by J. Daniels
I held my breath. Marley kept crying until she got a taste of the medicine. Then she quieted down, only whimpers escaping her while she drank. Her little tongue licked at the plastic.
My shoulders dropped. “I was worried she wouldn’t take it,” I said, rubbing Marley’s back and pulling her against me when she started crying again. “It’s okay, baby. You did so good.”
Jenna set the medicine aside, pulled her phone out of the back pocket of her shorts, and checked the time. “In four hours, she can get Tylenol if she needs it. You can alternate the two.”
“Okay.”
Jenna shoved her phone away. Then she grabbed the washcloths and separated them. “Get her shirt off. I’m going to get these wet. Let’s try to get her body temperature down.”
I did as instructed, getting Marley undressed from the waist up.
Jenna wrung out the rags, telling me, “You don’t want them to be too cold. Cool is better. We don’t want her to shiver.”
“Okay.”
“If this doesn’t work, we can give her a bath. She needs fluids too. That’s really important with a fever.”
I absorbed everything Jenna said and committed it to memory.
“Here.” She flattened one of the washcloths against Marley’s back, guiding my hand on top of the damp rag. “Hold this on here. This one is for her head. Let’s get her out of this harsh light so she can rest.”
I carried Marley to her bedroom, shielding her eyes from the hallway light. I kissed her forehead. Instead of taking a seat in the rocking chair, I sat on the floor with her, pressing my back against the crib and stretching my legs out.
Marley straddled my lap. She sniffled and whined softly, her big eyes blinking the room into focus. Tears continued to roll down her cheeks.
Jenna folded the second cloth and bent over me to put it against Marley’s head. I held it in place. When my daughter tipped forward, resting her cheek against my chest, Jenna smiled.
“There we go. Keep this one here.”
“Okay,” I said, not caring at all when my shirt became damp and clung to me. When Jenna didn’t sit down, I almost told her my reason for getting on the floor. Only one of us could fit on the chair. And I didn’t want her to leave yet.
“I’m going to grab her a drink. I’ll be right back,” she said before fleeing the room.
A heavy breath left me. I dropped my head against the crib rail and willed my heart to slow.
Jenna returned minutes later carrying one of Marley’s cups. It had a lid she could easily drink from without spilling.
“Here you go, baby. Do you want some water?” Jenna knelt beside me and offered Marley the cup, holding it for her while she drank from it. “There. Are you feeling any better?” she asked quietly.
“I think she is,” I said. “The rag must be helping already. She’s not crying like she was.”
Marley’s little body hiccupped with her breaths as she whimpered.
“We’ll check her temperature again in a little bit.”
“We?” I asked, with unmistakable hope in my voice. I peered into Jenna’s face. “You’ll stay?”
She shifted beside me. “I want to make sure the medicine is working,” she said. “If her fever spikes any higher, we should probably take her to the hospital. Hopefully, that won’t happen.”
“Thank you,” I said in a rush. “I don’t know what I’d do if you weren’t here. I definitely wouldn’t be doing this.” I repositioned the rag on Marley’s back after flipping it over, giving my daughter the cooler side.
“You could’ve called me. I would’ve helped you through it.”
I watched Jenna offer Marley another drink.
She would’ve helped me through it—I knew that. I also knew it wouldn’t matter how late it was. If I needed something and reached out to her in the middle of the night, she would answer. It was Jenna, down to her bones. I’d never met a kinder, more selfless person.
Did she know I’d do the same for her?
“I’d help you through anything,” I told her. “I hope you know that.”
She blinked, smiling softly.
“You’re always here. You’re always doing stuff for me…I’m not sure there’s anything you would ever need me for, but if there was, I’d do it. I don’t want you to think this doesn’t go both ways.”
“I don’t think that.”
“Good. So, if something comes up, I want you to tell me…although I doubt there’s anything you couldn’t do damn well on your own…” I tried to think of something. Anything. “Seriously, what can’t you do?”
