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Chapter 11ColtonI’h the monitor I scramble out of bed, and turn off the monitor, so it doesn’t wake Hollis, and rush down the hall Milo doesn’t cry My heart is pounding in my chest as I make my way to his room

“Hey, bud,” I coo, lifting hi up His cries begin to quiet as I rock hibad?” I ask him Not that I expect him to answer, that’s just e do I talk, and he listens It’s our thing “I wish I kneas wrong,” I say, rocking fro his blanket and binky froetting the Tylenol and the dropper filled with one hand, so I carry hi in front of hi off As soon as I lay hiins to cry Not just any cry No, this one is loud, a piercing wail It’s a mix between I’m pissed off and Daddy it hurts

“I’et your h I’m nervous as hell I hate it when he cries, and it puts e “It’s okay,” I tell him, but I don’t even think he can hear me over his cries I fuet the lid off My hands are shaking What if there is so with him?

“Colt?”

I look up to find Hollis standing in the kitchen Her hair is amy T-shirt froh my son’s tears, I was still able to hear her I don’t have tiure out what that et the dropper full of , and he hitsit all over my lap

“Hey” Her soothing voice is next to , she reaches around me and lifts Milo into her arot you, handso well?” She continues to talk to hi voice, and his cries stop completely Shuddered breaths and whimpers are all that you hear

“Thank you I’rab the bottle and rush to the kitchen to clean up the mess and start over

“It’s not a proble on with him?”

“I’ up I’ive hi out too well”

“Let’s go change your diaper while Daddy gets you some medicine” She breezes past me and down the hall to his room I wait for Milo’s cries, but they never come Instead, all I hear is the low hum of Hollis’s voice as she talks to him

Bracing le-dad thing is hard I’rab a towel from the counter and wipe off my lap, but it’s no use, the sticky medicine has already soaked into thethe towel back on the counter, I fill the dropper to the correct airl and my son

“That’s better,” Hollis says softly, lifting Milo into her ar, as he stares up at her “I’m sorry, buddy I wish I could make it better for you,” she tells him, and he shudders a deep breath

“Looks like you already have,” I say, stepping into his room

“There’s Daddy” She s bad You can see it in his eyes, then there’s the fever”

Her words strike ut This woman, so new to our lives, yet she knows my son She pays attention to know he looks ill in his eyes She cares enough to pay attention I’ her like this, coht That’s sexier toelse she could have done, any seduction she could have offered A year ago, I would have told you that you were crazy if you said that’s hoould feel someday Today, however, that’s just not the case She’s never looked ht now Inbefore bed, holding my son