ZAK SEAL Team Seven(34)

“You don’t know shit bro. How is she supposed to sit in that big tub? She’ll drown. Aren’t you supposed to get her one of those plastic tub things that fit in the sink?”

“No you ass she’s too big for that.” He grumbled some shit under his breath that I was sure wasn’t very flattering but I ignored his dumb ass.

He wanted to climb in with her but couldn’t figure out how to do it without getting his clothes wet, and I’m pretty sure he knew I’d skin his ass if he dropped down to his skivvies in front of my little girl. In the end we both settled for kneeling next to the tub and keeping an eagle eye on her as she splashed away with her toys.

“Aren’t you gonna tell me to make peace so you can have decent food again?” He gave it some thought, and for the first time since the baby came, he grew dead serious.

“No.” That was all he said, but I could tell that he had more on his mind. “If it was me, I would react the same way, maybe worst. It doesn’t matter what went down, as long as you weren’t an abusive asshole, she had no right to keep your seed from you. I don’t think you should shut her out forever, because that’s just fucked, but I understand your need for some distance now. Just do me one favor, whatever decision you make, please put baby Zak first.”

“Is that what you’re doing brother?”

“Yeah.” He can be such a pain in the ass sometimes that it was hard to remember his beginnings and how hard they had been. I clapped him on his shoulder as he picked up the little pink washcloth to bathe my daughter. The moment was over almost as soon as it begun because he started his shit again.

“Dude, what the fuck kinda frou-frou shit is this?” He looked at the Disney character washcloth in distaste.

“What? It’s for girls.”

“She’s a SEAL bro, get camouflage or some shit next time.” This fucker is certifiable. “I better go through the clothes you bought, I bet it’s more of this pansy ass shit.”

“What the fuck did you want me to buy, fatigues?”

He fought me to death about every damn thing until I wanted to drown him in the one foot of water in the tub. For someone who had spent exactly four hours in the presence of a baby, he sure was an expert. “Ty, it says no tears, it’s not gonna hurt her.” The ass actually tried to put some of the shampoo in his eyes to check. “Give me that jackass.” I snatched the bottle from him and lathered up her hair while he grumped.

“You know those people lie just to sell shit, fine if it hurts her though, we’ll sue.” I wasn’t even paying him any mind because he’d obviously lost his. When her bath was over he rifled through the bag of stuff that I’d ordered on line and had Vicki Lynn pick up. “See, I knew it, nothing but girly shit.” He settled on a pink and brown set and fought me to dress her. I wasn’t sure what the fuck was up with him, but I was gonna start taping this shit. When we’d deemed her decent enough, and my poor kid was looking like what the fuck daddy, we headed back out to the kitchen where the others for some reason were still gathered. Davey had joined the crew and was already munching away on an apple.

“What, they kicked you out too?”

“Nah, I left when they started the man bashing thing, I didn’t think that was right.”

“Man bashing, who’s man bashing?” He turned to look at Ty whose face was starting to look like a thundercloud.



“All of them, those women are mean. It’s like they forgot I was in the room even, or they don’t see me as a man.” Poor kid, he looked hurt. “Don’t sweat it kid, that bunch is part of the neutering party, they’ve already de-balled these fucks.” Con smacked the shit out of Ty for that one, but the rest of us unattached men found that shit hilarious.

For some reason my place had become command central so with my kid strapped to my chest in her new sling, I sat around the kitchen table and got a rundown. Life hadn’t stopped because mine had been derailed and shit still needed to be dealt with. We sent Davey on a trumped up errand that was sure to take thirty minutes or so, in order to discuss some things the he didn’t need to know about. Hopefully the women would take it easy on him, unless they’d gone full rabid. Fucking females. “Wait did anyone remember to feed that chick in the cottage? It was my turn last night and I got distracted.” Not that I was too busted up about it, but still.

“We let her go early this morning, this shit is bigger than her, or this town come to think of it. If they know we had her and they go after her, that’s the price she pays for getting in bed with them in the first place. Cord where are we with the hair samples for the kids?”