Marriage Material

“You won’t find much in there. My food as of the late is all in frozen form.”

He shrugs like it’s no big deal and I feel bad for him. Here he is doing everything to take care of this little baby girl and no one is taking care of him. I’m here now and I’m going to make sure that changes.

“How about I hop over to the store and grab a few things? I’ll make you a home-cooked meal.” He looks unsure for a moment. “You don’t want to try my cooking?”

“No, I’d love to, but it looks like a storm is rolling in.” I glance over my shoulder and look out the window at the sky. It’s nearly black in the distance and the wind is picking up.

“Then I better be quick,” I tell him as I come around the kitchen and grab my bag. Charlotte smiles up at me from around the bottle in her mouth. “You need anything while I’m there?”

“No, just be careful.” I see the concern on his face.

“I will, and I’ll be quick.”

I don’t take long in the store and get stuff that can hold us over for a few days. Living with five brothers, you learn how to grocery shop fast and efficiently. Luckily the whole trip doesn’t take fifteen minutes and right when I pull up to Anderson’s the rain starts to sprinkle. He’s out the door before I can even put the car into park.

“I’ll grab the stuff, you go head inside. Charlotte’s in her chair in the kitchen.”

“You sure? I can help,” I say, stepping out of the car and sliding my purse onto my shoulder.

“In.” He motions to the house as he goes to the trunk.

I shut my car door behind me and take one last look at him before I go up the porch steps and into the house. When I get to the kitchen I can’t help but smile when I see Charlotte in her swing. She’s swaying back and forth as happy as can be and it’s infectious. I can’t believe how quickly he got this thing, and it looks like she enjoys it.

“Hi, baby girl,” I say sweetly to her, and she gives me a gummy smile.

She looks just like Anderson, so I guess he must have looked a lot like his cousin, too. I rub my finger up and down her chubby cheeks, just enjoying the feel of her soft skin. Is there anything better than a baby? Anderson walks in with the groceries and Charlotte perks up at the sight of him. Her little arms wave around in excitement and it’s the cutest thing ever.

“Let me unpack them.” I walk over to the counter and he lets me help, but he continues to unload them with me.

“Is there anything I can help with?” he asks when I start laying out what I want to make for dinner.

“No, why don’t you take a load off and enjoy some free time? I’ll keep an eye on Charlotte for you,” I suggest. I’m sure the man would enjoy a moment of time to relax. Babies can be a handful, and he’s been doing this all alone.

“Okay,” he says, but he only moves over to the breakfast bar, where he sits down and watches me.

We make small talk as I prepare tuna casserole with fried potatoes.

“How did you get that swing so fast?” I ask, glancing over at Charlotte.

“If you offer someone enough money you can get things here pretty fast.”

I turn to look at him. “What is it you do?” I ask, realizing I don’t know much about him. Though for some reason it feels as if I do because I’m so comfortable in his presence.

“I’m retired,” he says as he leans back in his chair.

“You seem a little young.” I smile, slicing the potatoes carefully.

“I was a workaholic with no family, so that’s where I put all my focus.” His eyes meet mine. “I didn’t realize how isolated I’d made myself. Even though I was around people every day, I was still alone. It wasn’t until Charlotte landed in my arms that I realized there was something else out there.”

“God, I couldn’t imagine not having a family. Mine are all over my life.” I can’t even stomach the thought of living too far away from them.

“I’ve thought back on it a lot since Charlotte came into my life. I think I did it to protect myself. I lost a family already and was scared of losing another. I did everything I could to make sure that wouldn’t happen again.”

“But fate had other plans,” I chime in. It’s something my ma always says.

“Yeah,” he agrees. “It’s crazy how things in life bring you to other places.”

“It really is.”

Our eyes stay locked and all I can think about is how everything he’s been through brought him here to me. I may have never met him if he hadn’t experienced that difficulty, and that somehow feels wrong. Charlotte lets out a small cry, breaking me from my thoughts.