"I'll uh just hang out a bit until Emma's friends leave." He hears Bella start to cry. "Uh-um-uh Bella is crying Amy. What do we do. She is crying Amy." She just looks at him like he's an idiot. "What? Should I get her?"
"No I got it, Mr. Never had a baby in his life," she says smiling and walking towards her room. "Hey Jonah can you grab one of her bottles out of the bottle warmer on the kitchen table and bring it in here?"
He looks towards the table and sees the weird bottle holding contraption. He grabs one and brings it in. Just as he's about to hand it over to Amy he hears the door.
"Mom, we're home!" It was Emma. Amy looks frantic. They were here early, an hour early. She hands Bella over to Jonah and he sits in the rocker.
"Hey! You, you guys are here early. Do you want some snacks or something?" She's hiding her curiosity at their earliness and trying not to sound frantic. Thank God they finished cleaning the house already or Amy might have started to cry.
"No mom, we're good," Emma brushes her off. "We're just gonna sit in the living room and hang out. Where's Bella?" She looks at her mom hopefully, she wanted her friends to meet her baby sister.
"Oh um, Jonah is giving her a bottle in my room at the moment but I'm sure he'll bring her out once she's finished," she says the end of that louder so Jonah can hear her and know to do that. "So um, why are you home so early Emma? Didn't you guys take the bus?"
"Oh, um Ryleigh's mom drove us here. She figured it would have been easier than all of us taking the bus so we could find everyone and get everything situated. Why, why is Jonah here mom? He's so," she pauses for dramatic effect, "awkward."
"I heard that," Jonah says bringing Bella out with him. All three of Emma's friends drop everything they are doing to look at the baby. Emma takes her from him and they all sit on the couch for a little bit with her.
After a little bit Amy goes and gets her, saying something about her needing to go down for a nap. Jonah just watches from his spot at the kitchen table at Amy with her kids. She comes back and sits across from him.
"What do you think they're talking about. Do you think they're talking about boys?" Amy seems nervous as she asks, glancing over at the girls who are whispering amongst themselves.
"Amy, she's a sixteen year old girl. It's perfectly normal for her to be interested in boys and maybe getting her first boyfriend soon." He looks up and realizes he probably shouldn't have said that.
"What do you mean it's normal. She's still my precious little first born, she can't grow up and get her heart broken it just can't happen." She's digging her nails into Jonah's wrist.
"Amy, it's bound to happen eventually, wouldn't you rather it happen now than when she's on her own and doesn't have you to comfort her?" Amy knows he's probably right, she hates that fact. She hates being wrong.
"Fine what if they're talking about drugs, maybe they all do drugs together. They're all on their phones. What if they're texting their drug dealers? You need to get Emma's phone Jonah."
"What? Are you crazy? Emma's a good kid, I'm sure she's not doing drugs. She's just being a teenager Amy. Come on, I'll help you make dinner, let's go."
"But." She looks at him.
"No buts, they'll be fine for half an hour while we make tacos Amy." They weren't actually making tacos, it was a joke.
"Are we making tacos because I'm Latina?" She sounds really offended.
"It was a joke Amy, just a joke." He smiles as they head into the kitchen to figure out dinner.
