“Hey there, stranger,” she said as she approached him. “Can I come up?”
“Sure.” He replied.
She walked up the porch steps and proceeded to sit herself down on one of the chairs.
“So, what brings you round here? I had just met Mary the other day and she mentioned you were back in town.”
“Well, the schools are better here and of course we are nearer to little Gracie’s father too. This is Gracie by the way, your daughter.”
“Hello Gracie… Wait, what? MY daughter? That can’t be right. What are you talking about?!” Guy was taken aback, this kid was a couple months old, it couldnt be his.
“You look like you are trying to do the math in your head there Guy. Grace is six months old, I was pregnant for nine, which when you think about it, would put the time of conception to just before you dumped me.”
“Even if that’s true, why didn’t you tell me you were pregnant?!”
“Well, I didn’t actually find out until I was six months, I didn’t put on a lot of weight and I still had an irregular period. Doctor tells me I have an inverted uterus, which can hide a pregnancy psychically from a woman as the foetus is pointing in a different direction. It’s rare. So, when I found out I just got pissed at you for getting me pregnant and wanted nothing to do with you.”
“So, why come to me now?”
“Well, motherhood is difficult alone, and expensive, so I thought, you being the good guy that you are wouldn’t mind taking Gracie for a week while I go on a business conference and have a break. Also, maybe chip in a bit, food and clothing and diapers are pricey!”
“Well. Just wait a minute. You can’t just walk in here and dump a baby on me. How can I know she is mine?”
“Well, the timing fits and I never cheated on you. Look, will you take her, it’s just for the week. I have all her stuff in the car and I’ll give you my new cell number so you can call me and that.”
“Mags, I dunno, this is pretty serious. I don’t know how to look after a baby.”
“Hey, neither did I, you’ll pick it up.”
“Look, I am moving house tomorrow! All my things are packed away, I can’t stay here with a baby for the week!”
“So, take her with you? Where you going?”
“I’m going to Maine. That’s where I’m moving to.”
“Hmm, okay, well I can change my return flight to there and pick her up there.”
“What? This is crazy Mags, I can’t believe you.”
“Look, she’ll be fine, she’s a really chill baby. She rarely cries other than for feeding and diaper changes. So, once you do that, you’ll be fine!”
Mags walked back to her car and took some sports bags from the trunk. She dumped them on the porch.
“So, for feeding, I am just finishing up with the breast milk, I’m just using the last few bottles of pumped stuff that I have, then we are onto formula. Mommies run dry! So, you better get that little cooler bag in the fridge right away.” She bent down and put Gracie in a little rocker chair. “Her diapers and clothes are in that blue bag and formula and steriliser and bottles are in the red one. Okay, well I have to drive to the airport. Give mommy a kiss.”
She bent down and kissed Gracie. She handed Guy a card with all her contact info on it.
“Look I am sorry it has to be so abrupt but, you are the father and you weren’t around or answering my emails, so I had to do it now. You’ll be fine. She’s just a baby.”
Margaret walked away to her car, as she pulled out she stopped and waved as she disappeared behind the trees. Guy just stood there. Then the baby began to cry.
“Frank, can you get Gail to come with you today? It’s pretty important.” He was calling Frank, they were the only people with at least a little kid knowledge he knew well enough to call. “The sooner the better, I have a little emergency on my hands. Yes, thank you. See you soon.”
Guy was still standing on his porch just looking down at the baby. She was sitting there flapping her little legs and arms up and down making cooing noises. One moment she was fine and dandy, the next she was looking right into his eyes and she began to cry, big heavy loud sobs. He began to panic! I hope this isn’t a diaper change cry, he thought to himself. He unclipped the strap to her chair and picked her up. He took her and the chair inside and sat on the stairs. He held her over his shoulder and rocked her up and down.
“Ssshh baby,” he said. He hadn’t held a baby in a few years, let alone changed a diaper, he couldn’t actually remember the last time he had done that! His youngest niece was six, so it was probably that long ago! He heard a car arpproaching and swore out loud in thanks.
