Imperfect Perfection (Sequel to The Light in the Dark)

Lucky

"I'll get it." I say and throw the covers off me while going to collect the crying baby. I pick up Tyler and his face is red and wrinkled up in the midst of crying. "No it's okay. Don't cry please." I whine and rock Tyler in my arms.

"Are you hungry?" I ask him and hold a bottle up to his face but he cries anyway. Zach comes into the room. "Sorry he won't quit." I apologize.

"It's six thirty. We can go ahead and get up. It'll be okay." Zach says rubbing his eyes over the noise of Tyler's cries.

        "I probably should be looking for flights." I say.

        "Just stay here a few days." Zach says grabbing my arm when I turn away. "I could help you with him." Zach shrugs.

        "I wouldn't do that." I say but wish inwardly that he tells me it's okay.

        "I'm not joking. I wouldn't offer it if I didn't really mean it." Zach says.

          "Are you sure?" I ask.

         "Definitely." Zach replies.

         "Thank you." I say relieved.

•••

"Let's just go home I think we've got enough." Crap. I said 'home'. Hopefully he doesn't point that out. Luckily he doesn't.

"Okay." Zach nods in agreement.

"You go check out I think I need to take Tyler over here to the bathroom." I say the last part in a babyish voice.

"Have fun." Zach says casually. Then, I make my way to the family bathroom and start changing Tyler's diaper

"We got you some more stuff today." I say to Tyler. "Yeah some really cool stuff like a pretty car seat- well- a handsome car seat I guess?" I say and start to pick him up again. He giggles while slobber drips from his mouth in bubbles. I take his onesie and wipe his mouth with it.

"That's nasty." I say in a baby voice while scrunching my nose together and smiling which only causes him to spit everywhere. "Come on." I sigh and wipe his face off again.

"Ready?" Zach asks when I come out.

       "Yeah." I yawn. "I might just go home and sleep." I squint.

"Fine with me." Zach shrugs.

•••

"Screw that nap." I mutter sitting back beside Zach.

"Do you wanna go out for lunch tomorrow? Take a break? There is a daycare down the street." Zach says.

"That'd be great." I say. "I'm going to go out and get dinner can you watch him?"

"Sure." Zach says. "Be safe."

"Of course." I smile and walk out the door. I go by an older man trying to sell some newspapers and take one for fifty cents. On the front cover is a picture of me, Tyler, and Zach caption,

Thought to be a bad blood breakup so what's this?

I roll my eyes. The public needs to get out of my life. I go down to the nearest fast food restaurant and order. My phone starts ringing in my pocket.

"Holly Thorn!" Kacy deafens me when I answer the phone. "Why didn't you call me?!" She screams.

"I'm sorry but this has been stressful Kacy. It's not like I planned any of this."

"Why didn't you tell me you were pregnant?" Kacy asks.

"Are you alone?" I ask as I take my food and walk out of the building.

"Yeah?"

"Tyler's not mine." I say and almost immediately I hear a thud and a moment later Kacys back on the phone.

"What do you mean?" Kacy asks.

"Tyler's not my baby." I say again. "He's Abby's."

"Abby from California?" Kacy asks. Kacy hadn't ever met her but like many other people she had read my book and knows about Abby.

"That's her. She was in Georgia. Hadn't talked to her in a while. So when a hospital called I wasn't sure why but she died. She waited for me to get there to tell me to take her kid." I say.

"Oh."

"I've got to go Kacy." I say distractedly as I come up to the apartment.

"Bye good luck!" Kacy squeezes in.

"Bye." I say and hang up. I walk into the house and I hear the familiar voice of Jeffrey Howery booming about the lead the Lakers have on the Clippers.

       "That was totally a foul." Zach says to I'm guessing no one. I walk into the living room and Zach sits on the couch with Tyler sitting on his lap with his head resting on his stomach.

       "Hi." I say when I sit down the food and start getting the table ready.

       "Look at this Holly." Zach says rewinding it and showing me the footage of the 'crime' "Even you should be able to tell that was a foul and you don't even watch basketball." Zach whines.

       "Definitely a foul." I say in a serious voice with a hint of teasing.

       "I mean it that definitely should've been a foul." Zach says standing up with Tyler. I go over and pick him up from him holding him slightly out from him.

      "Let's see. Hmm. What do you think Tyler?" I ask and he responds with little giggles and bubbles of saliva. "See? He thinks your full of crap too." I say sitting him in his crib, washing my hands, and help Zach get the stuff out of the bag.

      "I'm not full of crap." Zach scoffs.

       "Mhmm." I say rolling my eyes and start toward the crib to feed Tyler again but before I can reach it I feel arms around my waist. I start laughing trying to get Zach off me.

      "Say I'm not crazy." Zach says poking his face between my shoulder and head smiling.

       "One mustn't tell lies." I tease as he spins me towards him with his arms still around my waist and mine now around his neck.

       "That's rude." Zach accuses.

       "Brutally honest I prefer." I laugh.

       "I will get you back for that." Zach says pulling me closer to him and pressing our foreheads gently together.

       "good luck." I whisper teasingly.

___________________________

Okay so I was writing this in the car and my dad asks me,
"Why are you smiling?"
And i was thinking.. Crap I was smiling because it was so freaking adorable just writing this.