“Aren’t you a cutie?” she crowed over and over again. Sammie and Kyzie crowded around. The baby smiled at Brielle and she looked up in delight.
“He smiled at me Damon,” she said.
“The books say it’s gas,” said Damon, smiling at Brielle. “But I think he’s smiling, too.” Brielle’s heart caught at Damon’s smile but she hastily looked back down at the baby. For a few seconds, as it washed over her that this was really Damon’s son, and Damon was forever lost to her, she hated the child with every fiber of her being. She actually had to catch herself before she dumped the baby out of her arms onto the floor. If this child didn’t exist, then she’d still have Damon.
The baby continued to stare up at her with wide, innocent eyes and Brielle felt her heart melt and her animosity fade as quickly as it had come. A feeling of shame replaced the rage. It came to her that she blamed the baby for losing Damon. The truth dawned on her that the baby was the one true innocent in the whole situation. She shook her head slightly to clear it. She smiled at Ricky who promptly burped. Brielle laughed in delight.
“Oh, you are a funny baby,” she said, nuzzling his cheek with her nose in apology for her earlier thoughts. “Gotta stop drinking that beer.”
Brielle forgave the baby. She understood why Damon had dumped her now, but she wasn’t ready to forgive him for how he’d done it. She told herself for the thousandth time that she was over Damon, but knew deep inside that she was still sick and raw over the thought that she was lying to herself and would probably always love this boy.
After a few minutes, Ricky had been handed off to Sammie, and Kyzie and then back to Damon. Jada turned her shoulder firmly away from Damon and he did not even ask her if she wanted to hold Ricky. Finally, the baby dozed off.
“I’m going to go and put him in the bed,” said Damon. “Do you need any help with your projects?” He made the offer generally but looked wistfully at Brielle. Kyzie and Sammie shook their heads simultaneously.
“Nope,’ said Kyzie. “We are almost finished.”
Jada snorted from her seat on the floor. She had not held the baby, had not even looked at him, really, and she was still angry with Damon about the whole situation. She hadn’t reconciled with her brother about Brielle. Damon glanced at his sister and sighed. He turned his attention to the real reason that he’d come into the kitchen.
Damon stared at Brielle, willing her to talk to him, to let him help so they could spend a few minutes together.
Brielle looked at Damon for a long moment, a moment that he allowed himself to hope that she had forgiven him and then shook her head no.
“Thanks,” she said, voice cool and distant. “I can handle it.” The light in Damon’s eyes died and he turned and left the room with the baby.
Brielle
“Wow,” said Sammie, when Damon was out of earshot. “How can you stand to be so cold to Damon?”
“I’m not mean to him,” said Brielle.
“No, but Kyzie told me that you blow him off every time he comes around at school,” said Sammie. “And just now, oh, my God. I mean he looks so cute, him and the baby, I wouldn’t be able to resist the whole combination.”
“I can’t help it,” said Brielle, looking miserable. “He comes around and I just freeze up inside. Do you think I’m wrong?”
“I think it would be a dope fiend move to let him get next to you again,” said Jada, in a fierce voice. “He’s my brother, but I think he’s a selfish jerk. He only came in here with the baby so he could take a break. The little monster was up all night, screaming.”
“Dang Jada, don’t be so mean,” said Kyzie.
“I’m mean?” asked Jada. “I thought you were the one that threatened to cut off Damon’s nuts with a butter knife?”
Kyzie laughed.
“I was mad. But since I found out what really happened, I’m not mad at him anymore,” she said. “Don’t you think the baby is cute?”
“No,” said Jada, rolling her eyes. “That stupid girl drops him off all the time. She just takes off and the kid doesn’t even have diapers or formula. Half the time he’s got a rash and something disgusting shooting out of either end. My parents go crazy. Little Ricky this and Little Ricky that. It makes me want to throw up. Damon wasn’t singing the brat’s praises last night when it was howling like a werewolf. He actually asked me to hold that little rat after it woke me up out of my sleep. I told him it wasn’t my danged baby. My mother had the nerve to yell at me for being selfish. And Damon gets out of his chores because he has to watch the baby and go to work and school. It’s like he gets rewarded for having sex and a baby. It’s not fair.” Her voice got angrier and angrier as she continued.
“Yup, yup, tell us how you really feel,” quipped Sammie.
“I mean, if it had been me having a baby, after the parental beat down, I’d be working, going to school, taking care of my baby and still doing the chores. Mama would constantly be fuming about it,” said Jada. “With Prince Damon, all is forgiven. Hmmph. And he hurt you, Brielle. He comes in here all pitiful like you’re just supposed to melt all over his feet because he has this baby and you’re supposed to feel all sorry for him. He was wrong. Totally wrong. I’m still mad at him about that.”
Sammie and Kyzie stared at Jada in surprise. Brielle bit her lip.
“That is like the longest speech I’ve ever heard you make,” said Sammie to Jada.
Jada hunched her shoulders.
“It’s like we’re just supposed to forget how
