I refill my cup, adding way too much sugar and creamer to be deemed necessary, and prop my hip against the counter. “The other night, there was a knock on the door and a baby on the welcome mat. A note accompanying the infant said it was Chase’s.”
Gwen just stares, blinking, as she absorbs the news. “Okay, I got that from my husband, but why now? Why not tell him before?”
Shrugging, I take another sip of sweet coffee. “No clue. There wasn’t much info in the letter, except that she met Chase and Colton in St. Louis at a bar. Apparently, there was naked time in his hotel room, and the result was Milo.”
“Milo?” she asks, smiling. “I love that name.”
I swallow over the lump in my throat. “Me too. Anyway, the woman said she didn’t want to be a mother and was hoping Chase would take him.”
“What kind of woman just drops her baby off at a stranger’s house and leaves?” my sister asks, almost absently.
“I’ve been asking myself the same question. I mean, it’s crazy, but not unheard of. At least she realized she wasn’t fit to be a mother now instead of making his life miserable, right?”
Gwen shrugs. “I guess.” She glances in the living room and smiles. “Come here.”
When I meet my sister at the doorway, Sophia is on her back, swinging her leg and trying to roll over. Gwen grabs her phone and starts to record the moment, most likely going to send it to her husband.
“This is new,” I whisper, a proud auntie smile on my own face as I grab my cell and snatch a few seconds worth of video. Uncle Chase would love to see it too.
“I noticed last night that she was getting close. She kept trying to roll, but wasn’t sure what to do with her arm. I knew it wouldn’t be long,” she says with a smile as her daughter finally gets herself onto her belly. Gwen gets down on the floor and praises Sophia, tears swimming in her eyes as she looks up at me. “So where is this baby?”
I head over to the playpen. Chase insisted on bringing it down before he left for work so I had somewhere to put Milo. Reaching inside, I gently place the sleeping infant in the crook of my arm and return to where my sister sits on the floor. “This is Milo.”
She leans over and touches his chubby little cheek. “Oh my God, he’s adorable. He has Chase’s nose,” she confirms, turning her green eyes on me.
“I know. There’s no denying the resemblance, that’s for sure. In fact, Chase has mentioned a few times that he doesn’t feel like this is his son, but there’s no denying it, right? They look a lot alike.”
Gwen nods. “A lot.” My sister picks up her daughter and holds her close to meet Milo.
My niece reaches for what’s in my arms. “No, no, Princess Sophia. You have to be very careful with the baby.”
She responds by smacking me in the arm.
“Apparently, she’ll need a little coaching on being the big cousin,” Gwen retorts.
“Well, technically, they’re not related.”
Gwen gives me that older sister, “I don’t believe you” look. “You mean to tell me you’re not bumping uglies with my husband’s best friend?”
I gasp. Not because of the accuracy of her statement, but the fact she said bumping uglies. That’s a definite Gabby term. “Listen to you talk.”
She shrugs. “You’ve rubbed off. And apparently, Chase has been doing a little rubbing too, am I right?”
Rolling my eyes, I groan, “Stop. You’re being all weird.”
“And you’re being evasive.”
I look down at Milo, whose little lips are mimicking a sucking motion. “Fine, yes, Chase and I have been… bumping uglies.”
She doesn’t say anything, which forces me to move my eyes from the baby to the woman next to me. “Duh. It’s about time. You’ve been dancing around it for years.”
“I don’t know about that,” I reply, adjusting my arm to a more comfortable position.
“I do. But enough about that, what are you going to do about Milo?”
Again, I look down. “I’m making a few calls today. We’re scheduling a DNA test at the hospital for confirmation, and Chase is reaching out to Jake Rodgers. They went to school together, and Jake is a cop. He’s going to ask for his help tracking down Laura.”
“Speaking of Laura, how did she find Chase? I mean, it’s not like most one-night stands offer up their addresses or anything, right?”
“Right. In fact, when Chase woke up the next morning, he was alone. The letter said she snuck out of his room before he woke.”
“So how did she find him?”
“No clue. That’s one of the reasons we want to find her.”
Gwen shakes her head. “Man, talk about a Maury moment.”
“I know.”
“So, I have news,” Gwen starts, handing the discarded teether to her daughter. “I’m not going back to work.”