Evgeni’s POV
I knew Jessie wasn’t really up for babysitting right now and to be honest after the week she had with school I couldn’t really blame her but we had promised our friends to do it so we had to.

Vero was giving us the low down on everything. When to feed her, how to feed her, when to bath, how to bath, how to put her to bed, every little thing she was sure to cover.
“If you need anything just ring us ok?”
“Vero, Vero, just relax. We got this, you go out and have some fun and we will return her tomorrow morning in one piece ok?” Jessie put her hands on Veronique’s shoulder and made sure she listened.

“You look after my princess,” Marc tried to be threatening as he passed over her little girl.
“Annabelle love me,” it was true though. Out of everyone she had clung to me the quickest and when she cried I was like a baby whisperer and she would stop.
“Yeah some Russian voodoo stuff that’s why,” he rolled his eyes.
“Baby genius.”
“What do you know about babies?” he laughed.

Truth be told I knew nothing about babies but they seemed to love me so I guess it didn’t matter.

“Alright guys have fun,” Vero waved as they walked out the door.

“Of course we have fun, why no fun?” I turned to Jessie who just looked at me like I was an idiot.
“What?”
“You have no idea,” she walked away.

“We have fun no?” I cradled Annabelle in my arms who just yawned back like she wasn’t interested.
“Or you sleep.”

That was all she did, she just slept.

“Maybe she broken,” I suggested to Jessie as she made Annabelle her bottle in between getting our dinner ready. None of my other friend’s kids slept like this. They were always awake and laughing and making noises but not Annabelle.

“Firstly stop saying she is broken, there is nothing wrong with her and secondly can you put her down and help me with dinner,” she looked flustered over the stove.
“Oh yes dinner,” usually I made dinner or at least helped but I was too busy with Annabelle to remember.

I set her in her carrier on the floor that the dogs had taken to guarding.
“You two watch her,” I petted their noses and got to helping Jessie.

“Is everything ok?” I put my hand on her back as she grumbled to herself about something.
“Nothing, it’s fine.”
But I knew there was something up and it wasn’t just nothing.

“Do you want feed her?” she offered handing over the bottle of warm milk.
“Ok umm how?” I had Annabelle cradled in one arm and the bottle in my hand not knowing what to do.
“Just put it in her mouth like this and tilt, she’ll do the rest,” she set my hand up and Annabelle went to town on her bottle.
“See you’re a natural,” she headed back over to the bench to serve out our dinner.

It was nice to have another distraction around the house for now. Annabelle was happy lying in my lap with her bottle while we ate dinner and Jessie did some work.

The way it all seemed to just work out was nice until of course Annabelle had to make her presence known.

“Just take the bottle away from her,” Jessie groaned.
“But she not finished,” I didn’t understand the whole baby thing completely but I would eventually I just needed someone to help me.
“It doesn’t matter, if she doesn’t want she isn’t going to drink it.”
“Well what I do?” we were getting flustered and stressed at each other while the dogs hid knowing something bad was going to happen.

“Just give her here,” Jessie snapped slamming her laptop shut and taking Annabelle away.
“She needs to be burped, she needs her diaper changed and she needs to go to bed,” she rambled taking the baby away and walking around the house while she patted her back.

I was beginning to feel bad. Maybe Jessie and I wouldn’t work out. Maybe we wanted different things and we would soon realize it and be over. You can’t be with someone who has their priorities set elsewhere.

“Jessie,” I walked into the spare room where she was standing over Annabelle’s folder cot.
“She was just tired,” she sighed.
“Is something wrong?” I put my hand on her back.
“No Evgeni nothing’s wrong,” she rolled her eyes at me and headed out of the room. Just because my English lacked sometimes didn’t mean I couldn’t understand sarcasm when it was being used.

“What?” I followed after her back into the dining room where she set herself back up in front of her laptop.
“Just don’t get any ideas,” she began typing away on her keyboard.
“About what?” I frowned taking the seat next to her.
“About having kids.”
“You not want kids?”
“Of course I want kids but right now… just now is not the best time for anything,” she sighed and her eyes fell onto a note folded neatly on the table.

“What is it?”
“What’s what?” she looked up as I reached over and grabbed the paper.
“No Evgeni,” she tried to snatch it back.