the nickname Matty. Are you trying to raise your son to permanently be in the friends zone with every girl he meets?”
“Shut up,” Carmen said, lightly slapping Trey’s shoulder. “M-dog isn’t a good nickname, either. You’re lucky I love you because had anyone else called him that, I would have nipped it in the bud right away.”
Trey smiled, knowing she meant it. Although Trey and Carmen didn’t have the same father, they were extremely close. Trey’s stepdad—who was also Carmen’s father—had been around for most of his life, and since Trey’s relationship with his own father was strained, he appreciated his stepfather.
Through his biological dad, Reginald Moore, Trey also had two half brothers, Derek and Max. Since they all had different mothers, they hadn’t been too close growing up. Like him, Derek also had an uneasy relationship with their father. Actually, Derek’s relationship with Reginald was much worse than Trey’s. Max was the only son who was close to Reginald, because he’d had the benefit of growing up with Reginald in his life and always had him around.
“Have any scotch?” Carmen stepped away from the foyer and walked into the kitchen area that was connected to the dining room and living room.
“You already know I do.” Trey handed baby Matthew back to his sister as he pulled out a glass to pour scotch. “I thought you weren’t drinking any liquor, though? When did that change?”
“Oh, it didn’t,” Carmen said with a sneaky smile. “The scotch is for you.”
Trey stopped midpour. “For me? I already have a glass I was sipping on before you arrived.”
“Great. Then maybe you should get that glass.”
Trey leaned against the counter. “Enough stalling, Carmen. I’m happy to see you and my nephew, but why are you here?”
Carmen nuzzled her nose with Matthew’s tiny button before speaking. “Well, as you know, Max has been trying to get me a few gigs, but even with his connections as my talent agent, I haven’t gotten a lot of bites.”
Trey nodded, well aware of Carmen’s frustration with her acting career. His sister was talented, and seeing that their mom was a famous actress in her day, Hollywood expected that at least one of her children would follow her path. Surprisingly, Trey had found his niche in LA as a prominent screenplay writer. However, Carmen was still trying to emulate their mother. Trey knew that all she needed was a big break to showcase her talent, and he was hoping that Max, his half brother and Carmen’s agent, could help her in any way possible.
“So, it looks like my hard work is finally paying off. I landed a minor role on a weekly television series.”
“That’s great, sis.” Trey gave her a quick hug, careful not to crush Matthew. “I knew you’d get a break soon enough.”
“I’m really excited,” Carmen said, beaming from ear to ear. “I couldn’t wait to tell you. I even wanted to tell Scott and gloat a little, but I don’t want to jinx anything.”
Scott was Carmen’s ex and Matthew’s father. Trey had always gotten along well with Scott, but Scott didn’t support Carmen’s dream of becoming a full-time actress, so the two had split right before Carmen found out she was pregnant. Trey was proud of his sister for not letting her dream of spending the rest of her life with Scott and raising a family together deter her from following her other goal of becoming an actress.
“I understand that.” Trey playfully nudged her on the head like he’d done since she was little. “When do you start filming?”
“Funny you should ask.” Carmen perked up. “I’ve been informed that it will take two weeks to film the pilot episode and I’m needed on set starting tomorrow. Which brings me to the reason I’m here.”
Trey squinted his eyes when Carmen glanced from him to Matthew, then back to him. “Oh, no, sis. You’ve got to be kidding me. You already know I’ve got this thing to finish. Hell, I haven’t even been out the house in days.”
“I know, Trey. And I wouldn’t ask if I had other options. I need someone to watch Matthew for two weeks while I film.”
“The full two weeks!” Trey didn’t mean for his voice to carry, but just the thought of him babysitting a six-month-old while trying to make this tight deadline was enough to send him into a slight panic, and Trey was not the panicky type. “Are you sure I’m the best option?”
“Best? Probably not. Only? Absolutely. You already know that Mom and Dad are on their African safari. And Scott is traveling between New York and Miami throughout the rest of this month on business, so he’s not even in LA. I would ask Scott’s parents if they weren’t in Germany for the next few weeks. And I can’t get a two-week nanny on such short notice. I know the timing isn’t ideal for you, but I could really use your help right now.”
Carmen shot him her big-puppy-dog-eyes that usually did the trick when she was trying to convince him to do something he didn’t want to do. Trey lifted Matthew’s tiny hand in his.
“Carm, I’ve never watched a child on my own for that long, let alone an infant.”
“You used to watch me when I was little and you’re only eight years older than me.”
Trey shook his head. “The first time I babysat you on my own, I was twelve and you were four. That’s hardly an infant.”
“Whatever.” Carmen shrugged. “The point is, you did fine back then and I’m sure you’ll do fine now. There will be other times you have to watch your nephew, so you might as well start now. Plus, I really need your help. I’ve been hoping to land a gig like this and it may just be the opening I’ve been waiting for.”
Trey sighed. He really did want Carmen to go for her dreams and he knew firsthand that the set wasn’t a good place for infants. He recalled a time when his stepdad had been out of town and the babysitter had gotten sick. So his mom had been forced to bring him and a colicky Carmen on set for a movie she was shooting. It hadn’t been pretty.
His eyes landed back on Matthew’s adorable brown face and chubby baby cheeks. “Okay,” he said reluctantly. “I’ll babysit M-dog for two weeks.”
“Oh my God. Oh my God. Oh my God.” Carmen kissed Trey’s cheek before handing Matthew to him. “Thank you so much, big bro. I owe you big-time!”
“I plan on collecting, too,” he said with a laugh. His joke fell on deaf ears because Carmen was already halfway to the front door. “Where are you going?”
“I’ll be right back.” Ten minutes later, Trey was sorry he’d asked. It took no time for his home to go from the ultimate bachelor pad to a nursery straight out of an HGTV show.
“Carm, what is all this stuff?”
“This,” she said, waving her hands around everything she’d placed in his living room, “is everything you will need to turn Casa De Trey into Matty’s Baby Manor.”
Trey handed Matthew back to his sister as he tried not to freak out by all the paraphernalia scattered around. Baby swing. Baby mat. Baby carrier. Baby bathtub. Blankets. Stuffed animals. Pop-up crib. Diapers. Bottles. Pacifiers. His mind couldn’t even comprehend all the stuff needed to care for an infant.
“What in the world is all this?” he asked as he pointed to a mound of what appeared to be pieces of some type of toy.
Carmen smiled. “That’s Matty’s ExerSaucer.”
“His exer...what?”
“His ExerSaucer.” Carmen pulled out her phone with her free hand to show him a picture of Matthew sitting in one. “It’s like an activity center for babies. It helps keep him busy. I had to break it apart to get it in my car, but I figured you could put it back together.”
“Damn, Carmen. You might as well have brought over your entire house.”
“I