Scoring Off The Ice (Ice Kings #2) - Stacey Lynn Page 0,30
kitchen was cleaned, she found the baby bathtub in the hallway bathroom and set it up next to the kitchen sink with a huge pile of towels and bottle of baby wash.
“Hannah really thought of everything,” she said, smiling at pale blue towels and one that looks like a monkey at one corner for Angelo’s head. Who knew they made such silly things?
As I burped Angelo, she warmed the water and filled the tub with only a few inches of water. I stripped him down and as soon as I set him in the water, his entire body seemed to melt right into the chair while I held the back of his head.
Now, he’s slippery as a worm and while Paisley washes and rinses his hair, I keep scooping warm water on his tummy so he doesn’t get cold. His little toes look a bit blue and I realize it’s the first time I’ve simply stared at him.
His rounded belly. The chunk at his thighs. I’ve been so scared and stressed all weekend, I’ve focused on keeping him alive instead of focusing on him.
And now that I can, with Paisley cooing at him and him being so much happier, something wet and burning pricks at my eyes.
“He’s so perfect.” I clear my throat. “Isn’t he?”
I can’t bring myself to look at Paisley. She’s frozen, mid-pour to get the last of the soap out of his hair and then we’re done.
Seeing me cry isn’t going to help anything.
“Have you decided what you’re going to do with him?” she asks, and her voice has gone soft. Almost worried. Possibly sad.
“I’ll keep him.”
“I didn’t mean you wouldn’t. I meant, have you thought about what happens when you go to work? Or… travel?”
She says the word like it’s a bad thing. Like she doesn’t like the fact I play hockey.
I’m not sure what to do with the tone in her voice. I could be misunderstanding.
“Hannah gave me the name of a place. Um. Like a babysitter? Au pair?”
“Nanny is more common than au pair here, but that’s a good idea.”
“Right. Nanny service. She said she used it when she was working when they had their first kid. I plan on calling them tomorrow.”
Angelo’s gummy mouth is now chattering, so Paisley reaches for the towel with the strange corner.
“Hold him up.”
I do and she slides the corner over his head. It falls down over his eyes and I’m holding him with my arms out, his legs kicking and he gets more unhappy by the second until she wraps the towel around him and then another.
“There you go.”
I kiss his cheek and hold him tight to me. I need to change my clothes again. So does Paisley. We’ve both been splashed and have spilled water on ourselves, but I did it.
With help, but it doesn’t seem too hard by myself, either.
“There.” She slides her hand down Angelo’s back, smiling at him. She must love babies because she always gets this soft and sappy tone in her voice when she looks at him. “I can change him?”
“I’ll clean up.” She takes him from me, but for the first time, I’m almost reluctant to let him go. But it’s Paisley, it’s not like she doesn’t know what she’s doing.
But still. I have a few days off Coach insisted I take, but now I have to consider leaving him for hours at a time? With a stranger?
My teeth grind together while I clean out the bathtub and put the unused towels and baby soap away. By the time I’m done, Paisley has Angelo dressed in what I now know is called a sleeper. He’s sucking on his pacifier and he looks perfect in her arms, beneath a thicker blanket, tucked close to her boob.
“So, you’ll hire a nanny?”
I don’t know if she realizes she always does that swaying bounce move when she holds him, but I like seeing it every time.
“I think so.” I brush my hand through my hair. Everything on me is wet, but if I leave to change, I have a feeling I’ll come out to a missing Paisley. “It’s probably best. I have room for someone to sleep in and stay here when I travel. And I’ll have long days, a weird schedule during the season.”
“Having him be here in his own home will be good for him.”
“Yes? You think?” I think so too. It’s nice to confirm I’m doing something right. “Good. This week I have to call them. My lawyer is figuring out