“Yea, well, Whit’s basically a snake charmer. Besides, I haven’t met a woman yet who could resist being serenaded like that.”
“Truth,” Phoebe agrees with her boyfriend. Her phone buzzes, and she hands Rose to me so she can check the screen.
My baby looks up at me and her bottom lip quivers before she breaks out into full-on sobs again. Jesus. She’s breaking my heart. I’ve had plenty of shitty days, but I’ve never felt this helpless, this useless before. There’s a special kind of pain that accompanies the realization that your child is hurting, but you can’t fix what’s wrong.
Phoebe tugs on the sleeve of my hoodie. “Oh, hey, this might work. I texted my mom and she said that Rose is what, nine or ten months?”
“Almost ten months, yea.”
“Well, apparently, that’s prime teething time. She said to get some gel at the pharmacy for her gums. They make it specifically for babies. Here, Ty, read the rest of the text while I riffle through the diaper bag to see if Willa packed anything like that. I can call Ian. Maybe they have some at home.”
“No,” I say a little too loudly. “No, don’t bug him. I can handle this.” They’re big words for a guy whose friends are currently handling things.
“Ok, there’s none in the actual diaper bag, but let me check these little outside pockets.”
Ty sets Phoebe’s phone on the couch. Rose is momentarily distracted by the screen, so in desperation, I hand her my phone. Yea, she could break it, but I’m past caring. I can buy another phone and I’d do anything to give her a little peace. Poor kid keeps hiccupping and rubbing her eyes. You’d think she’d have worn herself out by now, but nope.
“Here, Phoebe’s mom said this might help. I wrapped an ice cube in a washcloth and secured it with a hair tie. Not exactly high tech, but Missy said that sucking on something cold would feel good on her gums.”
Rose’s little hands are wrapped around my phone. She’s scrolling through TikTok like a pro, and I’ll probably get an award for World’s Worst Dad later tonight, but none of that bothers me right now. Holding the washcloth up to her lips, I breathe a sigh of relief when she begins to suck on the ice cube inside.
It’s messy as shit, but I don’t care. The ice cube is melting, and she’s drooling all over my hand, but she isn’t screaming anymore, so I’ll take that as a win.
“Found it!” Phoebe calls, holding up a tiny white tube in triumph.
“You’re awesome. Thanks,” I tell her, taking the tube and squeezing a tiny pink dot onto my finger before rubbing it on Rose’s gums.
“No problem. I’m sorry we couldn’t figure it out sooner. This little princess had a rough night.”
“Yea, but this seems to be helping.” She’s chewing on my finger, but it makes her happy, so I let her do it.
We hang out for a bit, all of us content to bask in the relative silence. I tilt my head back on the couch cushions and nearly fall asleep, Rose cradled contentedly in my arms, gnawing on the ice. After a few minutes, Ty stands and stretches.
“Hey, we’re gonna go upstairs and do some, uh, studying...unless you need more help?” Ty asks.
“You fucking liar,” I laugh. “You’re gonna go upstairs and bone your girlfriend. Like I care. But will you get us another ice cube washcloth before you go?”
“I’ll get it,” Phoebe says, blushing, before ducking into the kitchen, and Ty follows right behind because he can’t stand to be away from her for more than about thirty seconds.
They hand over the magic ice cloth and disappear upstairs. I flip on the T.V. to drown out any noise they might make. Rose cuddles against my chest and I lean my head back against the sofa cushions. I’m not gonna fall asleep—it’s barely 9pm, but maybe I’ll close my eyes for a sec.
* * *
Willa
I key in the code that Knox gave me and walk into chaos. It looks like the diaper bag exploded all over the couch. There are more toys than Rose owns all over the floor, and the TV is blaring... Is thatAmerican Horror Story?!
The glow of the TV screen sheds enough light that I see Knox, shirtless and gorgeous, pacing the length of the living room while our little one fusses in his arms. I drop my bag to the floor with a thump and make my way to them, reaching out for Rose.
“What the… Hey.”
“Hey,” I say as I run my hand through Rose’s hair. She’s not warm, just crabby. My guess is that she’s overtired. There’s drool running down her chin and onto the collar of her sleeper, so I bet her teeth are bugging her, too.
“How was tonight?” I try not to look around at the detritus that covers his living room floor, but it’s hard not to.
“It was…”
“Rough?” I say, a smile on my lips. I love my girl, but some nights are not easy.
