Mine for the Year

Chapter 8

The next two weeks week went by normally. Well, as normally as they could considering I was living in a huge penthouse and not working anymore. Laney had gone to some big week long internship she had gotten and Gabe had a lot of work to do, so it was just me and Damon around the house.

As sweet and caring as he was the day he met Matt, he was back to distant and cold when no one was around. We mostly stayed out of each other's ways, with me doing work for my online classes and sometimes visiting Ashley. Damon agreed to let me tell her and Matt, so she knew everything.

The first bit of drama started Friday, the day before Matt was supposed to be released. I was at Ashley's, playing with Emma, when she got a call from her boss.

"Olivia, I'm really sorry. Would you mind watching Emma for the day. Andrew is calling me in and I don't even know why. He said there's some emergency." I could see her panicking so I calmed her down.

"Ash, it's fine, don't worry. I'll take her back to the penthouse with me and bring her back after dinner."

I felt bad. Ever since I moved out of our apartment, Ashley had been struggling so much more. Being a single mom was already awful. Usually, she worked nights and I would watch Emma in the night but she had been asking her neighbor to do so for the past few days. It was only a temporary fix and I knew she might have to hire a babysitter, something we both knew she couldn't afford.

I cooed as Emma gurgled back at me. She was about a year old, and had just learned to walk.

I packed all her bags and put her in her stroller, deciding to walk back. Surprisingly, his penthouse wasn't too far — only a 20 minute walk. "Hi Emma. Look at the balloons. Yes, you like balloons don't you." I cooed at how adorable she was, clapping and giggling excitedly as we passed things.

I smiled at the man in the front desk before using my key card to get the elevator to the penthouse. Leaving Emma's bag and stroller in the corner, I carried her into the kitchen.

It wasn't long before she started kicking against me, wanting to walk. I laughed. She definitely wanted to explore around the house. I took her to the casual family room. It was carpeted and didn't really have any sharp objects. I gave her a few of her toys and let her wander the room. I brought my work down so I could work while sitting next to her.

Lunchtime flew by and dinner approached quickly. I carried Emma back to the kitchen with me so I could cook dinner. I strapped her back into her stroller because I was afraid of her falling on the marble floor. Call me overprotective, but Emma was like my own baby. I've known her since the second she was born.

Just as I was finished cooking, Damon walked in. Usually, I would eat ahead of time and leave food for him because I was pretty certain he didn't want to eat with me. However, I hadn't been paying attention today and let time get the better of me.

"Liv?" He called out.

"In the kitchen," I replied, pulling the lasagna out of the oven.

He looked around in utter confusion at the sight of Emma. Suddenly, it turned to horror. "You have a kid?" He asked me.

"What?" I almost choked on my own spit. "Emma is Ashley's. I'm just watching her for the day."

"Oh." He looked relieved. He continued to stare awkwardly at the baby, as if he didn't know what to do around her.

I smiled politely at him. I could still feel the awkward tension between us. "Would you like to hold her?"

He looked so horrified, I had to smile. "I don't know how to hold a baby," he hissed, staring at Emma in fear.

She stared up at him with her arms out. I laughed. She really hated that stroller and would do anything to get out of it.

I unbuckled her and lifted her out. Walking over to him, I gently placed her into his arms. "Watch her head. And hold on with both hands, she gets fussy sometimes."

He held her tightly, looking almost afraid that he would drop her.

"Dada," Emma yelled happily.

His eyes widened. "What the f—"

I covered his mouth with my hands. "Not in front of her," I hissed. "And don't worry, she calls everyone Dada or Mama right now."

I could see Demon melting the second Emma laid her eyes on him. There was literally no one who could resist her charm. "Hi Emma. What are you doing? Do you want to spin?"

I almost aww'd out loud at the sight of him talking to her in a baby voice and spinning her around.

Of course that was the moment Delaney decided to come back from her internship.