“So, how does this go in here?” I ask, opening the back door of my car.
“The middle is the safest place, so let’s put it there. I’ll see if I can find you a base for this type of seat. That will make getting it in and out much easier. You won’t have to deal with the seat belt each time.” I watch as she places the seat in and expertly straps it in for now.
“Thanks. I don’t know what I’d be doing if it wasn’t for you helping me out,” I tell her as I back out of the driveway.
“I’m happy to help. I love kids, and Evelyn is such a good baby.”
“I’ll take your word for it,” I tell her as I slip on my sunglasses. I roll down the street, keeping my speed on the lower end since so many people are outside playing in the beautiful weather that we’re having lately. Springtime in Indianapolis can be hit-or-miss, depending on the year, and this one has been no different. Warm one day and freezing-ass cold the next.
We make it the few blocks over to Derek and Jillian’s house. I kill the engine after parking in front of the extra garage bay door.
I step out of the car and watch as Riley gets the car seat out of the back. She flings the diaper bag over her shoulder and the seat in the crook of her arm. It is evident that Riley has done this many times and looks like a pro doing so. “Can I help with anything?” I offer before she gets too far ahead of me.
“I’m good,” she says as she pushes open the door leading us into Derek's garage, and then into their house.
“Hey! How’s it going?” Jillian asks as we enter the kitchen.
“Good. I had JJ bring me by on his way to practice so that I could grab my car,” Riley answers her.
“How’s this sweet little thing doing?” Jillian asks as she takes the car seat from Riley.
“She’s been an angel,” Riley states. I watch as Jillian sets the seat down and unclips the buckle, loosening the straps so that she can easily remove Evelyn from the seat. I know she’s got two kids of her own, but she makes it look so simple.
“I’m going to head out, is Derek still here?” I state.
“You just missed him. He left maybe five minutes ago,” Jillian tells me as she glances at the clock.
“Okay, I’ll see you guys later. Should I come back here to pick her up, or will you go back to my place?” I ask.
“I guess that more depends on how long you’re going to be gone,” Riley states.
“A few hours. I’m not sure,” I tell her honestly.
“Crap, I can’t go back to your place, I don’t have a way to get in.”
“If you want to go back before I’m home, you can get in through the garage. The code is 2426.”
“Okay, thanks,” she says, flashing me a small smile.
“Bye, ladies,” I say to Jillian and Riley, and I guess Evelyn, too, before I head back out the door.
Once in my car, I pull out of the driveway and onto the road. I exit the gated community a couple of minutes later and make a mental note, once again, to check in with them when I return to find out how Erica got in last night. I still can’t believe that it was last night. On the one hand, it feels like it just happened, and on the other, it feels like that was so long ago.
I quickly make it to the clubhouse where I find a few of the guys already in the locker room getting ready to workout. Derek is in talking to one of the pitching coaches, so I stroll over to my locker and drop my keys and phone on the shelf, then sit down on the seat and change into my workout clothes.
“You ready?” I ask, stepping into the doorway of the office Derek is in.
“Just a minute,” he says. I leave him to finish up his conversation and make my way down the hall and into the weight room. I find Matt O’Riley and Jose Martinez, a first baseman and outfielder, respectively, already working out.
“Hey, man,” Matt calls out as he spots Jose as he lifts.
“Morning,” I call out as I grab a set of dumbbells and find a spot to start my reps.
“Heard you had quite the night,” Jose calls out once he’s finished his set.
“Yeah,” I grunt out between sets. “You can say that.”
“So, what’s the deal?” Matt asks as he switches with Jose.
“Don’t know yet. We’re going to do the paternity test later today. It takes a few days to get back. Once we have that, then my attorney can petition the courts for custody. At this point, I don’t think Erica will challenge it since she did drop the baby off at my doorstep and take off.”
“That’s fucked up, man,” Jose says.
“You’re telling me.”
“Do you believe her?” Matt asks.
“I don’t know what I believe. Erica’s timeline works out,” I answer before starting another rep.
We fall into silence, only our grunts from lifting heavy weights fill the room. Derek finally joins us about fifteen minutes into my thirty-minute workout.
“How’s Evie doing this morning?” Derek asks once we’ve finished up our workouts and are toweling off. I suck down half a bottle of Gatorade before answering him.
“Fine, as far as I know. Riley kept her most of the time. She didn’t say that anything was wrong. I did hear her mention to Jillian that she was up every few hours feeding her. Is that normal?” I ask, dumbfounded.
“Yep. Babies have small stomachs, they have to eat every two, three, sometimes four hours. The older they get, the larger their stomachs get, and the more they can eat in one sitting.”
“I’m so fucked,” I tell him, wiping the sweat from my forehead and neck. I never planned to have kids. I was perfectly happy with my bachelor's life, so to say this was a curveball, that’d be an understatement.
“You’ll figure it all out eventually,” Derek assures me.
Four
Riley
“So, how was your night?” Jillian asks as she snuggles Evelyn.
“It was fine. She was up a few times to eat and to be changed, but nothing out of the ordinary.”
“She's just so sweet,” Jillian muses as she sticks her nose into the crook of Evie’s neck and breathes in her fresh baby smell.
“She sure is. It makes me have baby fever,” I tell my sister-in-law.
“It’s a good thing I’m already knocked up, otherwise, I’d be jumping Derek when he gets home after snuggling this one today.”
“Ugh, I didn’t need to hear that,” I teasingly groan.
“Oh, please. Like you wouldn’t jump JJ if the opportunity presented itself?” she asks, cocking an eyebrow at me.
I instantly feel the blush heat my cheeks. “Ummm…” I pause, thinking of how to answer her question. I’ve never had a conversation like this with Jillian, and it is not one I want to have right now. “No?” I finally say, but it comes out more like a question.
“I’ve told Derek a few times that I think the two of you would make the best couple. He’s never been a fan of that idea, got pissed off at me for it once,” she says as we move from the kitchen to the living room where the girls are playing and watching something on Disney+.