Sawyer was the worst baby in the history of babies. Yet my mom and pop refused to admit this fact. I always figured they were simply exhausted by the time she was born and didn’t even try anymore. This would explain why she sucked.
True, my little sister improved greatly after Farah practiced her mothering skills on Sawyer. The kid said thank you and please. She no longer stabbed people with her fork if they wanted a bite of her food. She even stopped rolling her eyes whenever I made one of my big announcements. Less evil was still evil though.
“Sawyer’s not evil,” Nick insisted as we dressed after a very long shower.
“Don’t be fooled. I’ve caught her watching me sleep plenty of times. That’s crazy killer kid shit.”
“I watch you sleep,” he said, wrapping his arms around me as his crotch said hello to my butt.
“That’s because you’re hoping I’ll wake up and bang you. Sawyer is watching me sleep because she’s plotting evil.”
“Maybe she had a bad dream and wants you to comfort her.”
“Poor dumb Nick,” I sighed. “Sawyer is a bad dream. Besides, why stare at me? Why not frighten my parents with her Children of the Damned act?”
Grinning, Nick kissed my cheek then walked to the dresser where his clothes were stacked.
“You can use my dresser.”
“I know.”
“Are you afraid to commit too much?”
Nick flashed his wrist at me then followed with a smile. “Your dresser is a mess. I want to organize it before I add my clothes. I’ll move the rest of my stuff in this weekend.”
“I know Coop offered to get you a new job,” I said, immediately regretting it.
Nick’s shoulders tensed, but he only muttered, “Yeah.”
“I didn’t send him.”
“I know that too,” Nick said, glancing at me. “You worry about me and he worries about you. I’m not used to having that kind of interest in my life. Feels weird, but I’m getting used to it. This is my new way of living.”
Smiling, I joined him at the dresser. “You’ll get used to having people care about you. All your life, you were alone, but you’re part of a family now. You have the crew too. You won’t ever be alone again. One day you might regret this choice you’ve made.”
Nick grinned at my fake worried expression. “I want you naked one more time before we leave.”
“Good,” I said, pulling my shirt off. “Babysitting is going to suck.”
“It was your idea,” he reminded me while his fingers explored my back.
“I want us to practice being parents, so we’ll remember why we should wait for a very long time before doing it for real.”
Nick only smiled before his lips sucked on my neck. After a short roll around the bed, we hurried to dress and reach the house before someone came looking for us. Maddy and Tucker had already dropped off Scarlet and made a run for it. When we arrived, the baby was crawling around the living room.
“You’ll need to put in the car seat,” Mom reminded us.
“Easy peasy.”
Ten minutes later, I was ready to pull my gun on the car seat. “Child safety is for assholes!” I yelled, fighting with the belt.
“Want me to do it?” Nick asked while bouncing Scarlet in his arms.
Glancing back at the happy baby then at the devil child staring at my man, I nodded. “This is too hard. I don’t think we should ever have kids.”
“If Tucker can manage, we can do it.”
Sawyer laughed too loudly and I glared at her while taking Scarlet.
“Stay away from him.”
Sawyer squinted her eyes at me. “I’m stealing him away. We’ll run off and get married and make many babies,” she hissed. When I looked outraged, she grinned. “You’re stupid.”
I rolled my eyes before focusing on Nick’s ass as he leaned into the car to figure out the car seat. Sawyer stepped closer and looked at where I was staring.
“I like him because he’s nice and handsome and doesn’t think you’re dumb. Those are rare things in a guy. Although I think he’s lying about the dumb thing.”
“Shut up, Sawyer.”
“No.”
Shrugging, I decided arguing with an evil child was bound to lead to me losing an argument with an evil child. Meanwhile, Scarlet chewed on my hair.
“Done,” Nick announced and reached for the baby. “Let’s go before she gets cranky.”
Sawyer climbed into the car and belted herself in. “Can we go to Chuck E Cheese?”
“No,” I said, getting in the car. “We’re going to a normal restaurant and playing family. You’re my fake daughter. Try not to embarrass me.”
I didn’t dare look back at Sawyer, but I sensed she was glaring at me. Nick joined us in the SUV and sighed.
“What was the point of this again?”
“I can’t remember. Let’s just eat and dump these stink machines back with their parents.”
Scarlet babbled wildly the whole ride to the restaurant. She was perfect while we ordered. The little angel waited until the food arrived to lose her fucking mind.
“She’s teething,” Sawyer said helpfully while eating her chicken sandwich. “Give her something to chew on.”
“Like what?”
“Your ass,” Sawyer snickered. “How the hell would I know? I’m seven. Stop treating me like a grownup.”