Down Too Deep (Dirty Deeds, #4)(59)

“I’m going to grab her a drink. I’ll be right back,” she said before fleeing the room.

A heavy breath left me. I dropped my head against the crib rail and willed my heart to slow.

Jenna returned minutes later carrying one of Marley’s cups. It had a lid she could easily drink from without spilling.

“Here you go, baby. Do you want some water?” Jenna knelt beside me and offered Marley the cup, holding it for her while she drank from it. “There. Are you feeling any better?” she asked quietly.

“I think she is,” I said. “The rag must be helping already. She’s not crying like she was.”

Marley’s little body hiccupped with her breaths as she whimpered.

“We’ll check her temperature again in a little bit.”

“We?” I asked, with unmistakable hope in my voice. I peered into Jenna’s face. “You’ll stay?”

She shifted beside me. “I want to make sure the medicine is working,” she said. “If her fever spikes any higher, we should probably take her to the hospital. Hopefully, that won’t happen.”

“Thank you,” I said in a rush. “I don’t know what I’d do if you weren’t here. I definitely wouldn’t be doing this.” I repositioned the rag on Marley’s back after flipping it over, giving my daughter the cooler side.

“You could’ve called me. I would’ve helped you through it.”

I watched Jenna offer Marley another drink.

She would’ve helped me through it—I knew that. I also knew it wouldn’t matter how late it was. If I needed something and reached out to her in the middle of the night, she would answer. It was Jenna, down to her bones. I’d never met a kinder, more selfless person.

Did she know I’d do the same for her?

“I’d help you through anything,” I told her. “I hope you know that.”

She blinked, smiling softly.

“You’re always here. You’re always doing stuff for me…I’m not sure there’s anything you would ever need me for, but if there was, I’d do it. I don’t want you to think this doesn’t go both ways.”

“I don’t think that.”

“Good. So, if something comes up, I want you to tell me…although I doubt there’s anything you couldn’t do damn well on your own…” I tried to think of something. Anything. “Seriously, what can’t you do?”

Jenna giggled, dropping her head back. “You only see me around kids. I’m not good at everything. There are things I don’t know how to do. And there are absolutely things I’m just flat-out terrible with.”

“Until I see proof, I won’t believe that.”

“I can’t change a tire to save my life,” she said, sounding almost proud in her admission. “Don’t remind my father if you ever meet him. I’ve been shown how to do it several times. No dice—I can’t get it down. I always mess up. My brother is my go-to if I ever get a flat.” She looked at me for a moment. “Would you like to be that guy for me? I could call you instead.”

“I would love to be that guy.”

This could’ve felt like the silliest thing compared to the countless ways Jenna was there for me. Yet somehow it didn’t feel small or insignificant. The smile I received in return made that clear.

Before any more could be said, Marley sat up quickly and blinked at me, looking like she just now realized I was holding her. The rag from her head fell between us.

“Hey, sweetheart.” I brushed damp curls out of her face. “Are you okay?”

My daughter looked from me to Jenna, then back to me. She yawned and rubbed at her eyes. Then she collapsed forward, hitting my chest with her full weight.

Jenna reached over and felt her cheek. “She doesn’t feel as warm,” she whispered. “Her eyes are still open, but she looks tired. She might fall asleep soon.”

I resituated the rag on her head and shifted a little so the rails weren’t digging into my back, crossing my feet at the ankles.

I was getting comfortable. I’d sit here until Marley fell asleep. Until I knew she was feeling better.

Jenna stretched her legs out then too and sighed, tipping her head back. The corner of her mouth lifted. “I haven’t sat on the floor in front of a crib in so long. I kinda miss this.”

“I can see why. This is, without a doubt, the most fun I’ve had in years.”

She playfully nudged my side.

“Do you think you want more kids?” I asked.

“I absolutely want more kids.” Jenna peered over at me, and there was this glow on her face from the hallway light, but I swore she would’ve looked that way even without it. The way she spoke, how happy she sounded, it radiated from her. “What about you?”

“I don’t know,” I answered honestly. “I actually never thought about it.”

“So, think about it now.”

“How about you ask me on a night when I’m not on the verge of a heart attack, caring for my sick kid.”

Jenna laughed quietly. “It’s terrifying, isn’t it?”

“What?”

“Loving someone this much.”

I peered down at the top of Marley’s head and pressed my lips there.