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“We did the picture for all the grandparents,” Haddie says as she stands next to me. “That poor photographer didn’t know what she was getting herself into. The older kids helped with the little ones, but it was still chaos.”
“I can imagine.” I lean in, looking at the kids. “It is not hard to tell which one is JJ. He looks just like Joe.”
My heart fucking hurts thinking about Joe. I’ve tried reaching out and have sent him a few letters, but he hasn’t responded. Besides not remembering sleeping with Haddie, hurting Joe is one of my biggest regrets.
“Yes, he does, he acts like him too. It’s hilarious watching him.” She places her hand on my forearm. “He just needs time.”
I shake my head. “I think I burned that bridge.” I turn to face her. “Did you tell your dad to give me a job?” She bites her lip and I know immediately that she did. My stomach sinks and I’m not sure I want to take it. “Why?”
“Because their company is the best, I knew you were looking, and I wanted to help.”
“Okay, but what made you want to do that for me?”
Haddie steps toward me so we’re almost touching. “You’re Madison’s father, I care about you.”
“Thank you,” I say softly. “I’m meeting with your dad tomorrow. If I take it, I’ll prove to him that I deserve my place.”
She smiles up at me. “I don’t doubt you will.”
I place my hands on her shoulders. “I know you were trying to help, but from now on, let me find my own way.”
“Okay.” Haddie takes a step back and grabs my hand. “Come on, let’s go peek in on Madison.”
“Won’t we wake her?” I ask in a whisper.
She smiles while shaking her head. “She has a full belly and a clean diaper.”
There’s a speaker on the dresser, glowing a light blue and playing what sounds like rain showers. We head across the room to the crib that sits against the wall.
I smile when I look down at my sleeping daughter. Her arms are above her head and her pacifier moves as she sucks it in her sleep. “Can I touch her?” I whisper. Haddie nods, so I reach down and stroke a hand over her head. I then rub my hand over her belly.
We leave the room and make our way back into the living room. “I know it’s only been a couple of weeks, but you’re so good with her,” she says.
My throat is suddenly tight and my eyes burn. “I’ve-I’ve failed at so many things. I don’t want to fail at this.”
She grabs my face. “Listen to me. You’re going to make mistakes. I’ve already made mistakes and will probably make some more. We learn from them and hopefully not do them again. Stop worrying, okay? I just remind myself that every mistake I make now, she won’t remember.”
“Thank you for letting me know her.” A tear slips from my eye, since I quick drinking and using I’m a lot more emotional.
She wraps her arms around me, hugging me tight. In turn I wrap my arms around her. We stay locked in an embrace until I feel her yawn. “You should get some sleep. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
Haddie walks me to the door. “See you tomorrow, Chris.” I stand outside and wait until I hear the deadbolt engage before I head back to Dad’s.
Haddie
“Mrs. Johnson, I’ll be back in the morning. Just remember we have nurses on call, so if you need anything for Mr. Johnson, don’t hesitate to contact them.” I pull the magnet out of the admission packet and show it to her. “This is the number you can call.”
She takes it from me and nods. “Thank you, Haddie.”
I head back to the office to work on my admission and send off orders to the doctor. Once I get that finished, I go see my last two patients for the day. It’s been a few days since Chris was over.
The day I talked to my dad I was sure he wouldn’t talk to Chris about a job, but was pleasantly surprised to hear that he did. Over the past year, Robert has shown me the work Chris was doing.
He’s talented at woodworking and some of the homes he’s worked on have been gorgeous. His dad told me that Chris’s boss didn’t want to lose him and offered him a lot of money to stay.
I’m glad Chris decided to come home, though. He wants to know his daughter and she deserves to know him. Sure, he could’ve known her living somewhere else, but this will be better for the two of them.
The rest of my workday goes well, and by the time I head to Robert’s I am exhausted. Madison decided she was ready to party at four o’clock this morning. Hopefully she’ll sleep well tonight and give momma a break.
