Temporary Nanny

Chapter 17

"Ooh Mikey look!" I excitedly hold up a gray onesie. "It has a kitten on it! It's literally Sarah! We need it!" Michael's eyes go wide with my excited shouts before his face goes soft and a fond smile plays at his lips.

"Calm down you five year old," he teases. "I will not calm down. There is a kitten! And it has little kitten faces on the feet too! We're getting it." I decide without him, placing the cute onesie in the shopping cart.

"What if I didn't want that one?" He hums with a grin. "Too bad." I shrug, walking along the racks full of baby clothes.

"I still don't know why we're buying Stel new clothes." I prompt for conversation. "She barely fits in her onesies anymore," Michael replies easily. "Well then why aren't we out buying her new onesies?" I question.

"She loves those band ones they're easy and thin. You know she gets hot and fussy with too much on." I glance at the dark haired boy who is watching intently.

"Yeah but she doesn't really have girl clothes does she?" He quickly fixes his gaze on nearby pink one pieces, running his fingers over them like he's genuinely interested.

My eyebrows crease almost instantly. Since meeting Michael I have known him and Stella to both be unapologetically themselves.

Granted, Stella was a baby and didn't really have to worry about being anyone but herself.

But Michael, he dyed his hair bright colors and wore scuffed boots to work. He loved dressing his infant in his favorite bands even if they weren't exactly made for girls - which I still hated as a term.

This is new. This is weird and leaves an unsettling feeling in my gut.

"Girl clothes? What do you call the clothes she's in now?" My tone coming out slightly hard and almost like a scold. "You know what I mean," he sighs. "No, I don't. Please feel free to explain." My hands coming up to rest on your hips.

Stella sense the mood change, which has happened a lot lately. It's like me and Michael were back to normal being friends but every so often something will be brought up or said and one of us will get a bit snippy.

"We're not doing this Char. I just mean pink clothes and tutus okay? It's not that big a deal," he huffs, eyeing Stella carefully. "But why does she need that? She is perfectly fine with her band onesies." I counter.

"I'm just saying it'll be a lot easier for people to know she's a girl." Stella begins to become a little fussy. "So thats what this is about." It all clicks.

"What?" He goes for playing dumb. "Were you worried your girlfriend would never remember you have a daughter and not a son?" I huff. "What? No." Michael draws back shaking his head. "This was Beatrice's idea wasn't it?" I roll my eyes.

I wait for an answer but don't get one. A silence settles over us that is quickly interrupted by Stella's humming and reaching out for me. I glance between both Cliffords, Michael looks away sheepishly.

With a groan at the annoying man, I grab Stella from the cart and walk away down a different aisle.

-

The thing about our little strops is that they never seem to last. We're both so quick to dismiss them and pretend they never happened that nothing ever really gets dealt with.