HIS BABY TO BEAR - SEVEN

After a period of eighteen months...

Reid Andrew screamed at the top of his lungs as he ran barefoot around the front yard chasing a ball. It bounced and rolled erratically from one portion of the grassy area to the next, leaping over the fence and allowing the child to chase it with renewed zest.

With a giggle in her throat, Libby raised her eyes from her book.

Despite the fact that she may have been reading scripture to birds at the time, she cried, "Make careful you don't fall, baby!"

She slouched on the table, one elbow resting on the table, soaking up the midday sun. Even though it wasn't yet hot, she knew it would be soon, and not even the cold ocean breeze could keep her yard from being uninhabitable. As a result, she was spending as much time outside as she could, which was easy with Reid Andrew by her side.

Though, as usual, she had the uneasy impression that someone was keeping an eye on her at all times. It never truly vanished.

He appreciated spending time in the open air. Even when it was dark and the moon was high in the sky, she'd often find him standing up in his crib, staring out the window as if entranced.Taking him outside whenever he was in a bad mood would instantly make him feel better.It was like having the world's cheapest nanny. She laughed as he went after the ball once more, kicking it hard and tripping straight behind it. He knelt on his hands and knees, but before Libby could assist him, he'd hauled himself up and rushed after the ball as if his life depended on it.

Libby shook her head and fell in her chair. When her phone rang, she jumped a little and reached for it. She still hadn't gotten used to it. She hadn't spoken to anyone in over a year, and it wasn't until five months ago that she started going out and interacting with people again. Reid Andrew demanded it, not for herself. He needed to know that there were people in the world other than his mother and the nice Lazada delivery guy who would bring them most of their goods.

When Libby answered the phone and saw Raven's name on the caller ID, she smiled.

"Hey! " she murmured, her gaze locked on Reid Andrew, who was running around in the yard.

"Libby! Hey!" said the cheerful voice on the other end of the call, "I was hoping to catch you."

Libby squirmed a little as she heard her new name, but she imagined Raven's lips curved in a smile as she spoke. The effervescent blonde was a bundle of fun and trouble wrapped up in a tight, voluptuous package.

She reasoned glumly, throwing a glimpse at her pile of research and her MacBook, which lay idle, waiting for her to compose another copywriting article for a website that paid far too little.

But single mothers fleeing an unknown monster bent on murdering them couldn't be fussy, could they?

"How are you?" she asked, swallowing her hatred to the term "Libby," which had risen up her throat.

"You know how you've been saying you should start dating again?"

Raven began with a honey sweet voice riddled with traps.

Libby could smell a well-planned plot a mile away when it came to Raven, and she definitely had some tricks up her sleeve this time.

"I recall you advising me to resume my dating life. And I recall vehemently declining, given that I had a kid, a full-time job, and the house-"

"Nonsense! You're young, you're lovely (or will be once I convince you to put on anything other than sweatpants and do your hair), and your life doesn't have to end because you had a baby! " Raven said, clearly having gone over all of her complaints in her brain. "I'm not going to take 'no' for an answer; you said you wanted to get out more, therefore I'm going to attempt to get you out more."Tomorrow evening. We're going out for drinks, and we're going to have a good time, okay? It's either this or I'll force you to use SassyDate! "

Libby averted her sight to the book she was reading before returning it to Reid Andrew with a sigh that sounded far more like early resignation than she cared to admit. Going on a date sounded like a fantastic idea. Despite the fact that she'd been in Batangas for what seemed like an eternity, she'd barely seen it. Her only true human interaction, aside from her lovely young son, had been online, where she was conversing in writers' communities and attempting to learn the craft as rapidly as possible in order to establish a decent living for herself and her son.

Libby could smell a well-planned plot a mile away when it came to Raven, and she definitely had some tricks up her sleeve this time.

"I recall you advising me to resume my dating life. And I recall vehemently declining, given that I had a kid, a full-time job, and the house-"

"Nonsense! You're young, you're lovely (or will be once I convince you to put on anything other than sweatpants and do your hair), and your life doesn't have to end because you had a baby! " Raven said, clearly having gone over all of her complaints in her brain. "I'm not going to take 'no' for an answer; you said you wanted to get out more, therefore I'm going to attempt to get you out more."

"How about Reid Andrew?" I don't have a babysitter and can't reach anyone. Libby sold the lie that had been drilled into her head since being placed in her modest suburban townhouse.

Even still, she felt a sense of regret as she realized she would most likely never see her parents or sister again. She did, however, have Reid Andrew. She wouldn't put herself out there simply because she had him. Especially because she had no idea who she was hiding from, let alone if they were still after her.

