Baby Daddy's Babysitter

Don't Forget the Baby

"Stop! Gimme that!" Tucker and Danny were fighting over the TV remote, Danny holding it high above his heads, and Tucker was attempting to climb Danny like he was a playground, but Danny just gave him a look like he was just a tiny little dog barking at him because there was someone at the door.

"I've got it. Quit yapping at me!" Bonnie sighed, looking over to her eldest son from where she was feeding Emma in the kitchen. 

"Play nice, Danny. Or at least give him a step ladder." 

"Got it!" Brooke suddenly shouted, and Danny tried to grab her as she jumped over the back of the couch. She had managed to sneak up behind him, climb on the couch, and stole the remote from him, and was now running away with it as he chased her around the couch, Ben coming in after a morning at work.

"Okay, people. I need a clean shirt and a clean baby, not necessarily in that order." He went over to his daughter, smiling brightly. "Emma, you ready for your first playdate?" He had signed the two of them up for a Mommy and Me class, and he was excited to bring Emma to meet other babies to make new friends and was excited to meet other parents for himself.  

"Okay now." Bonnie was ready for a spiel as she turned to her granddaughter. "Remember, Emma, what we talked about. Just because he buys you formula doesn't mean you need to share your toys." Ben rolled his eyes as undid the tie around his neck, Brooke tossing him a clean shirt as she ran through the hallway, still running away from Danny and Tucker in pursuit of the remote.

"She's actually pretty smitten with her new little friend Jordan." He told Bonnie as he took off his shirt, Brooke distracted for a split second, and Danny tackling her, knocking her down onto the couch. 

"Gotcha!" She screamed, trying to hold the remote above her head, but he grabbed it anyway, then sat up so he was sitting on her legs, switching through the channels as Bonnie responded to Ben.

"Well, she's also having an affair with her thumb, so I wouldn't be picking out china just yet." But then she smiled at him, actually a little proud of him taking initiative for his position as a parent for a change. "Honey, I think it's so cute that you joined a Mommy and Me class." Danny gave her a look from the couch as Brooke beat on his shoulder, Tucker sliding in to sit next to him. 

"Room full of hot mommies? Yeah, he's selfless." Ben scoffed at Danny's accusation. He had considered it in the beginning, he wouldn't lie, but he figured that most of the mommies had to be married to some daddies, and wasn't going to try and get with them. He was sticking to what he said, and he wasn't changing his mind.

"This is about Emma, okay? Jordan's mom Isabelle is amazing. People actually call her the "mommy whisperer."" Bonnie smiled a bit of a tight smile, familiar with that phrase.

"Funny. That used to be your father's nickname." 

"I thought it was "that jackass married to Bonnie Wheeler"?" Brooke said with a smirk, Bonnie giving her a dark glare as she stuck her tongue out at her. Brooke wasn't that scared of Bonnie.

"She runs the whole program." Ben continued, ignoring his mother and his friend's banter. "There's a huge waiting list for her class. But, using a little of the patented Wheeler charm, Emma and I have jumped to the front of the list. We pass our playdate audition today, and we're in." That was when loud music blasted from the TV, and Danny and Tucker jumped up, Brooke falling off the couch with a shriek of surprise. 

"We're in! Yes! Finally! Whoo! Yes! Today is gonna be all about yelling, swearing and full-on body blows!" Danny shouted happily, Tucker and Brooke doing a double high five while she was on the floor, Bonnie smiling that same tight smile.

"Sounds like my wedding night." Danny smiled at her.

"Boxing. It's the pay-per-view fight of the decade. Yup. And watching it is how we stay manly." She frowned at them, rolling her eyes.

"Ohh. Yeah, okay, that should do it." That was when Emma threw a small puff snack, and she smiled at her. "Oh! It's okay, Emma. Here we go. Three-second rule." She tried to pick it up and give it back, but Ben stopped her.

"No! No-second rule. Izzy said that's a myth." She gave him a look. 

"Honey, when I was raising you boys, it was a three-day rule. If you kept it down, it was safe. If you didn't... well, that's why we had a dog."

"Isn't that essentially the rule today?" Brooke asked as she got to her feet, stretching her back, a bit sore. "I mean, I've seen you leave snacks for her around here forever." Ben shook his head.

"Well, not anymore. Izzy has this simple list of rules that every parent needs to follow. It's amazing how much I don't know." Bonnie shook her head again, Brooke coming over and patting his shoulder.

"We're all amazed at that, honey." But Tucker and Danny weren't listening to the baby talk at all, and Tucker came over to Ben.

"And I've got a list too. Chips, beer, salsa, guacamole and you be home by 8:00." Ben waved his request away, certain he had it all covered. 

"Please. I'm so on it." Then he saw his watch, and headed for the door, picking up the diaper bag as Bonnie pulled Emma from the high chair. "And I'm so late. The first thing on Izzy's list: Be prepared for everything." He shut the door, Brooke counted down to three, and he walked back in, heading over to Bonnie, who held Emma out to him. "The second thing on the list: Don't forget the baby."