my anxiety increases.
“Hold him,” Annabelle says when they come back downstairs, witnessing my almost breakdown. “He fuzzy.”
I think she means fussy, and I hold back my laugh. Her hair is still wet.
I meet Kane’s gaze. “They’re going to smell the chlorine on her.”
He holds up his hands. “I draw the line at giving her a bath.”
“Well.” I signal to Jalen then unstrap him and cradle him in my arms.
Sure enough, he accepts the bottle immediately.
“You’re a smart girl,” I say to Annabelle, and she smiles and goes to the television.
“Movie?” she asks me.