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So, here we are, walking up to Brooks’s building. I don’t know if this is the right place since he didn’t say, but we figured this would be a good starting point. Going in blind has never been smart. I sent Damon a quick text before we left, telling him what we’re doing. He’s on standby. We check in with the security guard, and he tells us to go on up.
“Good luck,” he says as we walk away. Addison looks up at me with her forehead creased, and I shrug. Whatever his problem is, it doesn’t sound like a trap if the security officer knows. I relax a little in the elevator.
When the doors open, we’re immediately assaulted with the sound of baby cries. Deafening baby cries. I have a feeling Presley is the reason we’re here. When we knock, there’s no answer. Addison twists her lips.
“Screw it,” she says and twists the doorknob. “He probably can’t hear us anyway.”
The modern penthouse is made of mostly glass or stone and the cries echo loudly. I chuckle, thinking how out of place a baby is here. It’s sterile. Clean. Everything in its spot. I don’t know much about babies, except they have a lot of stuff. I’ve been in homes where toys litter the entire living room floor.
“Brooks, where are you?” Addison calls out.
He walks out of a bedroom. The put-together guy we saw a couple weeks ago is nowhere to be seen. His T-shirt is wrinkled and stained, his hair sticks up in all directions, and he clearly hasn’t shaved in a couple days.
“Addison, please make her stop crying,” he pleads.
She stares at him for a second, running her hands through her hair. “Um, I can try,” she says, biting her lip. “Have you tried feeding her and changing her?”
Brooks rakes his hand over his face. “I’ve tried everything. She has cried for over twenty-four hours. She won’t stop. I’m sorry I called you, I just didn’t know who else I could call.”
Addison’s brows reach her forehead. “I’m sure you have a line of women willing to come over,” she says.
“I don’t trust the women I fuck with my daughter,” he barks. “I know we don’t know each other, but you are family. I have this weird sense of trust with you.” His voice softens, but it’s hard to hear over the cries.
Addison’s lips curl into a smile. I know that goes straight to her heart. She’s been yearning to get to know him. This is her way in. If I know Addison, she’ll do everything in her power to help. “Okay. I’ll see if I can get her to stop. I’m going to warn you, I’ve never been a baby person so I don’t know if I can help much.”
“You’re a woman. Don’t you naturally know what to do?”
She lets out a sarcastic laugh. “I don’t think that’s quite how it works,” she says, walking in the direction of the cries. My ears are starting to hurt. I can’t imagine listening to that off and on for twenty-four hours.
Brooks paces while we wait. The cries don’t stop. After ten minutes, Addison comes out. Brooks drops his head into his hand and groans. “Do you mind if I call my best friend? She’s like the baby whisperer. When she was in high school, people paid her a lot of money to calm their babies down. If there’s anyone that can get Presley to stop crying, it’s her.” Brooks seems unsure and takes a deep breath, letting it out slowly. “She’s like my sister, I trust her with my life.”
“Alright. I’ll call down to security so they’ll let her up.”
Sydney arrives in fifteen minutes. Fifteen minutes with a baby crying feels like hours. My nerves are already buzzing. If Sydney had taken any longer, I might have gone for a walk. Every man for himself at that point. Addison has been in the room, trying to calm Presley, but it hasn’t worked.
“Sydney, this is Brooks,” I say. He shakes her hand, and Syd gives him the once-over.
“It’s nice to meet you, Brooks. I’m assuming I’m here because of the crying baby?”
His shoulders sag and he nods. Syd asks him when the last time Presley ate was, and they talk a little about Presley’s schedule.
“Does she have a pacifier?”
“A what?”
“A pacifier. Something that goes in her mouth to help her calm down.”
“I don’t know what the hell that is. Macie just showed me how to feed her and change her.”
“Where is her diaper bag?”
He points in the direction of the bag, and Syd digs through it. She pulls out and holds up a green nipple-looking thing. “Pacifier,” she says, smiling and then turns to go find Addison and Presley. She stops before entering the room and looks back. “Brooks, go take a shower.”
“Yes, ma’am,” he replies with a salute.
Within minutes the cries have stopped. Holy shit! Sydney’s fucking awesome right now. Addison walks out of the bedroom, her hair in messy bun and her face flushed with sweat. She blows out a breath and then comes over to sit with me on the couch.
“You want ten of those,” she says, lying back against the cushions. “I don’t know about that, Aiden. I think you have the wrong woman if you want me to have that many babies.” I laugh. I want kids, but I don’t care how many we have. I want at least two, one being Lexi. I just like fucking with Addison. Every time I say I want ten kids, her pupils dilate and she gets flustered. She doesn’t fluster easily so it’s fun to watch.
