Page 75 of Surprise Mother Pucker
“Totally.” I shrugged. “But we’re a pack, and packs do things together.”
Storm’s face melted into a smile. “In that case, can you help me build this goddamn bed? It looks like all the instructions are in Russian, and I have no clue how to read them.”
Chapter 31
Kennedy
Why hadn’t I let Eli stay the night? We had an absolutely amazing date while Charlotte was with Storm, but I had insisted on taking my baby back home at the end of it after a wonderful goodnight kiss, and now I was regretting that.
It was eleven o’clock, and Charlotte would not go down to sleep.
“Oh, baby,” I cooed as I gently rocked her while walking around the living room. She was screaming loudly, her little face turning bright red. She was clearly distressed and unhappy, but for the life of me, I couldn't figure out why. Her diaper was clean. She had been fed. Was she so tired that she couldn't sleep?
These were some of the worst moments I had as a mother. Knowing that something wasn't right with my child, but I couldn't seem to do anything to make it better. I would give anything to make my child happy, but sometimes I thought Lottie didn’t even know what she wanted. Being a baby was difficult; there was so much learning and growing to do.
If I had let him stay the night, at least I wouldn't be dealing with her despair alone. As I gently shushed her, I walked between the rooms of our small apartment, desperately hoping that the changing scenery would help settle her.
It didn’t.
I was just about to go to the bathroom and draw her a lavender bath, in an attempt to help settle her, when my phone started ringing from the kitchen counter.
“Let’s go see who that is,” I murmured as I rushed to grab it before it stopped ringing. “Hello?” I asked, my voice thin.
“Kennedy?” Eli questioned. “Are you okay? You sound exhausted. And what’s going on with Charlotte? I can hear her crying. You didn't answer my text, so I thought I'd give you a quick call.”
“She's just not settling down. Babies sometimes get like this,” I admitted as my eyes watered with unshed tears. “I don't know what to do.”
Eli was quiet for a moment. “Pack a bag for you and Char. I’m on my way.”
“Pack a bag?” I repeated dumbly.
“Killer, you sound exhausted. I'm going to bring you to the pack house with me. The guys and I can take turns looking after Charlotte, so you can get a good night's sleep. I knew I shouldn't have left you alone.”
“I can handle my baby on my own, Eli,” I snapped, but regretted it immediately. Tears rolled down my face as Charlotte continued to scream. “I'm sorry. I didn't mean it like that.”
Eli was unfazed. “Kennedy, I know you can handle it. You are a goddamn superwoman when it comes to your child. That doesn't mean you have to do it all on your own. I know you sometimes prefer to keep Charlotte there, because it's familiar to her, but clearly that isn't helping tonight, so please come stay with us for the night. I bet you I could even convince Charlie to make you pancakes.”
I sniffed. “What flavor?”
“He likes to make cinnamon swirl pancakes with cream cheese icing,” Eli said in a conspiring tone. They sounded delightful, and some help with Charlotte would be really useful.
“Only if you're sure that you and the guys are all okay with that. A screaming child will mess up all your sleep schedules.”
Eli snorted. “Please, they're all going to love having Charlotte and you here. Get packing, I’ll be there in ten minutes.”
“Fine,” I sighed.
Seven minutes later, Eli was standing at my front door.
“Were you speeding? How on earth did you get here so fast?” I asked incredulously.
“I was already on the way here.” He shrugged. “The moment I knew Charlotte was upset and not settling, I was in my car.”
“And what if I didn't agree to come stay at the pack house?” I asked, narrowing my eyes at him.
“Then I simply would have stayed here and helped you. Either way, you weren't going to endure a fussy baby on your own. And before you say anything, I know you've done it many times yourself, but you don't have to do it by yourself anymore, because you have family. I was going to respect whichever way you wanted to do it, but you were getting help, one way or another.”
I sighed. “Did you tell Storm?”
