Fangirls

Part three

He looks stunned before looking back at Makayla.
    "You're daughter?"
    "Yeah." I bounce her gently setting her diaper bag on the couch before changing her.
    "You didn't tell me you had a kid."
    "Why should I have?" He just looks at me before shrugging, watching as I redress her.
    "How old is she?"
    "She'll be one a month."
    "How old were you when you had her?"
    "Nineteen." I shrug before bringing her back into the kitchen.
    "Do you want me to take her so you can finish that?" He asks reaching for her. She doesn't hesitate to reach back. Slightly concerned by how easily she reached for him, I let her reach to him until he's holding her away from his body, her brilliant green eyes staring at him with wonder. She laughs happily clapping her hands before reaching for his nose. He was surprisingly good with kids. "I get it now." He says letting her sit on his lap, or rather stand, as he looks at her with his own curiosity.
    "What?"
    "Everything." He says looking up at me. "Why you got in that fight to protect your friend, why you were partying, I get it. You're young with a kid, you're not married, or dating him, you're life's complicated, and with a baby around finding someone to spend your life with is hard."
    "How would you know?"
    "I don't I'm just saying." He shrugs before grinning at Makayla, bouncing her so she'll laugh at him.
    "You're good with her."
    "I love kids."
    "Why don't you have any then?" He shrugs looking back at Makayla, a bittersweet look in his smile this time.
    "I never found the right person I guess." There's a long moment of silence before I say anything else.
    "--Well, you're welcome to her whenever you want." He looks up at me surprised before grinning.
    "I knew that cold hearted thing was just an act." He laughs.
    "--It's all I have left to protect me." I mutter setting a plate in front of him. Makayla turns around the second she hears the plate hit the table. "Did daddy feed you today?" She just looks at me before looking back at the vegan breakfast I made for him. She reaches for his pancake but he pulls her back making her laugh. He sets her down ripping off a small piece to feed her. "Yours are vegan, I don't know if she'll eat them without the chocolate chips." I say sipping my glass of milk. She seems to like them since she opens her mouth for him to feed her more. I take the chance to text Alice a quick 'Where from? And happy birthday!'
    "She likes them." He chuckles reaching for the syrup. I laugh gently, turning my attention to my own breakfast. "What did you mean before?"
    "When?" I ask looking up again.
    "When you said it's all you have left." I shrug.
    "When I found out I was pregnant my parents kicked me out, Anthony and I were dating then, but since I wasn't even in college yet my parents said I needed to give her up to have a promising life. Anthony wanted her and so did I so that wasn't even an option. I lived with him and his parents for a few months before his mom drove me nuts, since she hated me and nitpicked everything. So he bought two plane tickets and we flew out here with his older sister. The three of us lived together until she was three months old and Anthony and I got into this huge fight because I was hiding money so I could move out. He was pissed that I wanted to leave and didn't tell him before I chose to do this. We ended the relationship that night, Makayla, Nancy, and I slept in the same bed that night and the next day I found an apartment, this one, and we decided together that he'd have her Friday to Monday and I'd have her Monday to Friday, neither of us pay money up front unless we need it. He has stuff at his place for her and I have stuff here for her, we don't need anything else from one another. He told me when she was six months that he still loved me and wanted to work something out, but I just couldn't handle him and her at the same time." I shrug looking down at Makayla.
    "Well, at least you didn't go to court to figure it out, that's usually what puts the strain on families. I mean, at least she gets to see you both this way, on mutual terms."
    "That's what we said."
    "Were you ever in love with him?"
    "Yeah, but once the fight happened I just kind of shut down. I was alone with a three month old baby, looking for an apartment in a city I knew nothing about. I couldn't be afraid so instead I felt nothing and powered through."
    "She's a great kid."
    "Thanks."
    "She looks just like you."
    "No, she looks just like him, her strawberry 🍓 blonde hair, her button nose, all his. Those beautiful green eyes are the only thing that are mine."
    "You're eyes are beautiful." He says looking up at me. "And your chocolate brown hair." He gives me a slight smile before looking back at Makayla.
    "Thank you, mine eyes are nothing compared to yours though." I compliment him, making him grin. His hour stay, turns into all day, playing with Makayla and watching TV. We don't leave the apartment at all, and I couldn't have asked for a better way to spend my day. I lay Makayla down in her crib before coming back out to find him grabbing his jacket. "Thank you for today."
    "Sure, it was my pleasure really, she's great."
    "Thanks." He smiles at me before turning toward the door. "Jay." I call him back, catching the door before it can close. "It's late, and the drive back to your house is long, why don't you stay?" I suggest, shrugging one shoulder. He grins at me before stepping closer.
    "Are you inviting me to sleep in your bed Miss Summers?"
    "Maybe I am. Maybe I'm choosing to let you in completely. I don't really know yet." He gives me a quick smirk before stepping back into the apartment. I shower quickly and get in pajamas before crawling into bed with Jared, who was watching TV, or rather supposed to be when he was really watching Makayla sleeping.
    "She's so cute." He mutters.
    "Thanks." I whisper laying back against the pillows. "She's a little handful."
    "Yeah." He yawns. "I'm definitely not used to it."
    "Yeah, it took me a while and lots and lots of naps to get used to it." Chuckling he looks over at me.
    "She really is great."
    "You keep saying that."
    "I mean it, and you're great with her."
    "Yeah, you want to watch her tomorrow while I go to work?"
    "Really?" He looks at me kind of hopeful.
    "I mean if you want to." I say shrugging.
    "That sounds fun, but I don't think I can do that just yet, I have no idea how to entertain kids." I snicker gently.
    "That's a lie."
    "Okay, I have no idea how to change a diaper."
    "There you go." I chuckle.
    "I would love to watch her though." He says looking at Makayla.
    "She seems to really like you." I say watching the light of the TV cast shadows over his blue eyes.
    "You're so beautiful." He whispers.
    "Shut up." I blush, a slight smile spreading over my face.
    "I mean it. I can only image the glow you had when you were pregnant."
    "Sweet talking doesn't work on me." I say leaning in a little.
    "I'm not, I mean it this time."
    "Why are you so nice to me?"
    "I just want to protect you for some reason." He whispers, his fingers tucking back some of my wet hair, setting it behind my ear.
    "I don't need it." I whisper back.
    "But, I'm going to give it to you anyway." He says firmly, but quietly, all too aware of the sleeping baby. "I'm gonna do something I usually don't go."
    "And what's that?" I tease.
    "I'm gonna ask before I kiss you." I feel my heart stop.
    "You want to kiss me?"
    "So badly, so can I?" I feel the grin tug at my lips.
    "No. Definitely not. I want you to be yourself around me. If you want something, take it like you would with anyone else." I mutter. He chuckles gently, leaning in to kiss me softly, just a peck before pulling back. "That wasn't no kiss." I tease making him laugh fully, his lips crashing against mine the next moment, his hand cupping my cheek, holding me against him. I reach around his arm, holding his wrist as I kiss back. He pulls away just slightly to catch his breath. "You're really good at that."
    "Funny I was gonna say the same." He chuckles kissing me again, shifting closer to me.
    "Mm, not with the baby." I mutter pulling back. "Not yet, I'm not ready yet." I admit.
    "It's fine, I respect that. Just one more kiss." He says kissing me again before pulling back to lay beside me again.
    "I'm glad you came back."
    "I'm glad you asked me to come back."

