"Dave-" Lucy shouted, cradling the phone between her neck and shoulder. "Where the hell are you?"
"New Jersey," he answered, sitting down in the functional chair in the motel's bare bones conference room.
"We've been worried-" She said, "we were expecting you last night. Jason's called the house looking for you-"
"Gideon?" Dave asked, his eyebrows flew into his hairline in surprise.
"Yes! Jason Gideon, your partner." She reminded him, "he was babbling something about you and The Ten Commandments."
"Oh…" Dave swallowed, "right." He'd forgotten about that call to Jason on the hospital's payphone. He would handle that once they got to New York.
Lucy's shrill tone interrupted his train of thought. "What the hell is going on, David? If I didn't know you better, I might have called the cops."
"I'm sorry, I should have called sooner," he was quick to apologize. He needed Lucy on his side. "I'll deal with Gideon when I get home."
"David-"
"Lucy," Dave interrupted her tirade, saying her name on an exhale. "Can we please save the ass chewing for later?"
"Absolutely, but you know it's worse when I've had time to think about it." She warned him, "now hurry up and tell me what's bothering you."
"I don't know what the hell I'm doing," he admitted, running his hand down Ava's back.
"What's wrong?" She asked, propping her feet on the ottoman in front of her. This was shaping up to be a long and expensive phone call with her brother. "Tell me about this girl you're bringing home."
"Do you remember the lighthouse?" Dave asked, he'd had such a good time with Erin that night on the top of the Turkey Point lighthouse, that he had to tell someone about it before driving back to New York. He called Lucy on a payphone the morning after he dropped Erin off at her mother's house.
"THAT'S who you're bringing home?" As a rule, Lucy didn't like anyone he dated, but...he wouldn't take just anyone to the lighthouse. It was almost two hours from home and a sacred place for their family. He wouldn't share it with someone he didn't care about.
"Uh huh…"
"Are you sure about this?" As his sister, Lucy had an obligation to be protective of David, Carolyn was a bitch who thought she was too good for the Rossi's. She broke her brother's heart and Lucy would be lying if she said she wasn't relieved when he finally cut the line and set himself free of Carolyn.
"Lucy...she's great," he whispered.
"So was Carolyn," she reminded him. "You kept her away from us until six months before the wedding-"
"And, did you like her?"
"Nope." Lucy answered, popping the 'p' on the end. "Not even a little-"
"Then I did the right thing." Dave said, with a note of finality. "Erin's nothing like her."
"David…" Lucy weighed her words carefully. "Are you two...together?"
"Eh…" Dave chewed the inside of his lip. "I'm working on that."
"So, essentially…" Lucy's tone wasn't judgemental. She was trying to add up the circumstances in her head. "Basically….You're playing house with someone who you're not sure wants to be with you?" Lucy asked, so far, Erin wasn't winning any points with her.
"Well, I haven't asked her yet," he said, annoyed that Lucy could be so blunt, but kind at the same time. It was a trait that made it hard for him to be mad at her. "She's going through some stuff. I don't want to add to it."
"You have a baby together, David. How much more could you be adding to her plate?"
He wanted to tell Lucy that she didn't know the half of it, but that wasn't a conversation to be had over a payphone. Instead he said, "Okay, fine. Maybe, it's me who's not ready," he said, jumping down her throat. "I don't know what to do with three kids...we had an incident today and I didn't handle it well."
"What kind of incident?" Lucy asked, frowning at his choice of words, "I know it's bad because you're trying to make it sound like it's not a big deal."
He proceeded to tell her what happened with Cassie and the overflowing toilet.
When he was done, Lucy shook her head, with a lump in her throat. Fathers were supposed to protect their children, not give them something to be afraid of. "That poor little girl…the world we live in is scary enough for a child," she whispered. "Do you think Erin knows?"
"I don't know," Dave shrugged. "She sent the kids away for nine months."
"Then, she knows, David," Lucy insisted. She has to know, mothers don't pass off their kids for that long without a good reason. If Erin is what you say she is, then she obviously didn't think she had a choice."
"I know...listen. This call is getting expensive, I need you to do something for me."
"What?"
"Tomorrow, when we get there, I need you to be 'Aunt Lucy' and pull out all the stops. I know you don't trust Erin, but trust me when I say I'm not about to bring a wolf into our hen house."
"So, you're asking me to be nice to Erin?"
"I'm asking you to take her under your wing. She needs a friend-"
"So ask Marcy," Lucy said, referring to their baby sister. "She has kids, she'll be able to relate-"
"She's mean." Dave deadpanned, "Marcella is mean."