Jenna giggled, dropping her head back. “You only see me around kids. I’m not good at everything. There are things I don’t know how to do. And there are absolutely things I’m just flat-out terrible with.”
“Until I see proof, I won’t believe that.”
“I can’t change a tire to save my life,” she said, sounding almost proud in her admission. “Don’t remind my father if you ever meet him. I’ve been shown how to do it several times. No dice—I can’t get it down. I always mess up. My brother is my go-to if I ever get a flat.” She looked at me for a moment. “Would you like to be that guy for me? I could call you instead.”
“I would love to be that guy.”
This could’ve felt like the silliest thing compared to the countless ways Jenna was there for me. Yet somehow it didn’t feel small or insignificant. The smile I received in return made that clear.
Before any more could be said, Marley sat up quickly and blinked at me, looking like she just now realized I was holding her. The rag from her head fell between us.
“Hey, sweetheart.” I brushed damp curls out of her face. “Are you okay?”
My daughter looked from me to Jenna, then back to me. She yawned and rubbed at her eyes. Then she collapsed forward, hitting my chest with her full weight.
Jenna reached over and felt her cheek. “She doesn’t feel as warm,” she whispered. “Her eyes are still open, but she looks tired. She might fall asleep soon.”
I resituated the rag on her head and shifted a little so the rails weren’t digging into my back, crossing my feet at the ankles.
I was getting comfortable. I’d sit here until Marley fell asleep. Until I knew she was feeling better.
Jenna stretched her legs out then too and sighed, tipping her head back. The corner of her mouth lifted. “I haven’t sat on the floor in front of a crib in so long. I kinda miss this.”
“I can see why. This is, without a doubt, the most fun I’ve had in years.”
She playfully nudged my side.
“Do you think you want more kids?” I asked.
“I absolutely want more kids.” Jenna peered over at me, and there was this glow on her face from the hallway light, but I swore she would’ve looked that way even without it. The way she spoke, how happy she sounded, it radiated from her. “What about you?”
“I don’t know,” I answered honestly. “I actually never thought about it.”
“So, think about it now.”
“How about you ask me on a night when I’m not on the verge of a heart attack, caring for my sick kid.”
Jenna laughed quietly. “It’s terrifying, isn’t it?”
“What?”
“Loving someone this much.”
I peered down at the top of Marley’s head and pressed my lips there.
Jenna and I stayed quiet after that. We watched Marley, waiting for her to fall asleep. We occasionally watched each other. And when Jenna’s eyes slipped closed, I watched her until I couldn’t. Without meaning to, I passed out sometime after Marley dozed off. I realized this the next morning when something nudged my foot, and I opened my eyes to Oliver and Olivia standing over me, smiling.
Over us. Jenna was still asleep with her head on my shoulder.
Chapter Fifteen
JENNA
Nathan decided to stay home with Marley the next day in case she started feeling bad again, which freed up our Sunday
evening, giving the kids and me the opportunity to attend family dinner at my brother’s house.
It had been more than a month since we last went. Family dinners were always a good time, in terms of company and food. You never knew who was going to show up. Attendance varied week to week, depending on everyone’s work schedules. Before I started watching Marley, my Sundays were always free, meaning the kids and I always showed up at Brian’s for dinner. So our recent absences had stood out a little more than anyone else’s.
“We were beginning to forget what you guys looked like,” Syd teased from where she stood at the oven.
“Yeah, Jenna. Way to ditch us,” Jamie added. He leaned back in his chair and smirked.
I peered around the table. Brian, Jamie, and Cole were already seated. Cole worked with my brother and Jamie at Wax.
“Okay, Cole hasn’t been to one of these in months,” I pointed out. “I don’t hear you ragging on him.”
“Throw me under the bus, why don’t you,” Cole mumbled, acting offended, but I knew him well enough to know he was joking around.
“I’m just saying,” I returned. “Tori misses. She’s missing tonight, along with Shay, Stitch, Kali, who I understand couldn’t make it last minute. Still, she isn’t here. Jamie, you miss when you have a meet.”
