Page 92 of Reticent

“I love you, too, Yazzy.”

“Call me if you need anything. I mean anything. Even a place to crash until you figure everything out.” There’s so much I want to say to her, but I know she’s not ready.

She looks down at her shoes and nods. “I know.”

I change the subject. “Liam and I have to go to the store to pick up a few things for dinner.”

“You’re cooking?” she says, unable to hide her surprise.

I scoff. “I cook sometimes.”

“Well … yeah. But like, dinner?”

“You know what?” I shoot her a fake glare, which makes her smile and this time looks genuine.

“I’m sorry. What are you cooking, and is Hunter eating it?”

I scoff. The shade. “For your information, yes, he is. He doesn’t do all the cooking.” I pull up the recipe on my phone and hold it up so that she can see it.

“Italian turkey and tomato basil eggplant roll pasta bake,” she reads from the screen. “Sounds … adventurous.”

I wince. “That’s what Novalee said.” Doubt starts to creep in. Can I really pull this off?

“It sounds really good, though.”

“I thought so.”

I shove the phone into my pocket. I’ve never been a great cook, but playing the role of sous-chef to Hunter on occasion has taught me a few things. Whenever I cook, Hunter always eats everything on his plate and always finds something to compliment the meal. Granted, the meals I cook are simpler than the one I’m attempting tonight. But we haven’t had dinner together in a while, so I thought it would be nice.

Maybe tonight will be an epic failure. Or maybe it’ll be amazing. I guess we’ll find out.

* * *

While at the store, an older woman in the produce aisle smiles down at Liam, who’s chewing on his fingers. “He’s adorable.”

“Thank you,” I say, smiling graciously. Liam flashes her a smile. The little charmer.

“Precious. Just precious,” she says, and we go our separate ways down the aisle.

I grab everything I need from my list and head to the front of the store. Only three checkout stands are open, and every line is at least five carts long. I pick the line that I think will move the fastest based on the number of items in everyone’s carts. But I don’t anticipate the person at the front of the line to hold us up over a price dispute.

I’m two carts away from the cashier when Liam starts squirming as his face flushes pink. Based on the look on his face and the sounds coming from his bottom, I think he’s making a doody. A big one. Maybe even diarrhea—one of the unfortunate symptoms of teething.

Of course, this couldn’t have happened in the car or at Skylar's or even before standing in line. It’s not his fault, though, and when he starts to cry, it tugs on my heartstrings. Poor little guy. Even his pacifier can’t calm him down. I feel like a terrible mom, having him sit in his soiled diaper, but I’m not getting out of line.

Thankfully, my turn at the register comes quickly. The cashier works fast, giving me a sympathetic smile, as if she knows all too well what I’m going through. After paying for my things, I hightail it out of the store with my screaming baby boy.

I quickly load the groceries into the SUV and climb into the back seat with Liam. As I suspected, it’s diarrhea, and it’s all the way up his back. I clean him up and change his diaper and clothes while trying to soothe him and kiss away his tears. It’s not until he’s in my arms, dry and clean, that he stops crying.

I drive out of the parking lot and hop on the freeway, only to be stalled by bumper-to-bumper traffic. Liam is quiet, so I decide to zone out by turning on some music. I’m singing along to Monica and Ty Dolla $ign’s “Friends” when Hunter’s name lights up on my dash.

My grin grows as I connect the call. “Hello?”

“Hey, sugar tits.” Hunter’s voice rumbles through my car.

I snort at the nickname. “Sugar tits? Really?”

“Your bras always smell so sweet. Like almond milk.”