"That is true," Lucy agreed, nodding, their sister snapped at everyone. "Her version of 'good morning' is 'shut the hell up."
"Exactly and Erin doesn't need another person kicking her while she's down. Please Lucy?"
"Ugh. David Rossi, you're a grown man, I can hear it in your voice, are you seriously giving me the puppy dog eyes? You are, aren't you? I can tell!"
"I might be," he answered smugly. "That's how I know I'll get my way."
"I hate you," she growled, rolling her eyes. "David, I really hate you."
"Thank you, Lucy," he said sweetly.
"Don't make me regret this. As payback, I'm calling dibs on the first cuddle with my new niece."
"Which one?"
"Dave," she tried to caution him. It wouldn't do anyone any good for him to get attached to her kids, too soon.
"Shut up," he grumbled, "I heard it."
"The problem is, that you meant it."
"Sure did. Bye, Lucy."
"If I fall in love with these kids and then you split-" she said it on a warning.
"Don't worry, Lucy." He assured her, "I'm already there. I'm not about to break my own heart."
"I know, that's what scares me."
"See you tomorrow."
While Dave was in the conference room with Ava, Erin kept herself busy, with the kids."Cassie, stop." Erin scolded, grabbing her elbow. "Sit down on the bed, right now before you fall."
"Momma!" Cassie whined, jutting out her lower lip.
"I said, stop." Leave it to David Rossi to give her exactly what she wanted, at the worst time. The kids were going nuts, the hypnotizing effect of Saturday morning cartoons was long over.
"Mattie, no! Don't eat that!" Erin snapped, his chubby fist closed around some nondescript item he found on the motel carpet. "Give it to me." She said, holding out her hand.
He shook his head, still holding whatever it was in his cheeks.
"Can I have it?" She cajoled again, holding out her hand. "Let me see."
A second later, a wet, half-chewed piece of sirloin landed in her hand. Damn David and his expensive taste, why couldn't he eat bacon like a normal person? She dropped it in the trash and wiped her hands with a baby wipe. "Alright, Sir." She scooped him up and put him on her hip. "No more snacks off the carpet," she gently scolded. As nervous as she was about meeting David's family, she couldn't wait to get out of that motel. The way her luck was running, Matthew was going to pick up a bacterial infection from crawling all over the floor.
"Where's Dave, Momma?" Cassie asked, batting her lashes at Erin.
"He went to make a call," she answered.
"Is he coming back?" Cassie asked, full of innocence.
"Of course he's coming back." He better, Erin added in her head, he has Ava.
"He's nice," Cassie said, following Erin into the bathroom.
Erin squatted in front of the tub and ran the water. "You think so, huh?" She asked, undressing Matthew and sitting him in the tub.
"Yup," Cassie answered, as if her opinion was the only one that mattered.
"He is nice," Erin agreed. Too nice, sometimes, she added, silently.
Erin heard the mechanical sound of the key card being swiped. "It sounds like he's back."
"Can I tell him you said he's nice?"
"Who's nice?" Dave stepped through the doorway with Ava in hand, some of the tension rolled off Erin's shoulders.
"You are, Silly." Cassie grinned at him, revealing her two front teeth.
"You think so?" Dave patted her head fondly.
"Uh huh!" Cassie said, eagerly nodding. "Momma said so too."
"Ha! Did she now?" Dave asked mischievously, grinning at Erin.
"Snitch," Erin grumbled. Heat creeping up her neck, she turned into the bathroom and began washing Matthew. Anything to get out of that conversation. She thought, balancing on the edge of the tub.
He leaned in close, with his hand on her shoulder and whispered in her ear."Nice, isn't what you were calling me a few months ago."
"David Rossi," she chided. "Are you flirting with me?"
"I might be," he whispered. His breath against her ear, sending shivers down her spine. "Is that okay with you?"
"Why?" She turned from him, working the shampoo into Matthew's hair while he splashed in the water.
"I like it," Dave shrugged. "You flirt back, it's fun," he added with a smirk.
Erin cleared her throat, he was right. Flirting with him was fun, that's what got her into this situation. She opened her mouth to reply, when a little voice interrupted.
"Are you gonna kiss my mommy?" Cassie asked, staring at him, her hands on her hips.
"Cassie-" Erin said, her face burning with embarrassment. "Would please go play?"
