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I stare at the baby in the monster onesie. Five minutes ago, she was screaming like, well, a monster, but now she’s sleeping peacefully in Courtney’s arms.
We’re in a townhome in the east end with Courtney’s family. There’s her brother, Jeremy, and his wife, Lydia, as well as her sister, Naomi, and Naomi’s boyfriend, Will. And Jeremy and Lydia’s baby.
When I asked Courtney what she wanted to do today, she said she wanted to visit her baby niece. She didn’t expect me to go with her, but I offered to. I joked that if she left me alone, I’d probably end up going to the office. That’s not true, though. I just want to be by her side, since she seemed a bit off this morning.
I don’t know much about babies. Neither of my brothers have children, and I only have two cousins, and they don’t have children, either. This baby is admittedly cute, and Courtney seems quite taken with her, so I’m glad we’re here because I like seeing Courtney smile.
Now that Baby Heather is asleep, everyone’s attention turns to me.
“So, you’re dating my sister,” Jeremy says.
“Yes.” I keep it simple, rather than explaining the whole story. From what Courtney’s told me, her sister knows the details, but her brother doesn’t.
“Be careful,” Will says. “He tried to punch me in the face for doing that.”
Naomi gives Will a playful shove.
“It’s interesting,” Jeremy muses. “Courtney hasn’t brought anyone to meet her family in a long time, and then suddenly she shows up with you. I know who you are, Julian.”
That sounds ominous. I’m not sure what to say.
“You’re a playboy,” Jeremy says. “Every week, you’ve got a new woman. You’re rich, so you can get away with treating women like crap. And now you want to fuck with my sister?”
Oh boy.
“Stop the overprotective brother routine.” Courtney glares at him.
“Besides,” Naomi says, “you’ve got it wrong. Julian’s brother is the playboy who posed semi-nude in a calendar. Not him.”
Jeremy frowns at this new piece of information. “Right.”
“Don’t worry,” I say. “I have every intention of treating your sister well and zero intention of posing nude in a calendar.”
“You know what you should do?” Naomi says. “Since you have so much money...”
“Naomi!” Courtney hisses.
“You should take my sister to Paris.”
“I offered,” I say.
Naomi turns to Courtney. “Then why aren’t you in Paris right now?”
“Because I can’t take a week off work with only one or two days’ notice.”
Naomi groans. “You’re no fun.”
“How about we go away next weekend?” I suggest. “You won’t have to miss work, or maybe an afternoon at the most.”
“To Paris? No. The flight will consume almost the entire weekend—”
“Not to Paris.” I consider the options. “Montreal?”
“Yes!” Naomi says. “You should totally go to Montreal together. Julian, you should give her a credit card so she can buy a new wardrobe for the trip. Like in Pretty Woman. You should take advantage of your rich companion while you have him, Courtney. One more week until...” She puts her hand over her mouth.
“One week until what?” Jeremy asks.
Courtney gives Naomi a dirty look. “You weren’t supposed to say anything.”
“What am I missing here?” Jeremy narrows his eyes at me.
Well, this is going to be fun.
Courtney bites her lip. “Julian’s family wanted him to take two weeks off work because he’s a stressed-out workaholic, and he hired me to be a companion of sorts for those two weeks. To teach him how to have fun.”
“Is he paying you to be a prostitute?” Jeremy starts to stand up, but Lydia pulls him back down.
“It’s not like that at all,” Courtney says. “I see why you’d think that, and Naomi’s mention of Pretty Woman probably didn’t help, and Julian and I, we did... But it’s not like that.”
“I knew it,” Naomi says. “I knew the reason you hadn’t talked to me for a few days was because you were busy having sex.”
Courtney’s cheeks turn red, and I can feel mine getting warm, too. I’m about to open my mouth to say something—although what would make this situation less awkward, I have no idea—when Heather starts wailing. For some reason, Courtney thrusts her into my arms, though of the six adults in this room, I must be the worst person to take care of a baby.
“Shh.” I awkwardly pat Heather’s back. “Shh.”
