That Baby: A Small Town, Friends-to-Lovers Romance (That Boy Series Book 3)

Phillip and I are watching TV, Angel is upside down, asleep on the couch next to us, and Devaney is sleeping in her swing.

Around midnight, Danny texts that they are home. Phillip saw them pull into their garage a couple of hours ago, so we’re hoping that means they had some adult time.

Phillip takes Angel to her kennel in our bedroom and then lets them in.

Danny and Lori come downstairs, holding hands and looking content, which makes me happy. I was pretty worried when he told me how Jennifer had made him feel. He should feel that way about his wife.

“We had a great night,” Danny says. “Thank you so much for watching her.”

“You look relaxed,” I say.

“We are,” Lori agrees. “It’s been a while since we’ve had time to just talk.”

“And we decided to hire a part-time nanny. That way, Lori can get a break each day even if it’s just to go to the grocery store or work out,” Danny adds.

“That’s awesome. I’m happy for you guys,” Phillip says.

“So, how was my little monkey?” Danny peeks at his adorable, sleeping baby. “Do you hate us for leaving you so long when all she does is cry?”

“She really didn’t cry that much,” Phillip says.

“She didn’t?” Danny’s eyes widen in surprise.

“No, she was good. We played patty-cake, and she was enthralled with the dog.”

Lori sits down and stares at Devaney. “I figured she’d be crying since she usually nurses around this time.”

“She actually went to sleep really easily,” Phillip tells her.

“She did?” Danny looks perplexed. “What did you do?”

“Um, well, when she started crying, we listened to some music. I figured maybe she was getting sick of baby Beethoven, so we listened to my running playlist. Some rap, dance, pop. We danced around. She’s going to be a party girl, I think. She doesn’t want to go to sleep and miss out on the fun.”

“I still can’t believe you got her to go to sleep without eating,” Lori says.

“Oh, well, the dancing only kept her happy for about an hour,” Phillip says.

“Yeah,” I agree. “So, around eleven, I fed her.”

“How did you do that?” Lori asks. “I didn’t give you enough milk.”

“I know, and I didn’t want to interrupt your date, so I gave her some of the sample formula the doctor gave me.”

“YOU DID WHAT?” Lori yells. “Why would you do that? You know I’m nursing!”

“I know that, so I made Phillip look it up online,” I explain. “We read on a nursing site that it’s perfectly okay to supplement with formula at her age. It was just a few ounces, and then she conked out.”

“How could you do that?” Lori yells at me like I fed her baby tequila.

“Because she was hungry,” I say. “She loved it. Sucked it down, burped, fell right to sleep. It’s not a bad thing.”

“Are you serious?” Danny asks. “She didn’t cry. Not at all?”

“Not one bit,” I say. “This is probably a stupid question, but could there be something you’re eating that’s upsetting her tummy?”

Lori’s eyes bug out. “How dare you even suggest such a thing! Breast milk is always best!”

Phillip interjects, “She’s suggesting it because, after we fed her the breast milk, she cried for an hour. Maybe she was just tired, but she didn’t cry after the formula.”

“Maybe Jay’s onto something here,” Danny agrees.

“Oh, sure,” Lori spews. “Take her side, like always.”

“This isn’t about taking sides, Lori. Let’s just talk to the doctor about it.” He sighs, and I feel his pain. No matter what he says, she thinks it’s wrong.

“You should have called me!” Lori snatches the baby carrier, grabs the diaper bag in a huff, marches toward me, and gets in my face. “You’re going to be a horrible mother!”

Phillip immediately steps in front of her. I’ve never seen him look so angry. His body looms over hers. “You need to take that back and apologize to Jadyn.”

“No,” Lori says, clutching the carrier and shaking her head.

“All we did for the last six hours was take care of your child, so you could go out. Your baby is asleep and safe. Tell Jadyn thank you, or you will never step foot in this house again.”

She grits her teeth, turns to me, spits out a, “Thank you,” and then marches up the stairs, slamming the door on her way out.

“Go, Phillip,” I say with a smile.

Phillip glares at Danny. He’s still pissed.

Danny shakes his head in embarrassment and gives me a hug. “I’m sorry for what she said, Jay. For what it’s worth, I think you’re going to be a great mom. And thanks to both of you for letting us have a night out.”

Phillip looks Danny in the eye. “You should have been the one to say something to her. Not me. Time to be a man, Danny.”

“Yeah, I know. I’ll see you guys later.”