Dave cleared his throat, to stop from grinning. "I don't know," he answered, eyes gleaming with mirth as he tried not to laugh. "What do you think, Mommy? Do you need a kiss?"
"Well, you said I can't jump on the bed- Cassie interjected, narrowing her eyes at her mother. "So, I think you should give him a kiss."
Erin scoffed, trying to wrap her head around how jumping on the bed correlated to her kissing David. Meanwhile, she thought Dave was going to explode, holding in his laughter.
"Go play," Dave bit out, still trying not to laugh. His eyes sparkling with mirth.
No. Erin did not 'need' a kiss. A kiss from David was the last thing she needed, but needing something and wanting it, were two different animals. "Well…" she pretended to think it over. "If you're giving them away…"
"Yes, Ma'am.." He whispered, leaning in close. He kissed her, chaste and slow, enjoying it. It was over all too soon, "that was nice." He said, pulling back.
"Yeah…" Erin cleared her throat, the heat on her face intensified. "We should try it again sometime."
That was the most PG rated kiss she'd ever had, she didn't know he was capable of being so gentle. His lothario reputation didn't set her up for that.
"I'll go check on the baby," he said, stepping out of the room.
"Wake up," Dave said, rubbing her shoulder.
"It's the middle of the night," Erin groaned, shielding her eyes against the lamp's light.
"It's 8am," he reminded her. "I'm leaving Ava here, I'm going to fill up the truck."
"Whatever." Erin rolled over, peeling her eyes open. "Go on."
Dave shook his head, but kept his opinions to himself. If Erin would let the baby take a bottle every once in a blue moon, they could take turns getting up with her, but no...she couldn't have that. With that thought in mind, he put the kids in the car and left. Between his mother and his sisters, he would be lucky to have an ass left, for Erin to kick by the time his family finished chewing it off if he didn't show up with gifts to appease them. Then again, what more could his mother want, than three more adorable grandchildren to love and spoil? He still felt safer, buying a plant.
"Do you have lojack on him or something?" Erin asked, lifting Ava from the crib. No sooner had Dave's truck pulled off the parking lot, did Ava wake up ready to start the day. In Erin's opinion, this newborn thing was for the birds. She put Ava to the breast, but the baby still squirmed, turning her nose up at the meal.
"Alright, I got it." Erin laid the baby on the top of the dresser for a diaper change. "Dammit," Erin said, reaching for the wipes and coming up empty. Dave had taken the diaper bag too. With that in mind, she took Ava into the bathroom and rinsed her off in the tub, and put her in a fresh diaper, but the two of them weren't off to a great start. Erin lifted the baby blanket out of the crib and sniffed it, the scent of sour milk was embedded in the fabric. They didn't have very many baby things to begin with, but what they had were in the truck. She grabbed one of David's shirts out of his go-bag
"You're just going to have to smell like your daddy for a bit," she said, wrapping Ava in the flannel.
With nothing left to do, Erin sat on the bed with the baby on her knees. Trying to find her features in her daughter's face. Her long, dark lashes nearly brushed against her plump rounded cheeks as she slept. They hadn't been alone together since the night Ava was born. Erin was so focused on keeping everyone safe and alive, since then,she let Dave take over Ava's care. No wonder, the newborn set her internal clock to mimic his. He was her safe place, while Erin was the milk machine. Erin lifted Ava's hand, as it instinctively closed around her thumb she studied her fingers, the nails on each hand were no bigger than grains of rice. "For whatever your father and I are, we made a pretty baby."
Flashback
"You look like shit, Strauss."Dave observed, the dark circles under her eyes grew darker by the day.
"Everyone looks sick in basement lighting," she reminded him. "It wouldn't hurt The Brass to get a few more lamps down here," she complained, sitting up.
"Professional lighting would enhance the bags under your eyes-"
"And your compliments are noteworthy," Erin said dryly, glaring up at him from her spot on the ratty couch in the BSU bunker.
"You didn't answer the question," Dave said, the metal chair scraped against the concrete floor as he sat down.
"It's been awhile," she tossed the manila files in her lap, onto the table in front of her.
"Why?"
"Why do you care?" She asked, they'd moved on from what happened in Maryland. After all, it's only awkward if you make it awkward. They never made it awkward, until now.
"We're friends."
"We're not," she scoffed, fixing him with a look.
"You're my partner-"
"For one case," she argued. "That was only because Jason was too busy getting divorced."
He shrugged and closed the file in front of him. "Seeing as we've only had four cases in the last year, I'd say being partners for one case holds more weight than usual. What's eating at you?"
