Free Reclaim Me (The Jaded Series Book 2) by Alex Grayson, Karen McAndrews, Toj Publishing

pull myself from my pathetic pity party and look down to Amari. She has her two beautiful multi-colored eyes on me, just staring as if I’m the most fascinating thing in the world to her right now. I kiss the tip of her nose.
    “Come on, Munchkin. Let’s go see what we can find for lunch.”
    Walking over to the portable bassinet that Jaxon and Bailey dropped off for Amari, I wheel it into the kitchen. Once I secure it right inside the kitchen doorway, I gently place her inside. Opening up the fridge, I look inside to see what I have to eat.
    “Okay, so we have bacon, bacon, and more bacon. Oh wait, there’s more bacon.” Pushing the carton of milk aside, I see a tomato and an almost limp head of lettuce.
    “Looks like we’ll be having a BLT then,” I tell Amari as I grab the ingredients out of the fridge.
    “We seriously need to go shopping girl. We need more food in this place,” I say and hear a gurgle in response. I walk over to the bassinet and peek inside. Amari has her fist in her mouth, making cute little cooing sounds.
    “Oh, you like that idea, huh? You’re going be just like you’re mama, aren’t you? Dragging your aunt Mia all over town to pick out one dress.” I reach inside and run my finger along her bare foot. She kicks an almighty kick, making me laugh.
    Leaving Amari to suck on her fist, I walk over to the stove and pull open the bottom drawer to get out a cast iron frying pan. Setting the stove to medium, I open the bacon and plop a few pieces inside. While the bacon sizzles in the pan, I cut up the tomato and pick through the lettuce to find some still crisp pieces. Once that’s done, I stick two slices of bread in the toaster. I hum a nonsensical tune while I prepare my food. The whole time I hear Amari cooing to her hearts content.
    Once I’ve finished, I plate my BLT, grab the bassinet and carefully role it over to the island where I sit on a stool. When I look down at Amari, I see her starting to squirm a little.
    “I know chicka, sucks to be you, huh? All you’re stuck with is nasty milk,” I tell her as I take a bite of my sandwich.
    I can tell she’s beginning to get agitated so I scarf down the rest of my sandwich, wash my hands and pick the poor girl up. I carry her out of the kitchen and pick up the diaper bag sitting on the floor by the couch. Pulling out a pad to use for changing diapers, I commence doing just that. I’m not by any means a pro, but I’ve definitely changed enough diapers to know what to do. When my cousins were younger, I would watch them while my Aunt Tricia and Uncle Hunter would go out to dinner or the movies.
    Once she’s changed and fresh, I prop her a little on her side and get up to wash my hands. Afterwards, I make my way back to her and pick her up. Switching on the television, I recline back on the end of the couch with her laying on my chest. I settle on watching American Pickers. A few minutes later, I glance down and notice Amari is asleep. I settle further down the couch and it’s not long before I drift off as well.
     

     
    I jolt awake some time later from the banging on my door. I immediately look down to make sure Amari is okay and see her curious gaze on me again. She’s tucked close to my chest with her small body resting against my arm that’s up against the couch. I smile down at her sweet little face that’s lying on my breast. She really is a cute little baby. A small twinge hits my chest, wishing I could still have this, but knowing it’s not possible now. No way am I having children now. That dream was crushed long ago. The one person I wanted to share that dream with has now made it impossible for me to obtain it. I can’t see myself having children with anyone else.
    The knocking sounds again, reminding me of what woke me up. I carefully maneuver Amari around so she stays in the crook of my arm and slowly get up off the couch. On sock covered feet, I walk over to the door and unlock it without looking to see who it