A week later... Alice had just left a little while ago so I changed the baby and set her on the couch beside me watching Spongebob when the phone rings. I look at it to see a number I don't recognize. Usually I ignore it, but for some reason I feel the need to answer it.
"Hello?"
"Alisha, thank god." I hear the voice on the other end sigh I relief.
"Who is this?"
"It's Shannon do you know where Alice is?"
"She just left my house." I say looking at the time. "She should be home, why what's going on?"
"She called me crying."
"What?" I feel my heart leap in my throat.
"She said she didn't know where she was do you know where she could be?"
"I-I don't know. I'll call you back." I hang up before he can say anything calling Alice, but it goes right to voice mail so I call Shannon back. "I'm putting her number in track my IPhone." I say frantically typing and as it searches I pick up the baby who started crying. "Sh Makayla it's okay. I got it I'll text you the address and meet you there." I hurry down the stairs to me Subaru Forester, strapping the baby in her car seat as she cries. "Sh, Sh Makayla its okay." I finally get her strapped in and text Shannon before going to the bar. I get there before him so I unstrap the baby, since I can't leave her in the car, obviously and head into the bar. As soon as I open the door we're greeted by chaos. Alice stands on the bar with a bottle in her hand swinging it at a mans face. She hits him successfully breaking open his nose and a part of his cheek and the bottle.
"Alice!" I scream over the cheering crowd. I push my way through to get to her. "Alice! What are you doing?!"
"You think you have the upper hand huh you scumbag?!" She screams at the man.
"Alice get down!"
"You crazy bitch!" The guy yells back at her.
"You low life asshole!" She snaps right back.
"Alice get down!" I scream making the entire bar go silent. I yank her down but she side steps crashing into a man and falling to the floor. She looks like she's seen a ghost, but I can tell by the glazed over look that she has no idea what's happening. By the Shannon, Tomo, and Jared had made their way in and over to us. Makayla was screaming her head off and the guy behind the counter was screaming obscenities at Alice. She gets up lunging at him but I push her back with my free arm. "Enough!" I yell at her, shoving her into Shannon the second Jared takes Makayla. "What the hell are you doing Alice! I can't go around babysitting you when I have a baby! Don't you understand that!?"
"I don't need you! I don't need any of you!" I know she's scream blindly not being able to control herself in this state, but what she said really pulls at me heart. She was like my little sister, how could she say something like that? She's the only real friend I've had since we moved out here.
"That's right control that bitch! Get her out of here!" The man she was fighting screams.
"You shut the fuck up!" I scream leaning over the bar to get in his face. "You prick say one more thing about her and I'll beat you ass so hard."
"What are you gonna do you cow? Protecting the whore?" Her snaps holding his nose.
"You son of a bitch!" I leap over the bar decking him in the face, knocking him out cold and busting open my hand again. I tip painfully as the crowd goes nuts. I clench my hand in my good one before looking at Jared who's holding MY screaming baby and Shannon who's got a death grip on Alice.
"We need to get her to the hospital, she needs stitches for sure." Shannon says looking at her hand.
"Of course we do." I mutter. When did I become her mother too?