“When I’m kickin’ ass at a meet is what you meant to say.”
Oliver and Olivia snickered from their seats.
I glared across the table. “Language. Don’t make me stab you with my fork.”
My brother slid my utensils closer to me. Everyone, aside from Jamie, started laughing.
“We’re only kidding, Jenna.” Syd walked over to the table, carrying a large casserole dish. Steam wafted into the air. “We just missed you guys, that’s all.” She placed the dish in the center of the table. Enchiladas, by the looks of it.
“That smells amazing,” I said.
Syd grinned proudly, taking a seat beside my brother. “Thank you.”
Conversation came to a halt while everyone dished out helpings onto their plates and refilled their drinks, resuming once we began to eat.
“We should invite Nate to these,” Syd proposed. “Him and Marley. Problem solved. We’d all be together then.”
I smiled at her suggestion. I wanted them included in this too.
“Nate’s the best,” Olivia announced. “Right, Ollie?”
My son nodded through his bite. “Yeah, he’s real cool.”
“We spent the night at his house yesterday.”
Syd gasped. Coughing started in the general direction of my brother. My fork hovered in the air an inch away from my face.
“Oh, really?” Jamie asked, sounding more than pleased to be on the receiving end of this information.
Great. Here we go. “It was not…how it sounds,” I began to explain. “We fell asleep by accident.” I brought the fork to my mouth and pulled off the bite.
“Aw. I love accidental sleepovers,” Syd said.
“Marley got sick,” I added. “I didn’t want to leave until her fever went down.”
“Oh no. I hope she’s okay.”
“She felt better this morning. No fever.”
“That’s good.”
“Nate’s couch is super comfy,” Olivia shared, lips smacking as she chewed. “It’s like a big, fluffy cloud. Too bad we can’t all fit. That’s why Mama and Nate had to sleep in Marley’s room.”
“Together?” Brian asked.
I quickly shook my head as Oliver spoke up.
“Yep. We found them this morning.”
“Again, not how it sounds—we were sitting with Marley and we both fell asleep. Everyone remained vertical.”
I looked down at my children’s plates, grabbed the serving spoon, and gave them each another enchilada when they were both nearly finished with their first.
“Do you guys want more?” I asked, but I wasn’t waiting for an answer. And too bad if they didn’t. Maybe if they had another helping, they’d quit oversharing.
“What’s vertical mean?” Olivia asked.
“Up and down,” Syd answered.
“Oh.” My daughter nodded as she processed that. “Well, Mama, your head wasn’t up and down. Not really.”
I quickly looked at her. “Olivia, yes, it was.”
“No, it wasn’t. It was sideways.”
“That’s called horizontal,” Oliver said.
“Yeah, it was horizontal!” Olivia punched the air. “I knew that.”
“Anyone else picturin’ what I’m picturin’?” Jamie asked.
“Jen.” Brian’s gaze was serious.
Okay, really? Were they all concluding the same thing here?
“My head was on his shoulder—that’s how I fell asleep,” I said. “Seriously, you guys?” I scowled around the table. Then I looked between my kids. “Both of you, eat. No more talking.”
Olivia sank in her chair and pushed around the food with her fork. “But I like talking,” she mumbled. Oliver didn’t seem to mind the order of silence. He was enjoying his meal too much. His cheeks were already stuffed full as he tried fitting in another bite.
“Slow down, please,” I said.
He pulled the fork back and breathed loudly through his nose as he chewed.
“Let’s talk about something else,” I suggested. “Like you two.” I gestured between Syd and my brother with my fork, asking, “When’s the wedding?”
Sydney immediately grinned, threw her arms around Brian’s neck, and yanked him closer so she could kiss his cheek. “Yes, Trouble. When?”
Brian fought a smile as he glared at me.
I was able to successfully divert all conversation until after the meal was over and my kids had moved away from the table. Once they fled into the other room to play with Sir, Syd’s adorable boxer pup, I sat back in my chair and relaxed. I didn’t have any issues talking about Nate. I just didn’t want to do it in front of Oliver and Olivia. The threat of it stressed me out a little.
