“Okay, I’ll let you down,” I said to him, glad to have something to do.
I couldn’t even pretend to be mad at seeing Alex. All I felt was overwhelming relief to have someone in my corner. Because whatever happened between us, I knew that I could count on Alex. He was my friend, above all things.
We watched Kayden as he toddled over to his toys moving from one to the other and then flash me a toothless grin. His joy made me feel guilty at how few toys I had bought him. But we had needed to be careful with money and kept some for a rainy day.
“He’s so happy,” I said. “Thank you.”
“It was nothing. It’s nice to have a chance to do something nice for you and him,” he said.
Feeling awkward standing, I plopped down on the couch next to him. “What are you doing here? Not that I’m complaining.”
He laughed. He looked so relaxed.
“I’m on vacation and I decided I wanted to spend it here watching Kayden until Mrs. Horace came back,” he said. “I’m already checked in at the B & B.”
“You can’t do that! What about your job?” I said, stunned at what he had done.
“I’ve worked like a dog for the last two years. My father was the one who shooed me out of the building.”
“That’s crazy,” I said. I wanted badly to accept his help but I didn’t want to take advantage of Alex’s kindness. A thought sprouted in my mind. Alex was Kayden’s father even if he didn’t know it.
Besides there was also another advantage to spending time with Alex. It would give me time to study him closely. I knew I could trust him with Kayden. That wasn’t the problem.
I needed to know that I could trust him not to take Kayden away from me when he learned that he was the father. I could just hear his mother telling him how unsuitable I was to raise Kayden.
Charlotte
“Have you ever taken care of a baby?” I asked him, though by my tone, he had already deduced that I would say yes.
Not that I had a lot of options. Actually, I had none and finding Alex waiting for us felt as if I had won the lottery.
“Oh yes. I’m Ryan’s favorite uncle,” he said.
It took a moment to figure out who Ryan must be. “Oh, that must be Mary and Richard’s son. How nice.”
“He’s a little older than Kayden but I’ve changed diapers, fed him and a lot of play in between,” he said.
“Okay,” I said. “You’re hired on a trial basis. When do you want to start?” I was so happy and relieved, I wanted to scream.
“I’ve already started. I’ll make dinner,” he said.
I laughed at his enthusiasm. “When did you learn how to cook? From what I recall I did all the cooking.”
“I had to learn.”
The playful mood dissipated as we were both transported to another period before it all got so complicated.
“Let me put the groceries away and get dinner started,” he said.
He kissed Kayden on the forehead before grabbing the shopping bags hanging from the stroller. Tears of relief filled by eyes. I dipped my hand into my handbag and pulled out my phone. I texted Hannah and let her know that I would be at work the following morning.
Her reply text came back almost immediately. She sent celebratory emojis and words to the effect that she was relieved to have me back. I popped into the kitchen to help Alex with dinner but he more or less chased me out.
I returned to the living room and plopped down on the floor to play with Kayden. With the sound of cooking in the background and myself and Kayden playing with toys, it was the kind of scene I had dreamed of years earlier and I’d almost let myself forgot what had derailed those dreams.
At six, I warmed Kayden’s food and carried him clutching a teddy bear to the high chair at the small dining area at the far end of the living room. Alex joined us and watched as I fed him.
“He’s a good eater,” he said.
“Kayden’s an all-round fussless boy,” I said and kissed his cheek smeared with sauce.
We chatted easily, returning to our old friendship where we never ran out of things to talk about. After Kayden’s dinner, Alex helped me with washing him and then after a sippy cup of milk, we tucked him into bed.
“Does he like bedtime stories?” Alex asked me, eyeing a pile of story books that I’d bought when he was a baby with the plan that we would be reading together. Reading was tough for me and a strain but I didn’t want to tell Alex that.
“He does.” Every kid liked having someone read them a story.
“Do you mind if I read to him?”