Page 55 of His to Love
“The trunk is packed to the hilt,” I told her as I signed the last page.
A woman came in carrying a large basket wrapped in cellophane. “Evening, Nash family. I’m Holly from parental services.” She placed the basket on the table then pointed at it. “Inside this basket—which is just for the parents—you will find our card with our hotline number for you to call if you need our help. We specialize in being there as a support system for new parents. We heard this was your first child, so you might need our help in the near future.”
I liked the sound of that. “Great. We will probably be giving you more than a few phone calls. We want to get this parenting thing right, don’t we babe?”
Alexa nodded as she peered at the basket filled with all sorts of goodies, including a bottle of wine. “This is nice. Thank you so much.” She gave the woman a smile. “And I’m sure we will be calling you guys. I have zero experience with babies, and the same goes for my hubby.”
“Well, you don’t hesitate to call. Not only for baby questions, which we will answer for you, but also for resources for parents and couples counseling. It’s hard to transition from being a couple to being a couple who are now parents. If you’re feeling anxious, angry, or sad, then give us a call. We love helping out young families.”
A lot would be changing for Alexa and I in our new relationship and family. In six weeks, God willing, we’d finally be adding a completely new element to our life as a couple. Intimacy might be hard to come by with little Patty around now, but I would definitely figure out how to make time for us. Somehow.
The nurse came in just as Holly left. “Good luck to you all.”
I handed the signed papers to the nurse. “Are we free to go?”
“I’ll be right back with a wheelchair to take Mrs. Nash and Patty down to you. Pull the car around to the front and I’ll bring them right down.” She left the room then, leaving us alone.
“Wow.” I ran my arms around my wife then kissed her on the lips softly. “This is it. We’re taking our baby boy home.”
She ran her hands around my sides as she gazed at me. “No more help. It’ll just be us now. Are you ready for this?”
“Not even a little,” I joked. “But we’ve got to do what we’ve got to do. I’ll see you at the car, my love.”
“Mi amor?” she asked as I walked away.
I stopped and turned around. “Yes?”
I saw a little hint of fear in her eyes that I’d never seen before. “We can do this, right?”
“Sure we can.”We have to. He’s here. No turning back now.
Fifteen minutes later, we were on our way home with Patty sleeping peacefully in the backseat. Alexa looked over her shoulder at him. “He’s a good baby.”
“He is,” I agreed. And then something niggled at my soul. “Alexa, you and I need to talk.”
“About what?” She gave me her full attention, running her hand along my cheek. “About how we’re going to be a real man and wife? Because I am so ready for that. Even if we have to wait six weeks before we can seal the deal. Just knowing that you love me makes me feel so much better.”
I took her hand, kissing it. “Me too, babe. Me too. I love you so much.”
“I love you so much, too,” she echoed.
“And I love Patty so much.”
“Yes, me too.” She sighed. “He’s the best.”
“And as the best, I think he deserves the best,” I took a deep breath, knowing she wouldn’t like what I had to say. But I thought it was what was best for our son. “I think we should consider telling the deacon and his wife about who he is to them.”
Anger flashed in her dark eyes. “Are you crazy?” she shouted.
“Babe, the baby. Try not to yell,” I cautioned her. “We’ve got fifteen more minutes in this car. If he wakes up screaming, we’re in for a long fifteen minutes. And I’m not crazy. But I am feeling quite a bit of guilt over this. That man showed up out of the blue today. Don’t you think that might be a sign that we’re supposed to tell him about his grandson?”
“He has a grandfather,” she snapped. “Myfather is Patty’s grandfather. And he has a father.Youare his father. The Soliz family has nothing to do with him.”
“Yeah, but they do,” I said as I tried to ignore the glare that she gave me.
“Patton, I don’t want to start our family like this.” She ran her hand over her forehead, as if the conversation was giving her a headache. “Patty isyourson.” She looked at me with wide eyes. “Unless you no longer want that.”
“I want that,” I rushed to say. “I didn’t say I didn’t want to be his father. I just wonder if that wasn’t some act of fate, the deacon coming into our room.” I wasn’t sure about anything anymore. Most of all, I wasn’t sure she and I would ever be able to have this conversation without her getting mad as a wet hen. “But honey, you and Patty are what matters the most in this world to me. So, if you don’t want to talk about this—”
She interrupted me, “Ineverwant to talk about this. You either are his father, or you are not—end of story. That family is no good. I don’t care how they appear—they are no good. Our son deserves to have a good life and we can provide that for him. Without them in it.”
“If that’s the way you want it.” It was up to her anyway. She was the biological mother, and I wasn’t a biological anything. “I trust your instincts, Alexa.”
“I would love it if we never spoke of this again, Patton. You’ve signed the birth certificate as his father, so we will never speak of things in any other way. Do you agree?”
She didn’t give me much choice. “Sure, babe. I agree.”
But that didn’t make the guilt go away.