“Hey, Guy, what’s this emergency..” Frank stood in the doorway looking at Guy sitting on the stairs holding a sleeping baby across his lap. “Whose baby is that?”
“Well… it’s my ex’s and she seems to think the baby is mine.”
“What? Did she not tell you she was pregnant? I mean this kid is a couple months old!” Frank said.
“What’s the emergency then?” Gail said as she walked in the door and then her jaw dropped. “Whose baby is that?”
“It’s Guys apparently.” Frank told her.
“Your’s? Since when? Whose the mother? You never told us you had a kid?”
“Well, this is what I know. My ex moved away from here after I dumped her about a year and a half ago. I hadn’t heard from her until today. I met a friend of hers in town yesterday and she told me that my ex had moved back. This is my ex Mags, you remember her? We dated for about a year or thereabouts. Well, this friend tells me that Mags has been trying to get in touch, and that she has a surprise for me. Come to today, she drives in here, tells me Gracie is mine, that she is six months old and Mags needs to go to a work conference and that I need to bond with my daughter. She’ll be back in a week and will pick her up from me in Maine where I’m now moving to.”
Frank and Gail where flabbergasted. They both said nothing for a few minutes.
“I need a coffee, can one of you take her while I do that please?” Guy asked.
“Yeah sure, I’ll take her. Come here honey.” Gail said.
Guy handed the baby over and Gail cradled her and they all walked into the kitchen.
“Do you think she’s really your kid? I mean have you thought about the timeline?” Frank asked.
“Well, the timing is right. She says it matches up and that she never cheated on me, so I guess she could be mine.”
“You need to get a paternity test. You just take a swab and send it off, or take it to your doctor and ask him what to do with it.” Gail said.
“Yeah, I mean of course, I’m not going to just take the word of a woman I haven’t seen in over a year and who didn’t believe me when she accused me of cheating. It’s Saturday though, that can wait until Monday. I’ll be in Maine then. Damn! Darla, what am I going to tell her? I can’t just turn up with a kid in tow! Oh man, she really picked the perfect time to drop this on me. Two months ago and I was a single guy, now I’m in a relationship with a single mom. Way to go Mags.”
“Do you think Mags is just using you as free daycare? I mean as a way to get you back for dumping her?”
“Oh yes, I wouldn’t put it past her.”
The evening wore on. Gail was kind enough to change Gracie’s diapers and show Guy how to do it and use all the various creams and clothing to get her sorted for the morning. They finished packing up what they could and around eleven said their goodnights. Guy was alone with the baby. She was in the carry basket that Gail had brought over for him after they realised she had nothing to sleep in. He carried her up the stairs to his bedroom and put her on the floor just next to his bed. She was sound asleep and very, very cute looking. She had a light covering of blonde hair and the tiniest fingers. If he was honest with himself, it got Guy thinking about having his own baby with Darla. Imagining what that baby would look like, a mix of them both, a kind of caramel colour or a darker chocolate, maybe his fa
milies red hair would come through, would Darla even want more kids? It was something they hadn’t even discussed. Well, this would definitely bring the subject up. He fell asleep dreaming of Darla and how he would talk to her about having their baby.
On Sunday, he was awoken by a loud noise, at first he couldn’t figure out what it was? Then he remembered the baby. He peered over the side of his bed and there she was in all her glory. Gracie, the baby he was pretty sure wasn’t his. His first thought went to Darla. Should he call her? He can’t just show up in town with a strangers baby, especially when she is claiming the baby is his. He would have to call her. First things first though, he would have to change the babies diaper.
He managed to get through the poopy diaper, just about alive. He had not remembered them like that, thats for sure. A product of evolution, like how women forget how painful childbirth is, he guessed. If we really remembered how messy and painful it could be having kids, who would have them? He warmed up a bottle and sat down to feed Gracie. Then his phone started to buzz. It was Darla, but it wasn’t a phone call, it was a video chat. He had to answer, but he had a very obvious baby in his lap. He answered.