"Don't worry about it, sweetheart! My sister is accessible and would be delighted to keep an eye on your little darling. Bring him over to my place at six o'clock, and we'll get dressed together. "You can also be certain Christine isn't some winged and horned creature destined to devour your child," Raven continued.

Libby could see her good-natured roll of the eyes through the silly cellphone.

"Fine," she replied, a small smile on her face. "We'll be there," the group adds. At six o'clock tomorrow."

"And then I'll see you!"

" You won't be sorry!"

Oh, she was confident of it. Libby, on the other hand, had already decided to go. It was bad enough that she was almost taking up residence in the house, but Raven was spot on.

She had to rediscover her humanity. Even if the work appeared to be unachievable at the time.

Dark thoughts clung to her ankles, seeking to suffocate her. That night. Jonah took his final, strained breath. The building's apex. Him.

Libby stood up and walked up to Reid Andrew, shaking her head briefly. As she walked approaching the backdoor, she took him in her arms and hugged him tightly.

"Come on, let's go. "Let's go have something to eat."

Reid Andrew bore an uncanny similarity to him, which only made matters worse. That's a lot better.

******************************************************************************

"You look extremely nice in that!" Raven exclaimed as she sipped her wine cooler and grabbed Libby's.

She almost fumbled while grabbing for it, but she managed to keep it from spilling on Raven's ruby-red gown. While looking in the mirror, she took a tentative drink. If she had to express an opinion on anything, she appeared to be in good health. Libby shifted her weight from one side to the other, scrutinizing herself seriously.

"It's okay," she said noncommittally, her smirk buried behind her hand as Raven's eyes almost flew out of her skull.

"Okay? OKAY?! You should be informed that this is an original music by Raven Nash. This is not something that everyone has. Let's start with the obvious: you're a babe. It's scorching outside. "Like a snobbish mother." Libby chuckled at Raven's glare and drank another glass of water, thinking about herself.

Okay, that's alright. As a result, I'm probably getting a little hot.

Her hair was tied up in perfect curls that she couldn't seem to tame without the use of a lot of magic. Raven forced her to put on makeup, which brightened her face and glistened on her flawless skin. She imagined it was related to the sense of purpose she felt as a mother. She had the impression that her figure was made for more than just being admired by men.

That was also enjoyable at times.

"I believe we can leave now," Raven cried as she jumped up and grabbed her Chanel flap bag.

She was a tall, slender woman. She couldn't have been much different than Libby, tiny yet curvy with the kind of blue eyes that drew men in. Libby, on the other hand, was entirely at ease in the company of her gorgeous pal. And she was willing to bet she'd garner just as much attention as her model-shaped buddy that night.

"Are you positive I'm allowed to leave Reid Andrew with Christine?" Libby mumbled as she marched out of Raven's huge bedroom.

"Are you serious? Isn't Andrew Reid Christine's favorite? " Raven queried as she paused at the front door to put on a pair of black shoes, and Libby decided to follow her.

Her feet began to scream before she could even put them on.

Libby tightened her teeth, thinking about what she does on a night out.

She hadn't stepped out in heels in a long time.

"Of course," adds the narrator, "I do." He is a divine being! Christine cooed as she took Reid Andrew to the front door to say her farewell to Libby.

Her heart was in agony. She'd only ever left him in the care of others when she needed to rush to a doctor's appointment or a customer demanded a face-to-face meeting. Writing technical documentation near Silicon Valley and moonlighting as a freelance copywriter not only provided her with enough money to live comfortably, but it also allowed her to spend more time at home with her infant.

Reid Andrew's plump face glowed with excitement, and his bright blue eyes sparkled like pearls as she leaned in and kissed him on the cheeks.

Every day, the evil voice in her head reminded her that he resembled Andrew.

The same one that had been deafeningly quiet when she'd thrown herself headfirst into a night of wild passion with the ex-Navy man. As she swallowed that thought, Libby grinned bitterly.

"Baby, please be a good guy for Christine."

"

"Bye, Mama," he muttered, his face lit up with that endearing little smile that could light up a room.

"Please contact me if anything happens." Okay, I'll keep my phone with me at all times. " Libby replied, her eyes pleadingly fixed on Christine.

"Oh my God, we're going out for drinks, not climbing Everest for six months." But if I see a guy named Everest, I'm going to have to climb him. Let's get this celebration going! " Raven grumbled as she dragged Libby out the front door.

Libby wasn't sure she knew how to have fun anymore, unless it was watching Scandal or finger painting with Reid Andrew, but Raven seemed hell-bent on teaching Libby what she had voluntarily forgotten.