Courtney marches over to Jeremy. “Why do you have to play overprotective brother now, when I’m thirty-one? Where were you ten years ago, hmm? Where were you when I was...when I was...” She looks back at me. There must be something she doesn’t want to say in my presence. I debate leaving the room, but I also don’t want to leave her. Plus, I have a baby in my hands. “...when I really needed someone else on my side? When Dad didn’t believe anything I said? You know he takes you seriously and listens to you more than me and Naomi. You could have helped then, but you didn’t. That was when I needed a big brother. That was the time to interfere in my life. Not now. I’m fine on my own now, and Julian treats me well. So, please. Just stop it. I don’t want to have to worry about what stupid thing you’re going to freak out about next.”
The room is quiet except for Heather, who is crying softly. I bounce her up and down, and she seems to like that. She rubs her little hand all over my face.
I don’t know what happened ten years ago, but I’m angry at Jeremy for not being there when Courtney needed him. If he doesn’t apologize, I’ll happily give him shit, too.
He rests his elbows on his knees and looks down. “You’re right,” he says softly. “I think I’ve been trying to make up for it, but I can’t, and I’m sorry.”
Courtney swallows. “Okay. That’s... Thank you for saying that.”
He stands up and gives her a hug, and she squeezes him tight. He says something quietly in her ear. It sounds like, “It’ll be better this time.”
Jeremy sits down, and Courtney cuddles up beside me. Nobody says anything for a minute, until Heather lets out a high-pitched scream and I realize I’ve stopped bouncing her.
Lydia comes over to me. “I’ll take her. I think she needs to be changed.” She disappears upstairs with her daughter.
“Well,” Naomi says as the tension in the room starts to dissipate. “What was I saying before? Courtney, I really think you two should go to Montreal together. Maybe Julian has a private jet you can take?”
I stop myself from rolling my eyes. “I do not have a private jet. Terrible waste of money, and I’m not a billionaire. We’ll fly on Porter from the island airport. If that’s what Courtney wants.” I place my hand on her back. “What do you think?”
She nods. “Sounds good. We can go Friday after work and come back Sunday evening.”
“Excellent. I’ll make the arrangements.”
I’ve been to Montreal many times before, but I’ve never been with Courtney, and that will be a completely different experience. A good way to end my two-week vacation. I start to think of all the places we can have sex in the hotel room, then remember I’m surrounded by her family, including her big brother.
“Don’t worry,” I say to Jeremy. “I’ll take good care of your sister. You have my word. I don’t blame you for being concerned. If I had a sister, I’d probably feel the same.”
He nods in acknowledgement.
I mean it. I would never do anything to hurt her.
“I still think Courtney deserves a new wardrobe for this trip,” Naomi says.
“Naomi!” Courtney says. “Stop trying to make Julian throw money at me.”
I withdraw a credit card from my wallet. “Here. Buy a nice dress for when we go out in Montreal.”
She doesn’t take the card. “I don’t need to recreate scenes from movies just to please my sister.”
I look at her for a moment, trying to figure out what she really wants, if it really would make her happy to shop for a new dress.
I press the credit card into her hand. “Just one dress, and a pair of shoes to go with it.” I brush her hair back from her ear and whisper, “Something that makes you feel sexy.”
“Okay.”
“I’m coming on this shopping trip,” Naomi announces.
“Of course you are,” Courtney says. “I have no idea where to go.”
I touch her shoulder. “You can also get the mani-pedi you were talking about the other day. You and your sister, if you want.”
Naomi turns to me. “I think you should stick around for more than a week. Not because you’re rich and can pay for my manicures—”
“Hey,” Will says. “I can pay for manicures.”
“Ooh! Do you want to come with me? I think it would be so much fun to go to the nail salon together.”
“Absolutely not.” He folds his arms over his chest.
“Julian volunteered to go with me, actually,” Courtney says.
“Did he?” Jeremy lifts his eyebrows.
Right. I did. To be honest, Courtney could get me to do pretty much anything. Better for her to go to the salon with her sister, though.
Lydia comes downstairs with Heather and hands her back to Courtney, who kisses the baby’s forehead. Heather sticks her arm out and nearly pokes me in the eye, then decides she’s more interested in Courtney’s nose.
“Remember,” Courtney says to Heather. “I’m Aunt Courtney. Your fun auntie.”
I can’t help it. Seeing Courtney with a baby sets off some unexpected feelings inside me.
My mother and grandmother would be pleased.