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A flood of future images ran through his brain—ballet class, lacrosse, a little girl curled up with a book, a teenager who looked like Ashlie. The images dissipated. Hopefully, Adelaide wouldn’t remind him of Ashlie. But it was a huge possibility. He’d work at getting over that and just being happy she doesn’t look like Ashlie’s grandmother, who resembled a bulldog.
As he got into the car, he suddenly thought of the fact that Katy was coming to his house for dinner. Quickly grabbing his phone, he called his grandmother who would be at the customer service counter at Spencer’s Grocery.
“Maw Maw, it’s Adam.”
“I know who it is,” she said. “I’m looking out the window and can see you at the curb. You got that baby?”
“I got her.”
“I’m heading out.”
“Wait, bring me something for dinner, please. Katy Theriot is coming for dinner tonight.”
“You want Eye-talian, Cajun, or white people food?”
“You know what she likes?” Adam asked. His grandmother had a memory like an elephant and knew what everyone in town liked to eat.
“That I do. Meatloaf it is. I’ll be right out.”
In ten minutes, she appeared at the side of the car holding up two huge grocery bags.
“Can I get in the car?”
“Climb aboard,” he said, unlocking the door.
She handed him the bags and got in back with Adelaide. They chatted while she fussed over the baby for a few minutes.
“Maw, come by in the mornings for coffee. I’m taking twelve weeks family leave from school. I’ll need the company.”
“I’ll be by for coffee first thing. We got New Year’s Eve to get through next, Adam.”
“New Year’s Eve will be a drop in the bucket compared to Christmas. Love you,” Adam said.
She shut the car door and stuck her head through the driver’s window to get a kiss from her grandson.
The ride back to the swamp shack was peaceful, and despite the muddy road, he loved living off the beaten path. That huge area of land was his, a portion of it too wet to do much with, but the wild horses loved the salt grass and scrub that grew up out of the muck, and his guilty pleasure was sitting on the screened-in back porch with a six-pack, watching the horses. That would be put on the back burner for a while because of Adelaide.
Just as he pulled up to the house, the baby whimpered. There was a brief window of time to plug her into a bottle before an all-out scream, complete with trilling that he couldn’t help laughing over, especially when her little tongue fluttered and no sound came out.
“Okay, kiddo, this food can stay out here, but you’re getting fed pronto.”
He got her inside and the bottle warmed up before any truly awful shrieks arose. It was amazing how much energy she had for being so small.
“You realize you’re never going to have a decent birthday since you were born the week before Christmas.”
She didn’t care, sucking peacefully on the bottle. At two ounces she slacked off for a burp. After she satisfactorily burped, he placed her in her crib so he could bring the food in from the truck. Katy would be there in half an hour and he wanted to have everything ready. But first, Adelaide would get the rest of her bottle and get a sponge bath and diaper change.
After a week, he was a pro at changing diapers. It was a little intimidating to clean her off thoroughly and he wanted no diaper rash on his watch, and since he was told he shouldn’t completely immerse her in the tub until her belly button fell off, he dunked her bum in a sink of warm water. The first time he did it, she pulled her knees up to her chest and let out a yodel that scared him, so after that, he splashed her toes with the water first.
They were getting to know each other. He imagined the day that she realized he was it, he was the parent that would see that her needs were met. After a week, Ashlie hadn’t contacted him or inquired how Adelaide was doing, and it both angered him and made him happy.
It angered him because someday, if this behavior continued, he’d have to explain to Adelaide that Ashlie had caved to the demands of her husband, and happy that he didn’t have to worry about Ashlie period, about broken promises and standing Adelaide up for visits and unmet expectations.
If Ashlie decided she wanted a relationship with Adelaide, Adam would monitor it. Just thinking about having to navigate custody made him anxious, and he was glad that for now, it didn’t seem to be an issue.
He heard the crunching sound of tires on gravel and stood up to go to the door with baby Adelaide in his arms.
“Welcome!” he called out, his heart picking up a few extra beats.
