Like father, like son.
Quickly, I mix up a bottle, grab a bib, and a blanket. “Thanks,” I say, reaching for my son.
“I can do it.” She reaches for the bottle.
“You don’t have to do that.”
“I know, but I want to. Go do… dad things.” She chuckles. “Fold some laundry or take a long hot shower, or just sit and watch. I don’t mind. He’s such a cutie.” She coos that last part down to my son. He gives her a toothless grin. My boy knows how to turn on the charm.
She reaches for the bottle, bib, and blanket, and I let her take them. I watch in fascination as she heads to the couch and gets settled with Milo on her lap. She’s a natural and looks as though she’s done this countless times.
“You look like you’ve had some practice,” I say, both hands braced on the island as I look toward where she’s sitting in the living.
“A little. I did some babysitting in high school.”
“Thank you.” I nod toward her and my son.
“Go. Find something to do that you don’t usually have time to do or sit down. You’re making me nervous. I promise he’s in good hands.”
“Right. I’m going. I do have about three loads of laundry to fold and put away.”
“Good. Go. We’re just fine.”
I watch them for a little while longer before heading to my room to fold the mountain of laundry I’ve not gotten around to folding. Once that’s done, I change the sheets on my bed and decide to do the same to Milo’s. That’s where Hollis finds me.
“Hey,” she whispers.
“Hi. Looks like you have the magic touch.”
“He’s in a food coma.” She laughs softly.
“I’m almost done putting a new sheet on his bed.” I finish what I’m doing and turn to face her.
“Just lay him down?”
“Yes.” Carefully, she places my son in his crib. Then, she does something that knocks the wind from my chest. I watch her as she kisses her index and middle fingers, then softly presses them to his forehead.
“Sweet dreams, sweet boy,” she says, her voice soft and gentle.
I have to push my hands into the pockets of my jeans to keep from kissing her. The urge is strong, but I fight it. Instead, I step up to the crib and lean over, placing a kiss on his forehead. “Love you, son.” When I stand back up, she’s there. Right there. We stare at each other, a current passing between us. Neither of us willing to move in fear of breaking the connection.
“I think I’ll take that beer now,” she says and rushes from the room.
I count to ten, and then twenty, then thirty before I leave the room and follow after her. I find her in the kitchen with two beers, one in each hand. She hands me one and takes a long pull from the other. She grimaces.
“I’m not much of a beer drinker,” she confesses.
“No? What’s your drink of choice?” I ask, taking a sip of my own. I move to the living room, hoping she’ll follow me. I’m not disappointed when she takes the seat on the opposite end of the couch. Not close enough, but she’s not hidden behind her door either, so I’ll take what I can get.
“Fruity. I prefer to not taste the alcohol.”
“Got it.” She smiles, and I don’t want things to grow awkward, so I begin. “I enlisted in the Army when I was eighteen. I was young and had no idea what I wanted to do with my life. I knew that I didn’t want to go to college, that just wasn’t for me. So, when a recruiter came to my high school and talked to my senior class, it just felt right. I enlisted. My parents, although worried, supported me. Turns out, I loved it. I was good at it, and I met my brothers-in-arms. Those are relationships I will never forget.”
“That had to be hard being away from your family.”
“It was, but as time went on, it became my normal. I found out that I loved the Army. It gave me a sense of pride fighting for my country.”
“It’s very honorable.”
I nod. Her praise warms something inside me. “Anyway, I would come home on leave. Most of the time, for a couple of weeks, max. My last leave of absence, Chase and I met up, and we pretty much got hammered. I lost track of the number of shots and drinks we had. It wasn’t something we often did, but I was going away for at least nine months, so we made the best of our last night together.”
“No judgment zone, Colton. We’ve all done things we regret.”
“Yeah, but I can’t regret that night. It gave me Milo.”
Her eyes widen. “Oh.”
I go on to tell her how I told Laura that my name was Chase. I don’t stop until we get to the present. Me being a single father to a little boy whose mother signed her rights away to him.