“Good morning, handsome. You had your coffee…yet… What is that in your arms? OH! Did your friends have their baby already?” Darla asked?
“Um… No. This is not their baby. Okay. Well, we never really talked about our ex’s in much detail.” Darla cut Guy off.
“WHAT? Your ex? What are you about to tell me Guy Murtagh? Seriously.”
“Okay, this is Grace. Her mother is Margaret, who is my ex. I have not seen her since we broke up, well over a year ago, but enough of a timeframe that she can try and claim that Gracie is mine. I know she’s not mine. Mags is just trying to get back at me for dumping her and for blocking her from my email.”
“Then why are you holding that woman’s baby and feeding her?”
“Well, she dumped her with me on the porch yesterday evening, pretty much told me the baby is definitely mine and she had to go to a work conference and she’d come pick her up in Maine. I too, to say the least, was gobsmacked. I don’t think I said a word to her. I called Frank and Gail and they came and helped me with her while we tried to pack as much as we could.”
“So, she’s not yours? Are you sure?”
“I am pretty sure we used protection the whole time we were together. I did not want kids then.”
“So, you want kids now?”
“I’m definitely thinking about it,” he said. “What about you? Are you done having kids?”
“No, I’ve definitely thought about having siblings for Adeen, if I met the right man.” she said, smiling at him.
“Okay, so we both want kids, well it’s something to keep in mind, but we will see how I do with Gracie, I’ll be alone with her until I get down to you guys tomorrow morning. Frank and Gail are arriving today in two hours to help me finish all the last bits and pieces, but I don’t know if I should drive through the night with her, or leave it until tomorrow.”
“I think you should just leave whenever you are ready. Babies typically sleep in the car, so it would be good if you were driving overnight anyway. Just come straight to my place and I’ll help you out with her.”
“You’d do that? You are an angel.”
“No problem. This ex of yours is a piece of work dropping her kid on you like that, but it’s not yours or Gracie’s fault, so of course I’ll help her, plus babies are so cute!”
Frank and Gail arrived on time and brought bagels, doughnuts and coffee. Guy had packed all the kitchen stuff away this morning as Grace sat in her bouncy chair. They sat and ate as Gail fed gracie a bottle.
“She’s a pretty neat little baby.” Frank said.
“Yeh, she didn’t wake me up once last night, I’d totally forgotten she was there until I heard some cries first thing when I woke up.” Guy said.
“Well, even though her mom seems like a right… I wont say it, but this little one is a real cutie pie.” Gail said.
“So, you going to get the test done when you get to your new place?” Frank asked.
“Yes, first thing Monday morning. No idea if my insurance will cover this sort of thing, but I looked up and there is a kit you can buy in some pharmacies and send it off to a lab and they call in 2-3 days, so I should have it by the time Mags come back on Saturday. I feel bad for Gracie, I mean, I hope Mags is stable and a good parent and this was just a desperate attempt to get back at me and she also needed a babysitter.”
“Yeah, I mean, but what if she doesn’t come back!” Gail added.
“Oh God, I never even thought of that.” At that moment Guys phone rang. It was Mags.
“Hey Mags, how are you doing?” he asked.
“I’m good, how’s our lil girl? Is she doing okay? I miss her like crazy.”
“Yeah, she’s been a really great kid, my friends are here now, Gail and Frank, Gail is feeding her right now.”
“Oh thats good to hear. So, when are you leaving for Maine?”
“Tonight. I’ll text you the address if you want so you can just meet us there on Saturday.”
“Okay, that sounds great. Okay I gotta get back now, lots of meetings to get to. Bye.”
“Bye Mags.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
Guy said his goodbyes to Frank and Gail, thanking them both for their help in packing and with his sudden case of surprise baby. He told them he would come and visit as soon as they have their little bundle of joy. Frank drove Guys car home and would keep it for him until his next visit.
