late. The baby squeezed his eyes shut before belting out an emphatic wail. Ignoring Felicia’s groan, Danica bent over and scooped him out of the stroller as he continued to cry even louder. Bringing him against her chest, Danica kissed his chubby little cheeks as she squeezed her own eyes shut when she took in the familiar scent of him.
Orlando had followed her strict directions about which toiletries and even laundry detergent to use for him. He smelled as heavenly as she remembered, and it was all she could do to hold herself together and not wail along with him—only in pleasure as opposed to his startled wails. “It’s okay, my sweet Oreo,” she said softly in as soothing a voice as she could, kissing his cheeks again and again. “You’re fine.” She began luluing, and it was as if someone pulled a switch. He instantly stopped crying and stared at her. Smiling as she looked into his still startled little eyes—for a different reason this time she was sure—she had to dig deep inside her to muster the strength not to let her emotions take over. Leaning her forehead against his, she smiled, inhaling deeply as she felt her heart bursting with a kind of joy she was certain she’d only ever feel holding him. Snuggling him even closer, Danica couldn’t squeeze him tightly enough. Oreo pulled back to look at her again, his eyes going from one part of her face to another, and she was sure of it. He remembered her, and he didn’t know what to make of that. Reaching his little hand out, he touched her face then smiled, and she could have died right then. Her life would be complete. She kissed his little hand as it touched her lips. “You better now, my sweetheart?”
He stared at her for a moment before very suddenly and dramatically dropping his little head against her chest with an equally dramatic sigh. He stayed there for a while as she rubbed his back softly and kissed his head. Heaven.
She’d died and gone to heaven. She stood there, swaying side to side, basking in the gloriousness of that moment. Danica had always known holding him in her arms again would be bliss, but this was so much more than that. Words couldn’t even describe how profoundly content her heart was feeling. How in the world was she supposed to ever let go of him again? The moment came to a screeching halt when her eyes lifted away from him for the first time since she’d picked him up and they met Felicia’s. Danica had all but forgotten Felicia was even in the room She’d been so caught up with the utter euphoria of holding the baby again.
Felicia’s mouth opened slightly, but she didn’t say anything, just shook her head for a moment until she finally spoke. “Orlando did call you The Baby Whisperer. That’s incredible. I’ve never seen anything like it. Orlando is by far better than I am at calming him down, but I don’t think even he’s ever calmed him that quickly.” She took a few steps toward them, her wide eyes going from the baby to Danica, who held him almost possessively as if Felicia might reach out for him. “How’d you do that?”
Swallowing hard because short of telling her the truth—that she and the baby had a connection no one could ever know about—Danica had no idea how to explain it. With a shrug. she decided all she could do was make less of it than what she knew it was. “He wasn’t that upset. more so than startled by the noise. Once you turned it down. it was easy to calm him.”
The baby lifted his head away from her chest for a second, smiling up at her and warming her heart all over again. Then just as quickly, he dove back into snuggling up against her chest with a giggle.
“I don’t think I’ve ever seen him be so silly.”
“He must’ve had a good little nap,” Danica offered as she kissed the top of his head. When she glanced up at Felicia again, she was shaking her head. “He’d only just fallen asleep a few minutes before I headed back to the house.” Felicia eyed him then looked up at Danica again. “It’s why I groaned when the damn TV woke him because I thought for sure he’d be fussier than ever.” “Looks like he’s good now.” Still eyeing Danica, Felicia glanced down at the