AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“What a blessing for you both,” her mom said. “And for the Halversons too, I’m sure.”
“I do remind them frequently that they are indeed very blessed to have me,” Janessa said with a grin.
Jay glanced up at his sister. “You’re a blessing, all right.”
Even though she wasn’t thrilled about her mom sharing her comment to Doctor Martin, Misha was glad that her mom heard for herself that Janessa and Jay were happy there.
Jay had just finished putting the playpen where Misha indicated she wanted it, when Aria appeared in the open doorway.
“Charli found some more stuff,” Aria said with a laugh. “She wants to know if you need a baby bathtub.”
“She should have just made a list of everything she has from Layla,” Janessa said as she danced with Ciara.
“That would be very useful,” Misha said. “The tub in this bathroom is bigger than the one we had in our apartment in Atlanta.”
“Perfect. I’ll go get it from her.” Aria turned, then paused. “Was there anything else you might need for Ciara? I think Charli kept a lot of baby stuff from Layla.”
“She’s a packrat,” Jay said. “But the stuff’s coming in handy today.”
“I don’t think we need anything else,” Misha told Aria.
“Well, if you do, be sure to ask her in case she’s got it stashed somewhere in the basement,” Aria said. “I’ll just go grab the bathtub.”
“Thanks for setting that up,” Misha said to Jay.
“You’re welcome. I hope she sleeps well in it for you.” He stared down at the playpen. “Has she slept in something like that before?”
“Yes. Most days, she naps in something similar. I think she’ll be fine.”
“Does she sleep good?”
Misha found Jay’s curiosity interesting. “For the most part now. She’s only been sleeping straight through for the last month or so.”
Jay frowned. “Hopefully, this move doesn’t set her back.”
“Oh well, if it does, it does. Mom is good at helping me out at night if I need to work the next day.”
Though Misha looked at Ciara as her daughter, and legally that’s what she was, she knew her mom often saw Ciara as her baby. Not in a way that would ever cause problems, just that she felt equally responsible for her. There would come a day when they’d tell Ciara exactly who her parents were, but in the meantime, Misha would be her mom.
“That’s good you have that kind of support.”
Misha nodded. “I couldn’t have done any of this without my mom, to be honest.”
When Aria appeared with the bathtub, Jay excused himself. The other woman spent a few minutes cooing over Ciara, then Janessa gave her back to Misha and the two women left.
Misha decided to go ahead and give Ciara a bath since that was part of her normal schedule at home. At theiroldhome. Misha had to keep reminding herself that Serenity was home now, even if they were not in a place of their own just yet.
The large counter in the bathroom had plenty of space for the baby tub, and her mom took over giving Ciara the bath, allowing her to play for a bit while Misha dug out pajamas and the sleep sack she used for Ciara instead of a blanket. Thankfully, the playpen had come with a fitted sheet that appeared to be freshly washed.
By the time her mom came out with a towel-wrapped Ciara, everything was laid out. It didn’t take long to get the little girl dressed, then her mom sat down on the loveseat to give Ciara her bottle.
While her mom did that, Misha found her own pajamas and took them into the bathroom along with the small bag that contained her skin care and other personal care items. She tried not to think about how much she missed her home and the routines she had there.
Misha knew that she would eventually have that in Serenity too, but being tired was making her emotional. Not wanting to get mired in that, she quickly went through her night-time routine.
Though she didn’t usually go to bed when Ciara did, since they were sharing a room, Misha knew she had to stay quiet until the baby fell asleep. Plus, she was exhausted herself, so she’d probably read on her tablet until she fell asleep.
When she went back into the bedroom, Ciara had finished her bottle. Her mom looked up and gave Misha a weary smile.
