Hero
"Baby, come on," I muttered, attempting to feed Isla her bottle, but she simply wasn't having it.
I sighed and put my laptop on the couch next to us, standing up with her in my arms. I patted her back gently, walking around Amelia's living room.
"Shh," I whispered. Amelia's dad was home, and he still wasn't the biggest fan of me. He was growing to be okay with Isla, but me? Not really.
He walked out of his office, sighing. "Are you ripping her arm off?"
"No, she won't take her bottle, and she's hungry," I firmly said.
"Where's Amelia?"
"On her way," I said, avoiding eye contact with him. We kept our exchanges short and sweet.
I continued to walk around with her, and for some reason, Mr. Grey hadn't shut himself back in his office.
I looked at him, quickly looking back down at Isla.
"You have her a lot."
I looked over at him again, gently bouncing Isla up and down.
"I don't like you," he said, shrugging, "I don't think that's a secret."
"Really know how to brighten up my day," I said, smiling a fake smile at him.
"You're trying, though," he said, "it takes time, being a good dad, but you're trying."
"I am," I said, nodding. I was proud of myself. The past year of my life had quite literally been hell, and Isla was the reason I was so motivated to make it not be that way anymore.
"Why don't you hold her a different way?" He suggested, nodding towards me, "her arm might be uncomfortable like that."
I gently switched the way I was holding her, making her nestle her face in my neck. Her crying slowly subsided, making me sigh and shoot him a thumbs-up.
He nodded. "I was a new dad once."
The door opened, making me look back at Amelia. Isla began to cry again, making me sigh.
"I promise I had it under control for, like, two seconds," I muttered.
She smiled, walking over to the two of us. "Did you miss your mommy?"
"I think she's hungry," I said, passing her over to Amelia.
Amelia hadn't even registered that her dad and I were having a conversation, but when she did, she toggled her eyes between us.
"I gave him the suggestion that helped get it under control," he said, folding his arms over his chest.
"Oh?" Amelia questionably said, sitting in her recliner.
Her dad patted the threshold of his office before walking back in, making me sit down on the couch with a sigh.
Amelia began to feed Isla, her eyes fixated on me. "You good?"
I nodded, my jaw taut. "Yeah, why?"
"Because," she said, "we have a kid together now, and I got to know you so well, so I know when you're not. And when you're lying."
I cracked a smile, shaking my head as I dropped it in my hand. "It's nothing."
"It's somethin'," she said, "talk to me."
I bit down on my lip as I leaned back on the couch, rubbing my head. "I feel like I'm constantly keeping secrets."
She didn't say anything, but urged me on. Amelia was my favorite person to spill my guts to, because it was comforting. She never intervened until she knew I was done talking, and she was a safe place to go to.
