I sent him an untrusting scowl.
He nodded patiently, encouraging me. “Trust me.”
With a heavy sigh, I fashioned my arms to hold an imaginary infant, instantly feeling like an idiot. If he was spoofing me—
But Knox slid our niece into my waiting arms seamlessly. I looked down at her and sucked in a breath.
“Oh, wow.” I was holding a baby, Garrett’s redheaded daughter. “She’s so light.”
I glanced up at Knox, and he grinned. “And she’s probably doubled her weight since she was born.”
He seemed so much like a proud father, I caught my breath and gazed at his perfection a couple seconds too long before I cleared my throat and looked down at Bentley again.
She was adorable, even with her lip puckering and her tiny face turning red.
A grumbly, baby complaint rumbled from her, and I panicked.
“Oh, no. What’s wrong?” I turned to Knox for help, but he didn’t seem too concerned.
“Could be any number of things. Hungry, tired, gassy, uncomfortable. Try swaying with her back and forth. She seems to like movement.”
So, I started to sway, but Knox laughed and held up a hand. “Not quite so fast. Nice, gentle, soothing.” He swayed back and forth himself to show me what he meant, so I followed his lead. I watched him as he watched me. Seconds later, his lips curved with approval. “There you go. Perfect.” His tone matched our back and forth movement. Druggingly peaceful.
I finally dug up the courage to look back down at the settled infant and grinned. Yeah. There. She did seem better.
Until I spoke. “You are just so dang cute. Yes, you are.” I went in to rub my nose against hers, and...wrong move.
Bentley burst out wailing. I shoved her at Knox, unable to deal, and he fumbled to catch her.
“Sorry, sorry,” I burst out. Once she was safely in his arms but still wailing, I hugged myself self-consciously. “I told you I’d break her.”
“She’s fine.” He rolled his eyes, talking to her in a soft voice, and did the swaying thing as he plunked his knuckle into her mouth until she finally settled again.
“Okay, you have a talent,” I had to admit.
He glanced up. “I’ve had practice. It comes with the territory when you’re the oldest of six.”
I felt like a big phony for being the youngest of three.
“Is she basically a happy baby?” I asked.
“I guess. I don’t know. She has her moments. Mercy can lose her patience pretty easily. Usually someone else will step in and help out, but there’s been a few times they’ve just cried at each other for a while. But living in a house that size with eight other people, you gotta expect some tense moments.”
“I bet,” I murmured, trying to imagine what his life was like. I lived with four other people in a huge sprawling mansion—sometimes I wouldn’t see some family members for days—and it could still get tense in our home. Being smashed together with them, so we were right in each other’s faces day in and day out, would be... I didn’t even know. I shook my head. “I bet it gets pretty hectic.”
Knox leaned toward me and lowered his voice. “Want to know a secret?”
I nodded, unable to look anywhere but into his eyes.
He grinned. “I escape a lot.” Then the grin faltered. “Sometimes I dream of the day I don’t ever have to go back there. But then, there will be a month that the only way we get the bills paid is because of the extra I helped bring in with my job. And I feel shitty for even thinking about escaping.”
I didn’t know how to answer. I felt awful for him...until an idea struck.
“You could sue.”
He glanced at me, squinting his confusion.
So I waved a hand, trying to clarify. “My family, I mean. Garrett. For child support.”
When he arched an eyebrow, I blushed and glanced away, guilty for suggesting such a traitorous thing against my own family. But seriously, we had the money, and Bentley was one of us. It only seemed right that my niece get all the support she could.
Knox sighed and looked down at the girl in his arms. “I know,” he finally admitted. “But my dad’s too lazy, too drunk.” He shrugged. “Too stupid. I was a little surprised he’d even had the verve to storm the Bainbridge house before Bentley was born. But that will be all he ever accomplishes over that. Mercy’s all bitch and moan, but never act. She’ll never do anything about it, either. And my mom...she’d rather go broke than accept anything from a Bainbridge.” Glancing at me, he winced. “No offense, but I’m with her on that score.”
