22
Bailey
Hiring a nanny was the best thing we had done yet—or at least, one of the best things.
When Seth was at school and Stephen was at work, Grace made it easy for me to be a mom and love on Kira without overwhelming myself. She made it easy for me to remain a big part of Kira’s life while still making sure she was taken care of.
Today, though, Grace was getting Kira all day because I had an appointment to get my tubes tied today. And I wanted both Stephen and Seth with me because I was extremely nervous.
“You’re going to be okay,” Seth assured me.
Stephen reached over and grabbed my hand in his. We were waiting for my name to be called into the outpatient ward of the hospital. “Baby girl, if it wasn’t safe, we wouldn’t let you do this,” Stephen soothed. But it wasn’t the procedure itself that was freaking me out. It was the fact that I had no idea how any of this worked once I went into the OR without them.
I drew in a deep breath and nodded. “I hate that I get anxious so easily,” I mumbled, my words beginning to get hard to think of.
Seth dragged me onto his lap and settled in my old seat beside Stephen. Both men worked on getting me distracted by talking to me about anything that didn’t have to do with my impending surgery.
All too soon, my name was called. Both of my men kissed me, not giving a shit about the stares and looks of disgust we got before they released me, promising me they would both be waiting for me when I got out.
* * *
I was stillgroggy and not feeling all that well when I got home. Grace was still taking care of Kira, and both of my men were catering to my every need.
“You need to eat,” Seth told me as he stepped back into the room holding some chicken nuggets and honey mustard. “Can you eat for me, baby girl?”
“I want to sleep,” I mumbled. My pain medicine was making me tired.
He gently sat beside me on the bed, and he fed me bites of food. I finally pushed it away after eating five of them, shaking my head with a yawn. Stephen made sure I took my medicine before they both laid down beside me.
“Kira?” I questioned, sleep already pulling at me.
“She’s fine,” Stephen assured me. “Grace will let us know if anything is wrong. Just rest, baby girl. You’ll feel better in a couple of days.”
I nodded and finally let sleep pull me under, both of my men cuddling me.
23
Seth
Bailey was blossoming. The first day Trent had seen her take care of Kira, he had to step out because he got too emotional.
It was emotional for all of us to watch Bailey blossom and grow. She truly was something magnificent, and we loved her even more for it.
And now, on her bad days, instead of holding in everything she was feeling, she came to us. She and Grace had even become really good friends, and Grace was there for Bailey to vent to and rely on when Stephen and I weren’t home.
Bailey’s breakdown had been terrifying, and I never wanted to relive it, but it had helped her in ways none of us ever could.
Her brain needed a restart, and that was exactly what it did.
And while Kira’s crying was still a trigger for Bailey, she was still doing so well in all other aspects of parenting. She tried to take care of Kira during one of her crying sessions, but she had begun to stutter, her mind shutting back down.
We hadn’t let her try it again. And we all assured her it was okay to not be able to handle it. That was why we’d hired a nanny.
I walked inside the house, the smell of something fucking delicious making my stomach rumble. I walked further inside after toeing off my shoes and found Bailey in the kitchen, pulling dinner out of the oven. Kira was in her highchair eating snacks, her eyes drooping. It wouldn’t be long before our little girl needed to be put down for bed.
“Hey, babe,” Bailey greeted, turning to face me with a warm smile on her face. Her cheeks were flushed from the heat of the oven.
“Come on, Munchkin,” Stephen said as he stepped into the room, already changed out of his work clothes and wearing a pair of sweats, his shirt missing. He lifted Kira out of her highchair. “I believe it’s time for a bath and bed.”