AW...Amber smelled it — and everything changed 😱

The Smell That Changed Everything

Amber loved afternoons like this — sunlight slipping through the blinds, the quiet hum of a fan, and the laughter of little Kai echoing through the room. Anthony had just come back from picking him up, and as always, Kai’s chubby cheeks and tiny giggles made everything else fade away.

“Hey, big boy!” Amber cooed, reaching for him. “You’re getting so big so fast.”

Anthony grinned, adjusting the diaper bag on his shoulder. “Yeah, he’s a handful now.”

Amber leaned in to kiss Kai’s forehead — and then she froze. Her nose twitched. Something didn’t feel right.
“You don’t smell that?” she asked, straightening.

Anthony looked at her, confused. “Smell what?”

“This boy smells like weed,” she said firmly, pulling Kai a little closer. “What are you talking about?”

“Weed, Anthony. Like marijuana.” Her voice dropped, sharp with disbelief. “Come on. You don’t smell that?”

Anthony frowned, sniffed the air around Kai, then looked away. “No, that’s ridiculous. Nah, Shayla wouldn’t—”

“Wouldn’t what?” Amber snapped. “Wouldn’t smoke around a baby? How do I know what that smell is and you don’t?!”

Her frustration boiled over. She could feel her heart pounding, anger and fear mixing in her chest. “Somebody’s smoking around him, Anthony. I can smell it on his clothes! That’s crazy — that’s not good for him, for his lungs, his little body. Even if they didn’t smoke right next to him, it’s still in the air, it’s in the fabric. That’s how babies get asthma, respiratory problems — God, what is wrong with her?”

Anthony rubbed the back of his neck, unsure. “No, nah. Shayla’s not that crazy.”

Amber shook her head. “She was just outside giving you a lecture about being a good father, and she’s the one doing this? She’s up here acting perfect while my baby smells like gas?”

Anthony sighed, picking Kai up again. “You smell it too, huh?” he finally admitted.

Amber nodded, eyes sharp. “That’s what I’ve been saying.”

Anthony’s tone hardened. “That’s crazy. Hypocrite of the year, that’s what she is. She got all that to say, but she’s the one smoking around him.” He turned to Kai, softening his voice. “Daddy’s gonna fix this, okay? You deserve better than that, little man.”

Amber exhaled, her shoulders still tense. “Let’s just change his clothes. Get that smell off him.”

Kai giggled, oblivious to the storm around him, reaching for the phone in Amber’s hand. She smiled weakly and handed it over.

As Anthony walked toward the back room to grab clean clothes, Amber whispered under her breath, “You need to handle this, seriously. He doesn’t need to be around that. It’s not good for him. It’s not good for you, either.”

Anthony nodded without a word. The laughter of moments ago had faded into a tense silence.

Amber watched him go, her heart heavy. She’d always known parenting would be hard — sleepless nights, teething, tantrums. But she never thought she’d be fighting to protect her baby from something like this.

And as she stared at the faint cloud of smoke still clinging to Kai’s blanket, she promised herself one thing:
This would never happen again.