Shameless(6)

She turns back to me, her eyes widening. “And you are?”

“Brady.” I swing my leg over the bike and step closer. “Cal’s brother.”

Her eyes widen. “I… You…” She shakes her head. “I’m so sorry! Yes, I’ve been expecting you.” Big hazel eyes stare back from behind her glasses, which she pushes up her pert little nose. Did I mention she’s cute? Mentally, I slap myself for ogling somebody’s babysitter. Clearly, she’s helping out Katherine.

“Give me one sec.” She darts into the house but leaves the front door wide open. I stand on the porch and kick off the mud from my boots. When she returns, she’s holding a chunky little bundle who has one hell of a set of lungs on him. Or her. I can’t tell from this angle.

The girl winces, now clearly going deaf from the little wailer howling in her ear, and holds out her hand. “I’m Katherine.”

It’s my turn to be shocked. Who the hell put a teenager in charge of the farm? She can’t be older than eighteen. I look at her hand a second too long because she starts to frown again.

“Sorry.” I reach out, surprised that her grasp is firm. “I don’t mean to be rude. I’m Brady Shepherd, Cal’s brother.”

She nods, still frowning. “You don’t look anything like him. It caught me off guard. He was an accountant, and you…” Her eyes dart to the Harley behind me. “You’re obviously not.”

I want to smile. Cal would be amused someone is finally taking him seriously as a number cruncher.

“No, you’re right about that. I’m definitely not an accountant.”

We stand, staring at each other. She bites her plump bottom lip, and my eyebrows lift. “Can I come in?”

She blows her bangs out of her face. “Yes, of course. Please.” She waves me in behind her.

The living room looks worn in but comfortable with a floral couch and an overstuffed recliner. Knick-knacks dot the bookshelf, and the hardwood floors look well traveled but clean. But what catches my attention is how good everything smells. Fresh, like clean laundry and fruit.

She motions toward the couch. “Have a seat. Can I get you something to drink?”

“No, thanks.” I feel bad asking her for anything with that screaming baby in her arms.

I sit on the edge of the couch, not wanting to get it dirty. I should’ve kicked my boots off, but it feels weird to do that in another person’s house.

Katherine sits in the recliner near me and coos in her daughter’s ear. Finally the little hellraiser calms down.

She glances up at me, looking relieved, and asks, “Do you want to hold her?”

I stare at her.

This is… weird. Why does this girl want me to hold her baby? Shit, she’s young to be a mother. “No, you probably don’t want me holding her. I have dirt from about two counties on me.” I start to shift uncomfortably when she stills.

“You don’t want to hold her?” she asks, incredulous.

That’s when she turns the baby toward me, and I get a good look at the child for the first time. Familiar blue eyes blink back… and in that instant, my whole world stops, tilts, and comes barreling off its axis.

What the hell? My mouth goes dry.

“Isabella,” she says loudly, like I’m hearing-impaired. “Do you want to hold her?”

“Jesus.” I press my palms into my eyes. After a moment, I lower my hands and stare at my brother’s baby. I open my mouth, only nothing comes out. Finally, I clear my throat. “That’s Isabella?”

She looks at me like I’m an idiot and nods.

“Holy shit.” I stare at the child in her arms. At her clear-blue eyes. At those wild tufts of sandy-blond hair. At her rosebud lips. “I thought… I thought she had been with her… with her parents in the accident.”

Katherine gasps. “No. God, no.” She clutches Isabella closer. “I was watching her that night. I told you I was taking care of her.” She shakes her head. “Why would you think that?”

Frustration ripples through me. “I could barely hear you when I was at the airport.” Rubbing my forehead, I think back to what my mother had said… Fuck. What did she say? She was hysterical and crying that she hadn’t seen Cal in so long and now he was gone. Crying that she’d never really given Melissa a chance. And then she wailed, We lost the baby. Those were her exact words.

I run my hand through my hair, choked up by the memory. “I guess… I guess my mom got confused.” And when you spoke to the police, you just asked for details about how the accident happened, not who was in the truck.

We sit in silence, and after I’ve calmed down enough to be rational, one thought hurdles through my mind—it looks like my parents might be inheriting a baby.





4





Katherine





Brady doesn’t say a word as he pours himself another shot of bourbon. I don’t blame him. Thinking Bella was with Cal and Mel that night would send me over the edge too.

I cradle the baby in my arms and smooth down her hair, which probably comforts me more than her, but after that conversation, I need to regroup. After a while, my eyes lift to her uncle.

To say that Brady and Cal are complete opposites is an understatement. Despite his penchant for spreadsheets, Cal was a fair-haired hipster with a carefree laugh. He may have been an accountant, but he acted like a SoCal surfer.