"The better question is, what's eating you?" She countered, eyeing him up and down. "Isn't your wife waiting up for you?"
"I could ask the same about your husband-" he snapped back.
"He's out of town," she answered quickly. Every time they had a fight, he found a way to leave town. As if he couldn't stand to look at her and the damage he'd done.
"That's tough…I left my wife...well, technically, she left me."
"Why?" Erin stiffened, she didn't want to be responsible for the demise of his marriage.
"The job," he shrugged, "I'm not home enough...I'm always late for dinner…" he ticked off the list. "It doesn't matter that the job she says she hates keeps her in red bottom shoes and designer handbags."
All that sounded like horse shit to Erin.
"So,did she step out before or after?" She asked, overstepping was the least of her problems.
"I found his tie in my laundry-" Dave grouched, "She didn't even try to hide it."
"Ouch," she empathized, karma really was a bitch.
"It wasn't even a nice tie," he mused.
"You're in a good mood for someone who's life just blew up."
"I drink." He said simply, "you should try it sometime." He turned around and walked over to the filing cabinet across the room. "The good part," he bent down and opened the bottom drawer. "Of being in the basement, The Brass doesn't believe in the unit enough to install security cameras." He stood up, a bottle of cabernet in hand. "Share with me," he offered, passing her a red solo cup.
"No, I'm good," she waved him off.
"It's wine, Erin. Good wine," he pressured. "1983 cabernet…." he sloshed a measure into her cup.
"Dave…" she blew out a breath. There was no good way to tell him…"I'm…"
"What?" He took a sip from his cup. "Are your kids at home?"
"No,"She answered, she'd shipped them off to her brother for a 'family vacation at the beach.' "Dave, I don't know about this-"
"Then what's stopping you from having a little fun with me?"
It was a terrible idea and she knew it..."I'm driving," she said, taking a tentative sip.
"We'll get a cab," he decided.
Erin jumped slightly, the shrill ringing of the phone caught her off guard. She lifted the phone off the cradle with a shaky hand.
"Hello?"
"Is this Erin?"
Erin's mouth went dry, "who's this?" For a split second, she thought Peter had found them somehow. Maybe Eli squealed and ratted her out, now, Peter was calling just to bait her. She almost hung up.
"This is Lucy Rossi," she laughed slightly, friendly but obviously uncomfortable. "I'm David's sister," she clarified, just in case her big brother hadn't mentioned her.
"This is Erin, uh..I'm sorry, David isn't here." Erin turned back to Ava, who started to fuss in her lap.
"That's okay!" Lucy hadn't called to talk to him anyway. "I hope I didn't catch you at a bad time-"
"No, not at all!" Erin started to loosen up, her soon-to-be ex husband wasn't on the other end of the phone.
"Is that my niece in the background?" Lucy asked, Erin heard the grin in her voice.
"That's her," Erin laughed, awkwardly. "She's very vocal, I blame David."
"She'll fit right in…" Lucy joked, "who does she look like?"
"She looks like David," Erin deadpanned, with a smile. "If I hadn't carried her, I'd question who the mother was."
"That bad, huh?" Lucy quipped, "funny how that works when you did all the work."
"David did more work than most," Erin admitted with a smile.
"What do you mean?"
"You mean he didn't tell you?"
"Tell me what? Erin, Erin are you there?"
"Sorry-" Erin shook her head, it was hard for her to imagine a time when David wouldn't brag to his family about being the hero. "I just-I can't believe he didn't say anything."
"About what?" Lucy pressed, "Erin, what didn't he tell us?"
Erin proceeded to tell Lucy exactly what happened at the cabin.
"How did he know what to do?" Lucy breathed, when Erin was finished. She was baffled by her brother's ability to remain calm in such a situation.
"I don't know," Erin said, running her finger down the bridge of Ava's nose. "He said he took the classes with his first wife and he was there when the baby was b-"
"He was," Lucy cut in. "But the nurses threw him out not long after...well," Lucy cleared her throat, the back of her neck prickled, she knew she overstepped. "I'm sure you know the story."
"What story?" Erin pressed.
"Nothing," Lucy denied. "That's not mine to tell. My brother can tell you," She said quickly. "I shouldn't have mentioned it. What does my niece look like?"
"She looks like your hair, darker skin, long lashes and I promise she has his birthmark too."
