"So how's it going with the baby?"Laurie, our caseworker from the Department of Family and Protective Services, sits with me on the couch in my apartment. Her kind smile is non-threatening. I like her. I feel like she has our best interests at heart. She's visited with us a couple of times over the last month, and I always enjoy talking with her.While I had been granted emergency custody of Chance the night of the accident, there is still a long road ahead of us. In order to obtain permanent custody or adopt, the state still has to do a complete home study, I have to take some parenting classes, and a few other things have to be processed to get through the red tape.They're still looking for Chance's biological father, because the law requires it, but Laurie assured me they weren't having any more luck than I was. That will make the entire process a lot faster since I'm Chance's only blood relative, which I am grateful for. Laurie is a really nice woman and seems to really want to h
I hate shopping on Saturday nights but once again I'm the dumb-ass who didn't plan ahead. I should hire a maid or someone to do my shopping for me.With my baseball cap pulled low over my eyes, I wander around the store, swinging through the grocery aisles before making my way over to toiletries. I can hear what sounds like a baby giggling. It makes me smile and reminds me I really need to call my sister, Blanca, in the morning. I haven't checked on her since she got married a few weeks ago, and I want to see how Aaron is doing as a new stepdad. He's a great guy, but she was adamant they wouldn't live together until after they were married. Something about the kids getting too attached before things were finalized.I get it. She had a really rough divorce from a total douchebag, who left her and the kids high and dry. They don't need to get their hearts broken again. I glance down the aisle as I pass by the baby items and barely register a woman with a giggling baby in a carrier stra
Quincy shakes her head in humorous disbelief. "I swear this kid has the constitution of a grown man."I bark a laugh as Quincy holds her nose and says, "Ohmygod, Chance, what did they feed you at day care?""Come on," I say, pushing past her and pulling her cart to drag it behind me. "Let's go over to that bench and get him cleaned up. There is no way anyone wants you to let that smell permeate through the store."She follows me over to the same bench we sat on before and unstraps the baby from the carrier while I spread the changing pad out on the bench and pull out a diaper and some wipes."How old is he now?" I ask as she sets him down gently and undresses him from the waist down. He looks up at me, and I'm sure he's trying to figure out why I look upside down. He smiles and reaches for my face when I lean down to talk to him and keep him distracted from the mess his fingers could be getting in down below."Four and a half months," she says as she grabs him by the ankles and hauls h
"I'm thinking we need to go bolder. Let's do purple streaks this time."I wrap the cape around her neck and snap it in place. "I don't think that's such a good idea, Sue. Remember what happened when you decided to do blue streaks? You were calling me the next day to get what you called 'that damn Easter egg color' out of your hair.""I don't know," she says as she looks in the mirror, fluffing out her hair. "I don't think I took enough time to get used to it. I think I jumped the gun on that."I look over at Geni, who is doing an all-over color on one of her regular customers. She winks at me. This is a conversation she has overhead between Sue and me numerous times."You will look like you are trying to chase your youth if you go with pastel colors," I say and brush her hair. "If you really want bolder color, we can do some really dramatic auburn lowlights and offset it with blonde highlights."If it was any customer other than Sue, I wouldn't be so open with my assessment. But Sue wa
I haven't been this excited about a date in a very long time. Don't get me wrong. I'm an extrovert by nature. I love going out and meeting people, going on dates, and of course, sex. But the idea of spending time with Quincy made it really hard to stay focused during practice yesterday.She's not the type of girl I normally go for, but the type of girl I normally go for will also drop her panties with just a smoldering look sent in her direction. I can thank David Beckham for bringing professional soccer the fanbase it has these days.I climb the stairs to the second story of her apartment building. It's an older complex but it's smaller, too. Three units on top, three on bottom. I knock on the door, noticing the landscaping is up-to-date and the building is kept up nicely. It's also in a pretty good neighborhood. It makes me feel better to know she's not living in a dump with a four-month-old.The door opens, revealing a frazzled looking Quincy, who is holding an almost naked Chance.
I lean over the wall, dangling my arm in water up to my forearm. I'm waiting for a stingray to swim by, but I'm also avoiding Daniel's eyes. Ever since I came into the living room to find him shirtless, I've been getting vibes from him. The kind of vibes that signal a very strong attraction between two people. I'm not sure if it's because he caught me staring at him or if it's because of my shorts. They're pretty short. Either way, it's becoming more and more obvious that we aren't just attracted to each other's personalities. I haven't felt attraction like this in a long time. If I'm being truthful, it makes me a little nervous.What if I like him more than he likes me?What if he only wants to get in my pants?I put the obnoxious girly thoughts out of my head. I've never had thoughts like these before about any guy. I've always known I'm worth more than what I offer a guy in bed. It must be the lack of sleep catching up with me.I squeal as the baby stingray avoids my hand completely
"Don't sell yourself short," he says. "Raising your nephew isn't a negative at all. If anything, it highlights that you're caring and generous and loyal. If a man can't see that, you're looking at the wrong man."Our waiter reappears to take our order. I fumble my way through it as I quickly decide what I want, still taken aback at the turn of this conversation. But Daniel's right. Just because Chance and I are a package deal now, doesn't mean I'm not still the total package. Sometimes it takes someone else to point it out."Your family sounds really great," I say, fiddling with the condensation on my glass after the waiter leaves. "Sounds like you guys are really tight."He has a strange look on his face. "For the most part, we are.""What do you mean?""My brothers and sisters and I are really close and we're all close with our mama.""But?""I don't talk to my dad."I cock my head, sure I didn't hear him correctly. "Your dad?" He nods. "The guy who coached all your soccer teams and
I push open the door and step into the house, amidst all the chaos and noise, and think It's good to be home.I can't always get away for Sunday dinners during the season, but today is an exception, and I've been looking forward to it all week. All my brothers and sisters show up with their kids. Mama usually makes enchiladas of some kind and all the fixings to go with it. I don't know how she does it, but not only do we get our fill, she always makes enough to send us away with leftovers. That might be my favorite part."Tio Daniel!" a little voice squeals, and I see a mass of dark curls barreling toward me. I catch her as she launches herself into my arms."Mila," I say with a smile, hugging her tightly. "How's mi corazon?""I'm four now, Tio," she says, holding up four fingers so I don't misunderstand how old she is.My eyes get wide. "That's a whole lot of fingers on that hand! You're practically a grownup!" If it's possible, her smile gets even brighter. I give her a kiss on the h