Night Changes (Soon To Be EDITED)

First Comes Love, Then Comes Marriage, Then Comes Mark's Baby In A Baby Carriage

I held the baby boy's gaze until my eyes began to sting with tears.

Never in my life had I felt so helpless and useless at the same time. My head told me to walk out of the room and not look back; the baby was Marcus' problem and responsibility. If I turned and left now, I'd never have to come and face him again. My heart told me to take the baby and sneak out the back door so nobody would spot the short girl running down the hallway with a carseat in her hands as she bolted for the door.

My heart was sure if I left the poor baby boy in Marcus' room that there would be a chance he claimed he never existed; he'd whisk the poor boy off into a foster home until they found him a secure home.

"I have to leave." I swallowed my words when his small hand reached out for me, clenching the end of his blue blanket in it. I shook my head, squeezing my eyes shut and sucking in a deep breath. "I have to go."

I started to turn on my heel when my eyes caught the little bit that was scribbled hurriedly across the yellow sticky note.

Don't tell Marcus. Please take care of him

It didn't take my fear long to set in, my eyes darting all over the room for any sign of who may have left the carrier on the bed. Whoever had done it had been sure that Mark was out of his room at the exact time he or she left the baby. Which left only thought remaining in my mind the second I turned back to the whimpering infant a few feet away.

Marcus wasn't supposed to know about him and whoever left the baby had known someone else was up here with him.

As much crap as Marcus and I had been through over the last few years, there was still an unwanted, large part of me that still cared for the conceited jock. He had still spent the first ten years of our lives by my side and protecting me from the world I had been afraid to face. Despite the hatred he had for me now, there was no way I was going to let his son take the brunt of it.

"My Daddy is a Sheriff." I explained to the baby in the carrier, tearing the sticky note off the handle and shoving into my small handbag. "He'll be able to help me find your Mommy."

The infant stared at me with wide, shocking, electric blue eyes dancing with curiosity over the entire situation. I honestly couldn't blame the poor little guy; his mother had abandoned him and his father was a conceited ass and there was a complete stranger taking him home with her. I would be curious and confused too.

"My name is Paige."

I am talking to an infant as if he can understand me; my mental health level is beginning to scare me.

"I'm going to take you home tonight. Who knows when this party will end?" I muttered, gripping the handle until I felt it digging into my palm. He continued to stare up at me as I peaked out of the room to make sure the coast was clear. Shaking my head, I jogged down the steps quickly, praying no one would cast a second glance in my direction. For once in my life, I was okay being invisible to most of the population of our high school.

I hurried around the staircase and toward the back door, my eyes falling on the spare set of keys hanging off the hook. I had seen Marcus' brother twirling them around his fingers various times. I started toward the set of keys, stopping dead in my tracks when I heard someone clear their throat behind me.

All anxiety and adrenaline drained as I slowly shifted my body toward the sound.

Zane Dryer stood in the foyer, arms crossed as he leaned into the wall, head inches from an old picture of Mark's kindergarten graduation. "You care to explain what you were going to do with my keys?"