Amazing Mistake

Chapter 2

In any minute he should be here. I am ready in my gym clothes and I even packed a swimsuit in case I have extra time to go swim at the indoor pool after I'm done exercising.

The doorbell rings and I set down Bryce in his swing. I open the door and he greets me with a perfect smile I still can't believe this is the same nerd from my high school. I feel bad because I always teased him. "Hi! Thanks so much for coming."

He steps in and takes off his shoes. "I said I would and here I am. I keep my promises," he says. "Where's Bryce?"

"He's in his swing. Oh! I guess I should show you where everything is. I treat him as my own child so a lot of his stuff his here. He's over a lot."

I lead him to the living room where Bryce is now sleeping. "In the end table drawer there are pacifiers and baby wipes. Diapers are in the basket next to the couch and bottles are in the cabinet above the coffee machine along with formula. I wrote a note about how to make his bottles and when to feed him. He goes to bed with the blanket in his crib and he has to be rocked. His room is down the hallway, second room on the left. I'm sure you'll find everything else easily. I also put a change of clothes on his dresser in case he spits up or leaks," I stop to think if I've missed anything. "I think that's all. He likes when you make funny faces as well."

He nods along and keeps a straight face until I finish. "Wow. It's almost as if he's your own child. He resembles you a lot as well..." he says as he kneels next to sleeping Bryce. "Crazy."

I force a laugh. "Yeah, he got my aunts genes and my aunt looks a lot like me. Crazy, I know"

He stands up and counts on his fingers. "I think I got it all. How long will you be gone?"

"For a couple hours so I'll probably be home around 10 or 11. I'm going to the recreation center half an hour away."

He pushes me out towards the door and I grab my bag as we pass it. "I'll call you if I need anything. Go have fun," he urges. 

I laugh as he pushes me out the door. "Okay, I'm going. Don't let him get hurt though, please. This is the first time he's been left with anyone other than-"

"-I know how to handle kids. Don't stress," he interrupts me. 

I take a deep breath and remind myself that he won't hurt him. "Okay, I'm leaving." 

He shuts the door and I sigh. This is the first time I've left Bryce alone since he was born and it's hard to leave. I shake the thoughts of Bryce and Zack out of my head and head to the gym to have some free time.

****

I can barely control my speed as I climb the stairs up to my apartment. I unlock the door quickly and step in without removing my shoes. I look around and stop when I see Bryce asleep on Zack's chest on the recliner. I remove my shoes and tiptoe up to them. Both are fast asleep. I watch as their chests rise and fall at the same time and I stare at Zack's hand wrapped around Bryce's bottom. It seems everything went well and my apartment is spotless as well. I leave them alone and head to the bathroom to take a shower. I stink and I want to let both of them sleep a little longer.

When I get out of the shower and get dressed in sweatpants and a tee shirt I walk out to find Bryce in his swing and Zack in the kitchen warming something up.

"Did you have fun?" He asks when he notices me. His hair is messed up and his eyes are puffy from sleep.

"Yes. How about you? Was it easy? Was he good? You never called me once."

"That's cause I never needed you. He was the most happy baby I've ever seen."

I smile. That can't be the truth because mornings around 9 Bryce starts to fuss and fuss no matter what I do. Today probably wasn't any different. "He didn't fuss too much?"

He shrugs, "He had his moments but other than that I barely noticed a baby was here. I feel sorry for his mom, she can't be with him every day. She probably misses him so much."

I think how totally wrong he is and he doesn't even know it. I see him every day. "Yeah, It's kind of sad. His dad hasn't been with him since birth. He doesn't even know he has a son and he has stayed out of contact ever since he broke up with her."

His eyes widen and the timer beeps. He pulls out a plate of chicken nuggets. "Want some? I knew you were home so I made a little extra in case you wanted some."

I politely refuse. "Where did you get them? I never buy chicken nuggets."

He takes a seat at the counter and starts eating. "I had my other brother bring me a bag of some because you only have healthy food here," he says with a his mouth full.

I laugh at the healthy food thing because it's true. I have salad and vegetables, fruits and fish, stuff for ham and cheese sandwiches, and dairy products. If I want to eat unhealthy I call and order pizza or drive to Burger King. "How many siblings do you have?" I ask as I take a seat next to him. He had a brother and sister with him at the zoo and now he says he has another brother.

"I have two sisters, one older,Meghan, and Lily, and three brothers, Grayson, David, and Michael. Meghan is 26, Michael is 22, Then there's me, I'm 20, David is 16, Grayson is 10, and Lily is 6. There's large age gaps between each of us and David is adopted from England. He's got no accent though because he never grew up there."

Wow. I only have my younger brother and it's hard enough. When I lived in Minnesota for the summer I had to move in with 5 cousins and most of the time I couldn't handle them either. I can't imagine growing up with that many siblings. "So do you want a lot of kids after having that many siblings?"

He shrugs. "That depends. If after one it's too much then I'll stop. I won't stop until I've had enough to drive me crazy."

We both laugh. "That seems fair. And your girlfriend? Do you have one? What does she think?" I casually slide in there. I know it's a weak attempt but I had to ask.

"Just broke up with her. Actually I broke up with her on Sunday, two days ago."

"Why? Is it okay for me to ask?" 

Bryce starts to fuss in his swing.

"No exact reason. We were only together for a couple months and it just didn't work out." He avoids eyes contact and stares at his nuggets, idly playing with his fork.

I stand up. "You can leave whenever. I'm going to get Bryce."

I retreat from the awkward tension and pick up Bryce. I rock him on the chair and watch Zack eat from a distance. When he finishes he rinses his plate and grabs his shoes. 

"There's a twenty and a ten in my wallet. Grab it. And thanks for cleaning, I appreciate it."

"No problem, it was the least I could do. You have your hands full a lot."

I watch him take the money and leave. 

Today was a relief. Finally I got to get out of the house and enjoy a day to myself without having to worry about Bryce. I am forever going to be grateful towards Zack because if he does this every Tuesday I'm going to completely be so thankful. Maybe then I'll trust someone to nanny him while I get a job.