𝐂𝐀𝐑𝐋 𝐆𝐑𝐈𝐌𝐄𝐒 [ 𝐎𝐧𝐞 𝐒𝐡𝐨𝐭𝐬 ] ✘

Babies Are Too Much Trouble

"Judith, you have to eat! Come on, now, for me?" I whined as I tried to spoon-feed the baby perched in the high-chair in front of me.

The curly-headed blonde toddler just moved her head away from the spoon held mid-air, avoiding it. I huffed in annoyance and slammed the silverware down on the counter.

"OLIVIA!" I shrieked loudly through the kitchen.

A few seconds later, a dark-haired woman with glasses bustled into the room. She laughed when she saw the splatters of applesauce smudged on my cheek and t-shirt.

"Oh, ha-ha," I grumbled sarcastically as I shoved the jar of baby food towards her, "Here, you deal with her. She won't eat for me,"

Olivia smiled, arching an eyebrow.

"Are you sure you're just not being patient enough with her?" she teased, succesfully feeding the squirming child, "Besides, I thought you told Carl you could watch her this time for him,"

I groaned in frustration, wiping the applesauce from my cheek away with the back of my hand.

"That was before I knew how much trouble babies were," I muttered, grabbing a dish towel and blotting my shirt with it.

She chuckled from her seat at the kitchen counter next to the high-chair.

"Be honest, Amelia, the only reason you chose to help out was to spend more time with him," she admonished me playfully.

A scarlet blush rose to my cheeks and I avoided her bespectacled eyes.

"It's not like that," I denied, letting the towel drop from my hand back onto the counter.

"Oh? So you like babies then?" she asked, smirking.

I wrinkled my nose at the thought of the little monsters and I heard Olivia laugh.

"See? I knew it," she chirped in triumph.

Sighing, I wiped my hands on my jeans before walking out the door.

"That doesn't prove anything, O!" I called over my shoulder.

Just as my feet hit the front porch steps, I collided into a hard chest. Stumbling back, I was about to mutter out an apology when I was met with piercing blue eyes. Butterflies erupted in my stomach as he smiled down at me.

"Hey, Amelia. I'm back," he grinned.

His eyes went down to my spilled-on t-shirt then and he arched an eyebrow in confusion.

"Um, your sister-she...you know, she didn't want to eat so she ended up, um, spilling all over me..." I stuttered out nervously, fumbling over my words under his scrutiny.

A laugh emitted from plump pink lips at my nervousness and a blush tinted my cheeks from embrassment.

"Yeah, she can be a bit of a messy eater," Carl offered in response, rubbing the back of his neck absentmindedly.

Silence ensued then as he made his way over to the porch swing and plopped down onto it with a thud. Patting the seat beside him, I rolled my eyes before joining him. The swing creaked underneath our weight as Carl began to push it back and forth for us. A light breeze blew past us, ruffling strands of his dark hair. I resisted the urge to run my fingers through it.

"You don't like Judith," he stated all of a sudden and I looked up, startled.

"What?" I asked, my voice high-pitched at the lie that tumbled from my mouth, "I love your sister, Carl. Babies are...nice..."

He arched an eyebrow, his lips pursing together in thought. His blue eyes bored into me so intently that finally, I broke down.

"Fine!" I groaned out, "I...hate babies..."

Suddenly, he began laughing. The melodic sound filled the air as he doubled over, clutching his stomach. His Sheriff's hat tumbled from his head, falling to the wooden floorboards of the porch. Leaning back into the swing once more, a huge smile still split his face. Biting down on his lip, he turned in the seat to face me.

"What about a baby with me?" he asked, smirking.

My eyes became saucers at the suggestion and goosebumps broke out everywhere, making me a trembling mess under his gaze.

"I, um..I...um, well....you like me?" I asked hesitantly, tripping over my words.

Gently, he took my hand in his, rubbing his fingers over the back of it in a caress.

"That's kind of what that meant, yeah," he laughed, looking over at me intently.

Butterflies swirled in my stomach at the thought and I glanced up at him through my eyelashes.

"I...like you too, Carl," I admitted, blushing.

"Good," he grinned, "Wanna be my grilfriend then?"

A giggle bubbled up from my throat and I nodded, "Sure, Carl."