"What birthmark?" Lucy asked, eagerly. "I didn't know he had one-"
"The mark under his arm-"
"Oh God!" Lucy threw her head back cackling, if that were true, there would be no need for a DNA test. "Erin, Honey, that's not a birthmark-"
"What?" Erin's brow knitted in confusion. "Of course it is."
"That's the scar from when Clark stabbed him in the arm with a pencil."
"Oh no," Erin giggled. "Please tell me they were young enough not to know better-"
"They weren't," Lucy said dryly. "Clark and David went to high school together, he flung it at Dave with a slingshot in the school cafeteria-"
"Your sister called," Erin said, passing Ava off to David, so she could braid Cassie's hair.
"Which one?" Dave asked, genuinely curious, he rifled through the diaper bag for a clean outfit.
"Lucy," she answered, working out the tangles in Cassie's hair with her fingers. "She's nice." They'd had a great conversation and Erin felt better about meeting the Rossi clan.
"She is nice," he agreed. "My mom's house is huge, so we'll be staying there until I get the apartment renovated."
Erin jerked to look at him. "What apartment?"
"Uh, don't give yourself whiplash on my account." He looked at her like it was obvious. "The apartment we're going to live in." He said evenly. "It's on my family's land. The floors are being replaced, so we'll stay with Momma until I get the tile laid."
"You thought that far ahead?" She asked softly.
"Of course I did. Did you really think I was going to drag you to New York and leave you homeless?"
"Well...no. I just didn't." She scrambled to think of a response, if she hadn't come up with a plan for where they were going to live, how could she expect him to?
"I got a bone to pick," Dave grouched, when the only clean outfit he could find for Ava was hospital issued. "I have like twelve sport coats alone, why does my kid only have five good outfits?"
Erin shrugged, she'd moved on from doing Cassie's hair, to doing her own makeup. She didn't look away from the mirror in her hand. "I thought I had more time to shop. I kept the bare minimum of everything-"
"Makes sense, but that doesn't mean I like it." He grouched, pulling a pair of socks onto Ava's feet. "I guess we'll have to go shopping."
"I need to make a pit stop," Dave said, pulling into the Wal-mart parking lot. He'd put off buying flowers until they were closer to home, plus Ava needed clothes.
"I gotta go potty," Cassie said from the backseat.
Dave glanced at Erin, "Erin, I can't take her inside."
"I'll take her," Erin unbuckled her seatbelt and got out of the truck and took both kids inside the store.
With that job done, Dave decided to do what he should have been doing all along. He grabbed a bottle from the diaper bag and screwed the lid on. Then he got out of the truck. "Come here, Bella." He said, unstrapping the baby. "We're going to try this, before your momma gets back." He picked her up and went back to the front seat.
"What are you doing?" Erin's asked, more defensive than she intended.
Dave gave an offhanded shrug,"she was hungry," he answered, strapping Ava back in the car seat. "She didn't discriminate, either."
"Fine," she finished strapping in the kids without looking at him and slammed the door. Misplaced frustration rolled off her in waves.
"Is that a problem?" He asked, keeping his tone neutral as she climbed back in the truck. "It'll make it easier on you. The family is going to want to pass her around and I'd rather my brother and brother-in-law not catch a glimpse of your boobs every three hours." He said, closing her door, ready to go inside.
This was going to be fun...Erin picked up the discarded bottle from the cup holder, it was empty. What the hell did Ava need her for? She could sign her over to Dave and his perfect nuclear family. She could take her kids and go back to their life in Virginia.
"Mommy?"
Erin rolled her eyes, annoyed. "What Cassie?" She huffed.
"Are we ever going back to my house with Daddy?"
Erin's shoulders dropped as she sighed, there was no good answer to that question. "I don't think so, Honey."
"Oh…" Cassie huffed, "okay."
Erin pulled down the visor to check her makeup, catching a glimpse of Cassie in the backseat, holding Ava's hand on the edge of the car seat. Erin knew then, she would crawl naked in a field of broken glass for her children, Ava included. Nobody was getting left behind.
A few minutes later, Dave opened the driver's side door with a bundle of flowers in hand. "Bought you something," he said, sliding into the seat. "The flowers," he continued "are for my mother and my sisters, but this," he shoved his hand in the pocket of his jacket and pulled out a box. "This is for you."
"Why? David, you don't have to keep buying us things," she said, eyeing the bags he laid at her feet. She recognized the shape of children's clothes from the plastic. "I have money-"
"No, no no." He shook his head, waving his hand. "I can't buy things for the women in my life and not include you and the girls and I can't buy for two kids without including Matthew," he explained, holding out the box."Call it a push present," he said, smiling softly. "It's a sea turtle…" he explained, opening the box. "They were uh... fresh out of lighthouses."
