“Took you off the market without technically taking you off the market.” She conducts a mock bow. “You are more than welcome.”
“Yes, thank you for that.” I take another sip of the water. “But I actually don’t mind the quiet nights in. I think I spend so much time moving around from state to state, game to game, that I forget to just take a second to breathe. I’ve always wondered why the guys on the team who are either married or have significant others retreat so early, but I can see the appeal. Coming home, slipping on some comfortable pants, and just sitting back. It’s nice.”
“Oh my God, Eli Hornsby, are you becoming domesticated?”
“I very well might be. All thanks to that little nugget in there.” I motion to her stomach. “Have you thought about the baby much? I’ve focused on more than just the pregnancy this week. I’ve actually thought about how you will be having a baby. My therapist and I have been talking about it. He said I need to face the reality that I’ll be in charge of a human.”
“I have thought about it.” She plays with the edge of the blanket as she speaks. I finish the rest of the water and then set the empty glass on the coffee table in front of me. With nothing to hold, I just rest my arms on the top of her legs. “I have considered how I love this apartment, but I think it might be too small for a baby and me. I’ve started looking around for something a little bigger. I inquired to see if anything was opening up in this building. I love this area, and it’s close to work but not too expensive where I can’t afford it. And I feel safe here.”
“Which is important.” I look around, and as I’ve thought before—and mentioned—my apartment could work. It has two bedrooms. The last time I brought it up, Penny quickly shut that idea down. But . . . “It is small here, and I’m sure you’d want a second bedroom.” Like my place.
“Yeah. The baby needs his or her own bedroom, and not that I’ve done a lot of research, but I do know babies come with a lot of things. Lots of gadgets and large items, and even though this apartment feels like home, I know it won’t be able to house all of the baby things.”
“How many large things?”
“A lot.”
“But the baby is so small.”
“That’s the crazy part.” She chuckles.
“I don’t know if you’ve given this much thought, so tell me to shut up if you don’t know yet, but are you going to hire a nanny for when you’re at work or drop the baby off at childcare? Assuming you’re going to keep working.”
“I have to keep working, Eli. I need money to pay for everything.”
“Technically . . .” I drag my hand over the soft fabric of the blanket. “All you have to do is file for child support, and given my salary, you’d make a living off that.”
When I glance over at her, I can see the stunned look on her expression. “Do you really think I’d do that?”
“No, but hell . . . how do I say this without coming off like an ass?” I scratch my chin. “If you wanted to stay at home with the baby, just know, I can cover things. And I don’t mean that in a chauvinistic way. I just want you to know you have options with whatever way you choose to go.”
“Well, I appreciate that, but I truly love my job and don’t foresee giving that up. The Agitators actually offer childcare at the arena. So I’d probably just use that. That way, I could still go see the baby while at work. A lot of parents do that. They spend their lunch break with their kids.”
“Really?” I ask. “I had no idea they offered that. Do the players use it?”
She nods. “Yup. Zalapski sends his kids there a lot since he’s a single dad. They also offer a shuttle service for kids who need rides from school. They’re pretty good like that.”
“Wow, I had no idea. So that means I could go visit the baby too, right?”
“Yeah. There are even smaller rooms meant for players to sneak away with their kids. Plenty of games and puzzles and toys as well that are, of course, all sanitized. It’s a great resource.”
“I see that you’ve thought about that.”
“Only a little.”
“Have you thought about the sex of the baby?” I ask as I shift slightly closer to her so her legs are more comfortably draped over me.
“I have. And I mean this when I say, I’ll be happy either way, but if I had to pick, I’d want a boy.”