Page 12 of Axe Backwards
I woketo the sound of baby giggles, wondering if I’d dreamed the middle-of-the-night encounter. Surely Victoria Randolph hadn’t actually come to my door at one a.m. to hold my baby like a ponytailed superhero.
I cracked one eye open and was instantly blinded by the sunlight streaming through the large window.
My head felt heavy and my back ached. I’d woken up more comfortably after spending a night sleeping on the ground.
Using more effort than should be necessary, I lifted my arm to check my watch. Seven.
I shot up, my heart plummeting. Tess.Shit.
I hadn’t managed to make it to my feet before I saw them.
Tess in her highchair, dressed and giggling as Vic made silly faces and fed her from a baby food container.
Tess clapped and signed for more as Vic slowly scooped another spoonful for her.
With a heavy sigh, I slumped back down on the couch.
“Good morning, Sleeping Beauty,” Vic said, holding the spoon aloft and moving it like it was an airplane.
Resting my elbows on my knees, I craned forward and rubbed my temples. “I’m so sorry.”
God, how could I have been out for so long? And how could I sleep so deeply that I hadn’t heard anything while Vic clearly dressed my daughter and then got her set up for breakfast?
“No need to apologize. Obviously, you needed the sleep. I tried to wake you to ask about the feeding schedule early this morning, but you mumbled aboutFrozenand rolled over.”
Finally standing, I shuffled to the coffee maker. Blessedly, the carafe was already full.
A wave of gratitude washed over me, but it was quickly replaced with embarrassment. I was supposed to be better at this. I’d been a single dad for months now.
After pouring a generous cup and taking a few sips of the scalding liquid in hopes of jump-starting my brain, I dropped a kiss to my little girl’s head.
“Da. Da,” she shouted, giving me a gummy smile.
Nothing had ever sounded better than that. Knowing she saw me, that I made her smile, that she wanted my attention, lifted my heart every damn time.
“Da.” With a giggle, she pointed one finger at the corner of her mouth and scrunched it up.
I gave her a smile and kept my tone easy. “What’s the magic word?”
Blinking up at me, she rubbed her chest, the sign for “please.”
I opened the cabinet and retrieved the Cheerios she’d asked for, then put a handful on the tray of her highchair.
“She signs,” I explained to Vic. “This one.” I demonstrated the first sign she’d given me. “Is for cereal, or any kind of finger food. She’s not picky.”
“That’s incredible.” Vic’s whole face was lit up. “Is she some kind of baby genius?”
A chuckle escaped me, and maybe my chest puffed up a little. It was as if this woman knew exactly what to say to me. I turned to her, noticing then that she was wearing a faded blue Lake Tahoe sweatshirt. My sweatshirt.
My chest went from expanded to tight in an instant. Damn, she looked cute in it. It had been a long, long time since a woman had borrowed my clothes.
With a grunt, Tess signed for more.
I scooped another handful from the box and dumped it on her tray. “While I am certain she is a super genius.” I gave my little girl a wink. “Baby sign language is relatively common. I watched a few YouTube videos, then a few more, and got pretty into it.”
Vic looked from the baby to me and back again, her eyes swimming with wonderment. “But she’s telling you what she wants.”
“Yup.” I put the box away and went back to my coffee. “I started signing to her at three months old, and she was signing back around eight months. I wanted to create a secure bond between us, and I hoped—I still do—that she’d feel confident that I could meet her needs.”
