Promise Me

“Not a big girl,” she retorted.

“You don’t want to wear pretty big girl panties?” I asked.

She shook her head no. I had to do this. I undid the tabs on the diaper and slowly lifted it away from her belly. I quickly shoved it closed. “Good god Gracie Lou,” I groaned. Grace giggled at the gagging face I was making. “Does Daddy change you Gracie?” I gasped.

She nodded. “How?” A rhetorical question. She looked at me with a puzzled expression on her face unsure of how to respond to that question.

“Do you need help?”

I glanced up at the doorway where Skylar O’Halloran stood leaning against the frame of the door. Her long blonde hair, slightly wavy cascaded over her shoulder. Her black yoga pants stretched tight over her tiny frame. Her hoodie which I thought was kind of bulky and too warm for h

ung loose on her. She was twenty-one and just graduated with a degree in education. She completed her student teaching at the high school in Pointe Royal where we all had attended.

“Hi, I would pay you to change Gracie’s diaper.”

She rolled her pretty blue eyes at me. “She’s my niece too, Ronan. You don’t have to pay me.”

I stepped back and let her stand by Grace. I stood behind her and watched her expertly clean Grace’s bottom. I gagged at the sights and smells coming from my niece. Skylar glanced over her shoulder once or twice trying not to laugh at me. “You could have left Ronan.”

“How do you do this? Is it a woman thing?”

“No both of your brothers do this with their children. Maybe when you have your own child you will be able to do it.”

“I don’t think so,” I replied.

She glanced at me quickly. “Do you want kids?”

“Never thought about it. Remember I’m the selfish prick.”

She trained her eyes on me. A sadness permeated them to the depths that I never saw before. “Hey Skybug, you all right?” I rested my hand on her shoulder.

She finished changing Gracie and slipped her leggings back on. Then she turned to me. There were tears in her eyes. “I just want to hit you Ronan. I came to the hospital,” she declared but said nothing more.

“I know.”

She swallowed hard. She picked up the dirty diaper. “Get Grace,” she snapped at me.

“All right.”

The Moores, the O’Hallorans, the Murdochs, the Gatlins, the Martin families had been having Sunday dinner together at this farm since I was a small child. My grandfathers were best friends with Skylar’s grandparents Shay and Bobby Martin. The town of Pointe Royal was small; we all knew each other well. Shawn’s wife Bronagh knew Shay Martin and her father Bobby because they too had grown up with her father, Derek. When he was dying they helped her with Derek. Our town was like that. We were a tightknit group. We helped each other out. We took care of each other.

I was six years old when Rhett and Tegan O’Halloran brought Skylar home from the hospital. After a few days Mom and Dad dragged us over to see the newest addition to the O’Halloran household. Aine was four, Ryan was two and then there was the new baby Skylar. It was our responsibility as extended members of their family to take care of these girls. We had no sisters. Sophia was as close as we would come and she was our cousin.

I have seen pictures of me holding this girl as a newborn. Looking disgusted that I was forced to do this. I even gave this girl a bottle a time or two. It was always, here hold Sky for a minute while I get a bottle. Oh, Ryan needs something just give it to her Ronan. Don’t forget to burp her. So hell, I could understand why she was pissed at me too. I would be angry at her if she had done something this ridiculously stupid.

Gracie’s slobbery fingers caressed my face. I smiled at her. “At least you aren’t mad at me.” Skylar glanced over her shoulder then she turned back to the staircase and walked downstairs. “I love you Skybug,” I told her. She groaned at me. “I do.” She shook her head at me so I let it go.

I followed Skylar to the kitchen. Aine glanced over her shoulder as we entered. “So who changed the diaper?”

“She did,” I answered honestly. I didn’t care if Aine knew I couldn’t do it.

“I thought so,” Aine replied. “Good thing Skylar arrived when she did.”

She turned back to the food cooking on the stove top. The smells emanating from the pots was amazing. “That smells wonderful.”

“Glad you approve,” Aine said. “It’s your favorite. My homemade chili spaghetti.”

“Cool.”