With his last belongings in his rental truck, he pulled out of his driveway for the last time at ten in the evening. Little Gracie, was tucked in all cosy in her car seat, awake, but settled. The drive would take a while and he would need to stop, but he hoped that she wouldn’t be too upset along the way.
Guy ended up stopping four times along the way, to feed and change Gracie, and to feed himself too. She had slept most of the way and other times, just lay there making little noises. He pulled up outside Darla’s at quarter to seven Monday morning. He was tired, very tired. He unclipped Gracie’s chair from the seatbelt and carried her up the path to Darla’s. Darla was up and he saw the light in the hall come on as he approached the house. The door opened and Darla stood there, wrapped in her dressing gown and slippers, looking as beautiful as ever and somebody he wanted to really spend some more time getting to know.
“Boy, I really thought this was just too crazy to be true and you would show up empty handed, but here you are with some woman’s baby.”
“I know! I’m still adjusting.” He kissed her and then followed her into the house.
By the time Gracie’s bottle was warm enough for Darla to start feeding her, Adeen was awake and downstairs to see what was happening. They had just told her that Guy had had to mind the baby for a friend real sudden. She was happy to see her, she hadn’t been around babies much as none of her friends had younger siblings yet, so she ooohed and ahhed over her, loving the opportunity to cuddle her and help feed her.
“I love babies.” Adeen said as she let Gracie hold her finger and wave it about.
“Yes, they are very cute, but hard work too, isn’t that right Guy?”
“Oh, yes, super hard work. And they cry a lot and are stinky.”
“Noo, they are so cute. I’d love a baby brother or sister,” she said, looking up at them both with her cute little face.
“Would you now? Well, I don’t know. One child is enough for me.” Darla said.
“No, mama you gotta have a baby with Guy. I gotta have a little brother or sister. Two of my friends mama’s are having babies now.”
“Okay, well no promises. You don’t just have a baby because you want one, it has to be the right time and right now, Guy and I have just started dating.”
“Okay then.”
Later that day, they went to the pharmacy together and Guy picked up the paternity test. He took the samples in the bathroom of the dine
r and then filled out the forms, all the while hiding it from Adeen. Then they posted it after lunch. He felt relieved it was done. Even though there was a small chance he could be the father, he really felt like he wasn’t and that Mags was just taking out her revenge on him. If he was Gracie’s father, then they would all deal with the situation like grown ups and work something out. Nancy inquired who the baby was and they just said they were looking after her for a friend for the week. The baby drew looks from the people they knew who all thought they had adopted a new baby suddenly. They thought maybe it would be best to head out to the island and get a break from all the looky loos.
Gracie did great on the boat ride, even falling asleep. Adeen was adamant that she be allowed sleep in the upstairs bedroom with Gracie, so they allowed her. Guy and Darla were both sure that after one night of being kept awake, she would relent and want her down with her mom and Guy. The weather was great that week for them. Late July and the sun just continued to shine, the temperature was too much for the kids though, and they stayed indoors most of the time. With Guy and Darla sitting out on the porch, the kids inside with a fan on them. Adeen was still writing her short story and Gracie was sitting in a fort they had made her surrounded by blankets, playing with some old toys that were in the house. When the time came for them to leave Saturday morning, Guy and Darla both looked longingly at Gracie.
“Even if she is yours, I’ll not change my mind about you, so I hope you don’t feel you have to leave and be with Mags just because of the baby.” Darla said.
“Even if she is mine, I wouldn’t leave you. We’ll work something out. Maybe Mags can move here, or we’ll just see her on weekends. It will work out.”
“One thing I realised over this last week though. I definitely want to have a child with you. You have been great with Adeen, I see how much you are growing to love her, but I want to see what a you and me baby will grow up to be like. We will have two wonderful children raised in happiness.”
Love Revealed: A BWWM Sweet Romance Novel Page 12
