The day I bring a girl into the equation it’ll be because she’s the one we both can’t be without.” Orlando stopped for a moment, swallowing hard as their eyes locked momentarily, until she glanced away. He had no idea it would come out that way, and again her expression was one he couldn’t make out. Given his comments about the baby’s response to her, he hoped that last comment didn’t come across as him trying to imply anything. Clearing his throat, he went on. “I mean . . . I’d never go into any relationship just for the convenience of it. I told her, when I accepted her help, that it was only until I could get someone to replace her. She has a lot going on too. Between school and her two jobs, Friday’s her only day off.”
Dani took a drink of her soda before turning her attention to the baby. He’d begun to fuss and dropped his biscuit. Since he took turns sucking on the biscuit then smearing his face with it, he was now one hot mess. Dani giggled. “Look at you, Oreo. You’re one big cookie monster.” She turned back to Orlando. “What time do you usually bathe him?”
“Different times. Depends on what’s going on that day.”
“Get in the habit of doing it before bedtime,” she said, standing up because the baby was holding out his arms for her. “A warm bath before bedtime helps him sleep better and longer. It also goes hand-in-hand with the whole routine thing. He’ll start to get used to bath time meaning it’s almost bedtime too. Trust me. Routines will make your life so much easier.”
She’d already pulled him out of the highchair, and Orlando was now cleaning the mess he’d made of the highchair. “I’ll go clean him up, and then you wanna take him for a stroll?” She turned to him but went on before he could respond. “You ever take him to that park just around the corner?”
“No, I’ve been meaning to, but yeah, a stroll sounds good.”
As Orlando washed and sanitized the highchair tray in the sink, he thought about Dani’s answer to the questions he’d been dying to ask for days now. Since the guy was clearly a lot older than her, he wondered if maybe that’s what she was into. He’d heard of girls being into older guys they presumed were more mature and ready to settle as opposed to younger guys they deemed not quite as reliable or stable. Stop with the wishful thinking already. His mind continued to wander as he finished cleaning off the highchair. So much for nipping this shit in the bud. He put the tray back on just as Dani walked back into the kitchen with the baby. Handing him the baby, she explained she’d be getting a few snacks together to take to the park. Orlando double-checked the baby bag to make sure there was enough of everything they might need. They got Oreo all strapped into the stroller and headed out. As they strolled to the park and then around the trail that circled the entire place, Dani went over more tips about caring for the baby. Orlando struggled to stay focused on everything she said. Instead, his mind was at it again, trying to figure out how to get back to the subject of her non-engagement. As much as he kept saying it was just curiosity, he knew better. It didn’t help that, despite his wanting to know more, her lack of gushing or even interest in discussing her engagement further pleased him. They slowed by a bench adjacent to a water fountain where Dani bent over to take a drink. The baby had been fine on Orlando’s shoulders for a while now. But as they stopped to wait on Dani, he began doing what Orlando was beginning to get used to already. He reached his hands out to her.
Maneuvering him down from his shoulders, Orlando handed Little Man over to a smiling Dani. She smiled so big it had Orlando smiling, despite the envy he felt over the baby wanting off his shoulders and to be in her arms instead. But then the more Orlando was around her, the more he couldn’t even blame his boy. As they continued to stroll, Orlando pushing the empty stroller and Oreo happily in Dani’s arms, she gushed a little about her brother. “He bakes our birthday cakes every year, and during the holidays, he gets down