Mia asked, her thick ruby red lips puffed out.
"Not interested. Find a new topic to talk about while you're on your next date. 'You' gets boring fast. Don't let the door hit you in the ass."
I turned and jogged back up the stairs, pulling out my phone and letting out a weary sigh. I missed my sister like crazy, but damn her for leaving me with such a huge burden. I wasn't the right kind of guy to raise a baby, especially not hers. She was brilliant and had all of her shit together. I called her when I was in trouble or needed help.
I moved into the room as the pain of loss stung me deeply. Alice was gone and finality had struck us all. I took a deep breath and tried to regain self-control.
Taking Tyson in my arms, I tried like hell to calm the boy, but it only seemed to agitate him more. There was nothing left to do but call my mother. It was late and she would be pissed, but having the kid scream all night after not getting laid wasn't going to help me. I dialed her number and put her on speaker so I could keep bouncing the boy in my arms.
"Jax? Is everything okay?" Her voice was laced with sleep and worry.
"No, mother. It's not. I can't get this kid to stop screaming. My nanny thinks we should be married. My date was a complete idiot and once again my life isn't my own. I can't do this. You have to come get Tyson. I don't know what I'm doing."
"Jax." A soft albeit shaky sigh resounded around me, my mother's pain almost tangible.
"Mom, please. I can't do this. I’ll send someone to pick you up if you want."
"It's a great opportunity for you to grow up a little, son. You haven't even had a pet before. You have no concept of what it means to give of yourself for another. This experience is going to be hard, but you will grow and mature so much during this time. Take it as an opportunity."
I nearly laughed. "An opportunity? It's a fucking nightmare."
"Watch your language with me. You know I hate that word."
I paused and bit my lip. "This isn't my burden to bear, and honestly I haven't a clue what the f—, what I'm doing."
"I miss her too much, son. I can't bear to keep the baby here. He looks just like her. Don't make me suffer any more than I have. This is your moment to shine. Do it like you do at work." A soft sob lifted from her.
I let out a long puff of air, my legs suddenly weak. Dropping into a nearby chair, I shook my head in desperation and closed my eyes.
I can't do this.
"Alright. I'll try. I don't want to add to your grief. I just..."
"Thank you, son. I love you. I need to go."
The phone went dead, leaving me alone and lost as to what to do next. I needed help, but who was there to give aid? The only person in the world I trusted was gone. My sister was everything to me.
"What are we gonna do, little man?" I stood and pulled the boy close to me, rubbing his back as I pressed my cheek to the baby's small head. "What are we going to do?"
I hadn't had to deal with a younger brother or sister, but surely someone in my friend circle had. I milled through the faces, trying to discern if any of them had mentioned having to help raise a younger sibling. The fact that I knew little to nothing about the guys I would call my closest friends was concerning. I patted Tyson's back as the child wailed, something obviously wrong.
Laying him down, I walked into the hall and pulled up an old group text, offering beer and late night pizza for anyone who was awake and would come over to help. The text was short, but most of the guys would show up. They were all mooches in some way or another.
It wasn't but a few minutes before the doorbell was ringing. I jogged downstairs as despair tugged at me. The boy was screaming like he had a splinter in his eye. It wasn't an agitated cry, but a painful one. If the guys couldn't help out, we would be on our way to the ready clinic down the road.
I opened the door in time to see Paul and Jared clap hands, each having just shown up.
"Get in here," I barked and turned on