"Dave…you're sweet," she glanced down at the box, smiling tenderly. It was a completely unnecessary gesture, Peter never did that. If he brought her a gift, it was usually a paper card that he would forget to sign. "Why did you do this?" She asked softly.
"I saw it," he shrugged, "You had to have it. Can I put it on you already? Or am I taking it back and giving you the cash? Ladies choice."The necklace laid in a velvet box, the fourteen karat gold pendant, was a sea turtle, with a smaller sea turtle on its back. "It's lovely," she said, grazing her fingertips over the delicate charm. She pulled her long blonde hair off her neck, so he could fasten the necklace.
"I wanted you to have something special," he said, affixing the clasp.
"Why do I need a necklace?" She reached up, holding his hand over her shoulder. "What could be more special than this?"
"Now, who's sweet?" He brushed his lips against her neck.
"Still you," she said, fastening her seatbelt. "Is there anything I should know before we get to your mom's?"
He covered her hand with his against the fabric of the bench seat. "Steer clear of my brother, Mario."
"We're here," Dave said, putting the truck in 'park' on the street in front of his mother's house."It's a lot bigger than it looks," he said. Taking in the spectacle, the original house had been a Cape style home, with a steep roof and cheerful blue shutters on the windows, on either side of the front door. Now, fifty-years after the original home was finished, the house seemed to stretch across the two acres of land to multiply and accommodate each new generation of Rossi's."My grandparents built it, one room at a time. They passed it down to my dad and by the time my youngest sister came along, we all had our own rooms."
"Oh," Erin straightened her shoulders and fidgeted with the sea turtle charm on her necklace. "David, are you sure about this?" She asked, wiping her sweaty hands on her jeans.
"It'll be great!" Dave said, taking Erin's hand. "Come on." He caught sight of his sister's sensible sedan parked next to his mother's Mercedes. "Lucy's here like her, remember?" With those last encouraging words, he got out of the truck.
"My mom will kill me if I let you face plant in her lawn," he said, staring up at her from the ground. He flashed an encouraging smile as she put her hands on his shoulders and he guided her out of the truck.
"Dave!"
A second later, the screen door slammed, the young woman in question jogged across the lawn, her dark curls bounced around her shoulders.
"Lucy!" He called out, waving with one hand, holding Erin at the waist with the other.
"How was your trip?" Lucy asked, smiling from ear to ear, equal parts relieved and thrilled to see her older brother.
"Long," Dave quipped, his hand posessively around Erin's waist. "This is Erin." He said, turning back to the truck to get the kids. He breathed a relieved sigh, so far everything was going well. At least, as far as he could tell. He tried not to listen in to the women's conversation. He unhooked Cassie from her seat and sat her on the ground.
"Hi!" Lucy gave a small wave to the toddler in front of her. "Are you Cassie?"
Cassie ducked behind Erin's leg, one braided pigtail hanging perfectly on the right side of her head, on the left her light blonde hair hung in a curtain around her face. "Uh huh…." Cassie nodded, peeking out from behind her mother.
Lucy knelt down to the child's level, she was a cute kid but being afraid wouldn't do her any favors once the rest of the family arrived. "I'm Lucy and I'm very glad you're here."
Cassie stepped forward, still within arms reach of Erin. "Hi!" She said, grinning.
"That didn't take long," Dave said and passed Erin Ava's car seat.
"They don't call me the baby whisperer for nothing," Lucy boasted.
"Try that on the actual baby," Erin teased.
"I think she can handle it," Dave said. "She's got more patience than me and you combined."
"That's not difficult," Lucy said, she never missed a chance to rib her brother. "Your patience is a negative five, at best."
"That's what I'm saying," Dave disappeared around the other side of the truck to get Matthew.
"Oh that's precious!" Lucy cooed, as Dave emerged from the other side of the truck, Matthew's head resting on Dave's shoulder as he sucked his thumb. "Someone is comfortable with you."
"Yeah yeah," Dave grumbled, ignoring Lucy's teasing tone, the diaper bag swung in his other hand. "Are we going inside or not?"
"He's domesticated," Lucy said, with a smirk. "I never thought I'd see that." Even his first marriage couldn't settle him down. Suddenly, overnight, her brother, the confirmed bachelor was playing the father figure figure to kids that weren't his. The strangest part was, he seemed to enjoy it.