Naelle
Emilio had just gotten Sofia to fall asleep when the nursery door opened with a bang. It crashed into the wall.
“Where’s Naelle?” my father shouted.
“Shh,” I told him. “You’ll scare the baby.”
With a wail, the baby started to freak out.
Emilio jiggled the baby, trying to make her stop crying. It seemed as if she wanted to go for the Guinness World Record for loudest screams.
I went to the door and saw men with guns and full gear in the hallway, as if this were some sort of raid.
“I think that there’s been a misunderstanding,” I apologized.
Two of the guys were stoic and must’ve been fathers or something, because they were completely fine with hearing a baby scream bloody murder.
The youngest team member looked like he wanted to cover his ears.
“I think that you won’t be needed today.”
My dad was behind me, still in the doorway and staring at Emilio with Alejandro’s daughter.
“Dismissed,” he told the guys.
They looked at each other for a moment before hightailing it out of there. They must’ve sensed that it was family drama.
When they were gone, my father shook his head and covered his eyes with his hand.
“Good Lord,” he said. “What a mess.” He took his hand away from his eyes and looked straight at me.
“You’re happy here? You weren’t kidnapped? You’re here of your own free will?”
“Yes…to everything.”
He took a look at the baby in Emilio’s arms, who had finally stopped crying and was staring at my dad with big eyes.
“Baby,” I cooed, “do you want to meet my daddy, huh?”
I picked her up and kissed her little forehead.
I put her in my dad’s arms. Her big eyes stared into his.
And then she smiled.
In that moment, I saw all of his defenses melt away.
“Hey there, pumpkin.” He smiled at her.
“That’s my name,” I mock-protested.
The three of us laughed, which made Sofia let out a little gurgle.
“I think she likes you,” I said as I watched her little hand pat his cheek.
“I think I like her,” my dad said, jiggling her a little in his arms. He put his nose right in her little bit of fine baby hair.
“She’s ours unless Alejandro shows up,” I said. “She’s your adoptive granddaughter.”