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“Sure. Now?”
“Emma, sweetie, how would you like to finish your snack while you watch SpongeBob SquarePants?” Lisa asked as she gathered the remainder of the food and took it to the family room. Emma gave him a quick smile as she slid off the stool. “Do you like SpongeBob?” she asked him.
“Ah. I don’t think I’ve ever seen it,” he said, realizing that he was going to have to learn all about Emma’s likes and dislikes, and clearly her favorite TV programs.
She stared at him. “Everyone watches SpongeBob SquarePants. It’s funny.” She giggled as she followed Lisa into the family room.
When Lisa returned, she had a concerned look on her face. “I had a call from my family while I was waiting for Emma. My mother has been taken to the hospital, and I have to go.”
“I’m sorry to hear that. What can I do?”
She looked at him a little strangely. “Nothing. You’ll have your hands full with Emma. Having lost her mother and without me here, Emma will need all the love and support you can give her.”
He had to care for Emma? On his own? The knowledge slammed into him with the force of a sledgehammer.
“I—I’m afraid I’ll screw up. I mean, I’m just learning this whole parenting thing. Emma is still very uncomfortable around me. It’s not a good idea to leave her alone with just me, is it?” he asked, his heart pounding hard against his ribs.
Lisa gave him a quick glance. “There really isn’t anyone else I can call on, and I have to go. If you need help, I’m sure Deidre’s friend Valerie Henson could step in, but she works full-time and has kids of her own,” she said as she continued to peel carrots at the sink. “I’m afraid it’s up to you.”
“I…” What was he going to do?
“Your wife is here. She could help you.”
“No. Grace went back home. She’s…having difficulty coping with all the change going on in our life.”
Lisa turned to him, a concerned look on her face. “I’m sorry to hear that, but I have to go. I’ll leave you with a detailed list of instructions. And any contacts you might need are posted on the fridge.” She pointed to what looked like sheets of information. “I’m sure you’ll be fine.”
She finished preparing dinner before going to pack a suitcase. Still trying to process Lisa’s news, Aidan watched in horror as Lisa knelt next to Emma in the family room. “I have to go away for a couple days to see my family, but I’ll be back as soon as possible.”
“Don’t go!” Emma sobbed, throwing herself into Lisa’s arms. Lisa picked her up and carried her to the kitchen where Aidan stood transfixed by the enormity of this situation. He hadn’t imagined that he might have to care for Emma alone. He’d been counting on Lisa and Grace to be around and do the things little girls needed done.
How was he to manage the care of a child he knew so little about? He had no experience with children. He had no siblings, no cousins his age and had never been around young kids.
Emma clung to Lisa. The longer her misery continued, the more Aidan wished fervently that Lisa might change her mind or at least take Emma with her. “Are you sure this is a good idea, I mean, leaving me in charge?”
“We don’t have a choice,” Lisa said, her voice low as if to prevent Emma from hearing what she said. She glanced at her watch. “And I have to get going.” She gave him a worried look.
“I’ll figure it out,” he conceded as he moved closer to Emma, smiling as if his life depended on it.
For what seemed like a lifetime, Emma eyed him from under her teary eyelashes. Eventually, she pulled her thumb from her mouth, hiccuping and sniffling before putting her arms out to him.
