“Perfect. I know their number by heart.”
Billy had most of the truck unpacked by the time the food arrived. Luckily the house had a built-in microwave so he could heat up Willow’s baby food, which she had little interest in once she saw what her dad and Liv were eating.
“I don’t want pizza to become her favorite food,” Billy said, watching her dive into a piece.
“If it does, she’ll live. Kids crave what they need. Tomorrow she may try to swipe your banana, or dig her fingers into a salad.”
“You remember a lot about raising a baby.”
“I do, but I’ve also been reading baby books.” Liv laughed and rubbed her tummy. “It’s been a long, long time since I had a little girl around.” She kissed the top of Willow’s head when she said it.
“Hoping for another one?”
“It doesn’t matter. Ben would say differently. He’s terrified of being a little girl’s daddy. Says he doesn’t know how to do girls. He’ll figure it out, if that’s what we have.”
“Do you want to know ahead of time?”
“I do, he doesn’t. He says that if it is a girl, he’ll have that much more time to worry.”
It took another hour before Willow settled down enough to sleep. Billy closed the door softly behind him, turned the baby monitor on, and set it on the floor near where Liv was sitting cross-legged.
“You said you had a lot you wanted to talk to me about.”
“I do. And it starts with a phone call I got yesterday afternoon.”
20
“Yeah,” he said when the call came in from a number he didn’t recognize.
“Patterson? This is Jace Rice calling.”
“Jace Rice. Unexpected.”
“Yeah, I know. But hear me out for a minute before you decide you don’t want to talk to me.”
“I’m all ears.”
“Wow,” Liv said when he finished the story.
“I know, right? Gotta give the guy credit. He cares about Renie.”
“Obviously.” She shook her head and laughed.
“What?”
“I hope I’m having a girl.”
“Why’s that?” Billy laughed too.
“Those Rice men have some mighty big huevos, don’t they?”
“Ha! That’s great, Livvie. And yeah, they must.”
“Seriously though, he made a valid point.”
“What was it like, raising Renie on your own?”
“You know, I never thought of it that way. My mom and dad were hugely supportive, and then when they passed away, your parents took us in, so to speak.