“Sleepovers, huh?” Jamie draped his arms over the empty chairs flanking him. Cole had left right after the meal. It was just us four, not counting the kids.
“And you’re going out with Travis this weekend? I didn’t peg you as the type to juggle multiple guys, Jenna.”
I slid my gaze over to Syd, who knew all about my plans this weekend. Funny thing was, I had not shared them with anyone else sitting at this table. And Travis didn’t seem the type to brag, so Jamie knowing all about my plans came from one person and one person only.
My future sister in-law didn’t hide her guilt well. She immediately looked behind her and scanned the room, like she was forgetting to do something.
“Did I turn off the oven?” she asked.
I seriously needed to stop confiding in other women.
“That’s not at all what I’m doing,” I spoke up.
“Yeah, Jamie.” Syd sat forward and narrowed her eyes down the table. “She can’t do anything with Nate until the end of summer. In the meantime, Jenna’s dating around. That’s not juggling two guys.”
“I wouldn’t say I’m dating around. This weekend—”
“All this time you and the kids are spending with Nate,” Brian cut in, turning my head. “You think that’s a good idea?”
“What do you mean?” I asked.
“I mean, you’re with the guy practically every day, Jen. Oliver and Liv are gettin’ attached. Anyone can see that.”
“Okay. And?”
“What happens when this doesn’t work out?”
I felt my body melt against the wood. “When it doesn’t work out…because it won’t work out. That’s what you’re telling me—you know it won’t?”
“Why would you say that?” Sydney asked him, dropping her voice lower.
Brian kept his gaze laser-focused on me. “I don’t know it won’t, but I’m wonderin’ if you’re even considerin’ the possibility of this thing not pannin’ out. That guy has some serious baggage. What’s gonna happen t
o the kids if you two fall apart? Do you think they won’t be affected by that?”
“He’s got a point,” Jamie added.
I ignored King Gossip and stared down my brother. “The kids would be around Nathan whether or not we dated, Brian.” Was he completely forgetting the fact that I babysat Marley? What the hell? “It’s not like I’m putting ideas into their heads or sharing how much I like this guy. I haven’t said anything even remotely close to that. And you act like I wouldn’t be careful once Nathan and I got together. Of course I’d think about Oliver and Olivia. I’m always thinking about them. What’s the matter with you?”
“I’m just lookin’ out.”
“Well, you don’t need to,” I snapped. “I have and will always consider my kids when it comes to anything involving me. I always put them first. And you know what? Even though you don’t seem to care enough to ask, let me fill you in on something—Nathan is great with them. Amazing, actually. Oliver and Olivia are so happy when they get to spend time with him. You should see them together…” I paused to clear my throat when my voice began to quiver.
Shit. Why am I getting so worked up right now? Keep it together, Jenna.
“And me, Brian. I’m so happy when I’m with him.”
I could feel tears threatening to build. Syd was already wiping underneath her eyes as Brian pushed from the table, apparently finished with this conversation.
Good, I thought. Jamie mimicked him and stood too.
“I’m not tryin’ to upset you, Jen. I’m just makin’ sure you’re bein’ smart.”
I looked up at my brother. There was nothing left to say to him. I’d spoken my piece, so after holding his gaze for a solid second, I let mine drift, peering into the other room, where Oliver and Olivia chased Sir around the furniture.
Brian sighed while Jamie mumbled something I couldn’t hear and gave fuck-all about anyway. He’d side with his best friend on this one. On anything. The two of them left the room.
“I’m sorry. I love him, but this is a total pot/kettle situation.”
I turned back to Syd after she spoke. “A what?”
“He’s pot, you’re kettle, or reverse that. Whatever.” She swiped her hand through the air. “He’s being a hypocrite. Brian wants you to take it slow and be careful, but we basically fell in love over the phone before we even met each other, and when we did meet, he bought me a house practically the next day.”
