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“You remind me of what an old soul might be like. I’ve read about them before, but talking to you, getting to know you, you might be it.”
“Oh, I’m definitely an old soul,” she whispered, then looked out over the bayou. “Look, the moon is rising! Now that’s a sight.”
A giant white ball seemed timed to rise just as the sun set.
“That’s the wolf moon,” Adam said. “Isn’t it beautiful?”
“My granddaddy said there are red wolves all over Cypress Cove.”
“There are now, but recently they were listed as endangered. We might hear one howl tonight.”
“I hope so. I love the wildlife,” she said.
Adam had the baby monitor hooked to his phone somehow, and just then they heard a screech coming from the nursery.
“I guess I’m wanted,” he said, chuckling. “Are you done? I’ll take your plate.”
“I’ll go in with you. I think a mosquito just bit me.”
“There must be a hole in the screen,” he said. He held the door for her and followed her into the kitchen. “Just leave your plate. I’ll load the dishwasher later. Do you want to go back to the nursery with me?”
“Okay,” she said, following him down a narrow, dark hall, lit by a single sconce with a candelabra bulb in it that flickered light. “This reminds me of New Orleans.”
“That’s exactly what I had in mind,” he said. “At night, she sleeps in a bassinet in my room, but during the day I keep her in the nursery so I don’t disturb her when I’m messing around.”
There was a soft light burning on the dresser so Katy could see the room, a mural of a mouse who was a ballerina. “Oh, how cute. The perfect little girl’s room. Did you do this yourself?”
“I did. I even painted the mural.” He picked the baby up from her crib.
“Well, I’m really impressed.”
“Thank you so much. I just copied pictures out of a children’s book.”
“She’ll hate to cover it up when she gets older.”
“It’s painted on separate sheets of drywall. All I have to do is unscrew them and there’s fresh drywall underneath.”
They returned to the living room.
“That’s amazing!”
“My grandmother gave me the idea,” he said, laughing. “Then if I ever have another baby…”
“Yes, of course. This is not your last stop in life.”
He looked at her, surprised. “You don’t think so? It feels pretty final to me. People look at a guy with a kid like he is marrying to get a babysitter.”
“That’s bull crap,” Katy said. “Whoever told you that?”
“It’s a guy thing, you know. We have that inner knowledge.”
“Ha! Well, you’re wrong.” She didn’t say that she’d be a willing participant. “Women will take on much more than men will.”
“Interesting,” he said, watching her. Was she hinting?
He took a baby bottle of formula out of the refrigerator and placed in the bottle warmer.
“Would you like a glass of wine?”
