Page 149 of Shade
Do you see me there in the living room holding the baby? Adorable, huh?
No, me, not the baby. Though she’s cute too.
“How’s mom life?” I ask Willa when we’re alone, and she’s about to warn me about Scarlet. I don’t know this for sure, but come on, you know it’s coming too, don’t you?
Willa’s rooting through Berlin’s diaper bag, in search of what, I don’t know. “Surprisingly easier than managing you three.”
“You’re exaggerating.”
Sighing, she pulls out a diaper and my eyes widen. I’m not sticking around for a diaper change. Maybe that’s why everyone else left. “Are you being nice to Scarlet?”
I raise an eyebrow, my eyes moving from the baby to Willa. “Define nice?”
Wow. Look at that expression she hands me. Can you believe she doesn’t trust me?
Maybe don’t answer that.
“Shade. . . .”
I frown. “She won’t have sex with me.”
Willa doesn’t miss a beat when she tells me, “Well, I didn’t hire her to have sex with you, Shade. I hired her to keep you in line.” She motions for me to give her the baby, so I do.
“That’s stupid. You knew I’d want to have sex with her. I think I even told you I would.”
Willa rolls her eyes and places Berlin on the couch over the changing pad she laid down. “You guys want anything with a vagina.”
Berlin arches her tiny body and lets out a cry having been put down. I have a feeling she’s held 90 percent of the day. “Not true. I never wanted to have sex with you.”
Willa laughs and begins to take Berlin’s little gray pants off. “That’s because I’m old enough to be your mom.”
“No, you’re not.” And then I realize I don’t think I know how old Willa is. “Are you?”
“You’re twenty-one. I’m thirty-seven. If I would have been getting busy at sixteen, I could be your mom.”
I laugh and hug her one-armed. She’s about to change Berlin’s diaper and I’m not sticking around for that. “Well, damn, girl. You’re old.”
“Shut up and be nice to Scarlet.”
I make it two feet, pause, and wink at her. “Oh, I’m gonna beniceto her all right.”
“Shade. . . .”
“Bye, cute baby.”
“Wait.”
I look over my shoulder. “What?”
“Have you guys been letting Camden on the track?”
Do I lie? Probably not but I still try. “Uh. . . no?”
Willa’s eyes narrow. “Goddamn it, you guys. You know you can’t. If he gets hurt, his dad will sue you guys and win. He’s already making a fuss about the track’s provisional permit. You can’t let that kid on the track anymore.”
“He’s not going to get hurt.”
She snorts. “Yeah, right.”
