Free Accidental Fate by M.A. Stacie Page A

down."
    "He won't." Leo exhaled in defeat. "He just doesn't. I've tried everything."
    Erin placed her hands on the baby, pulled him gently toward her, and let him nuzzle her chest. Leo gawked when after a few moments Joe hushed and settled.
    "That is the first time in hours that he's been silent," he croaked out. His throat constricted with emotion. "Thank you. I'm Leo, by the way."
    She smiled, rocking the baby.
    "Erin. And who's the little man?"
    Leo touched his son's head, cringing back when the baby whimpered. "Joe. His name's Joe."
    "Cute."
    He shrugged, opening his mouth again and saying much more than he should. "I didn't know what to call him. He didn't have a name when she left him."
    A look of horror swept across her face at his revelation. Apparently his verbal filter was on the blink, causing him to blurt out all sorts of secrets. She probably thought he was crazy now.
    Nerves had him tidying his shaggy hair as he turned his back on her to check out the cars and hide from her scrutiny. "There isn't anything major. I'll give you my details anyway, just in case you find something when you get home," he said, noticing Joe had slipped into sleep, his little mouth hanging open.
    He watched her gaze flit from his left hand, up his arm, until she made eyes contact. Her frown gave away her confusion at the situation. Something about this situation troubled her, and in truth, he understood why.
    "The baby's yours, right?"
    Leo reached out for his son, nodding his confirmation.
    "His mother didn't tell me. Left him on my doorstep a week ago with a letter and a hundred bucks," he replied coolly.
    She gasped, automatically kissing Joe's head before giving him back. "Are you joking?"
    Leo shook his head. "Thanks for settling him. Here's where you can reach me. I'm real sorry, Erin."
    He didn't wait for a response. The sympathy and sadness shining in her eyes had his chest constricting. He'd been thrust into fatherhood without a single clue of how to deal with it, but he continued to cope. Her sympathy could break him.
    After buckling Joe back into his carrier, he climbed into the car. People had begun to slowly go back to what they had been doing, dismissing the accident. Leo looked into his rearview mirror, seeing Erin as she gazed down at the crumpled card he'd thrust into her hand. Before Joe, he'd have made a move. Now he just drove away.
    * * * *
    Erin parked her car, reflecting on the accident. Leo appeared to be struggling, but what new parent didn't? She recalled how her sister coped after the birth of the twins and the way she floundered from one feeding to the next. Her sister had found it difficult even though she was in a committed relationship. It seemed that Leo was doing this alone.
    After checking the address on the card Leo had given her, Erin assessed the rundown music store and apartment above. It was definitely the right place, the carton of formula and baby's bottle in the apartment window confirmed it for her. She climbed out of the car, hauled a huge sack of goods over her shoulder, and looked for a way to get to the apartment above the store. She walked to the front, noting it was, in fact, open.
    She heard the baby crying as soon as she opened the door. The sound made her heart clench, and she hoped Leo would accept what she was here for.
    "Mornin'," the young girl behind the counter shouted across the store.
    Suddenly, rock music pumped through the speakers, filling the room with a thumping bass drum. Erin smiled at the two customers. They flipped through the piles of vinyl records, obviously trying to locate a hidden gem or two. They glared at her, questioning why she was grinning at them.
    "Um, hi," she shouted back. "Can you tell me how to get to the apartment upstairs?"
    The young girl chewed her gum, some of it sticking to her lip hoop. Erin fought the urge to reach out and wipe it away. Gross.
    "Why're you askin'?"
    Her heavily lined eyes thinned, waiting for Erin to reply.
    "I met Leo yesterday.