His Unexpected Family

by Patricia Johns

  Greg could hear the pain in Emily’s voice as she said it, and the thought of the tiny thing crying desperately to find her mother—the mother who had been absent for a couple of weeks now—was heartrending.

  Cora wailed harder, her face turning red as she cried out her frustration or grief, Emily patting her little rump and shushing fruitlessly. The restaurant was empty except for them, and when he looked over at the teens working, he found them staring.

  “Can I try?” he suddenly asked, and as the words came out of his mouth, he was already regretting them. He was more of an iron-pumping kind of guy than a baby-soothing kind of guy, but there was something about the sadness in Emily and the unwanted audience that made him want to fix it if he could.

  Emily agreed mutely, and he took the squirming infant out of her arms. What was he thinking? Cora screamed, her eyes squished shut and her tiny tongue quivering with the effort of her wails. When he tried to hold her close, she writhed and wriggled. He wasn’t sure exactly how to hold her, but he decided to simply use logic. When apprehending a suspect, first you needed to stop the perpetrator and then subdue the limbs. Cora’s legs were squirming quite actively, so he simply pushed the little knees up and pulled her against his chest. Once she was there, she seemed a bit surprised by her position, so he took advantage of the pause in her cries to hum a low, soft note.

  It wasn’t a song. It wasn’t anything, really, just a low sound in his throat that rumbled in his chest. Cora gave a few more squirms, then leaned her tired little head onto his chest, listening to the sound. Emily came around to his side of the table.

  “Have some milk, sweetie,” Emily murmured, and she slid the bottle’s nipple into Cora’s mouth. The infant started to suck noisily.

  “There.” Greg caught her eye and grinned. “Now don’t move...”

  Emily gave him an impressed look. “Wow, you’re good with babies.”

  “I’m normally not.”

  “How did you know what to do?”

  “Lucky guess?” He looked down at the top of Cora’s little head with the damp little swirls of golden-red hair. “I think I just surprised her.”

  The sound of Cora’s soft slurps as she drank her milk filled the space between them, and he looked down at Emily with her dark hair swept away from her face and her long lashes brushing her cheeks with each blink. She sat close to him on the bench as she held the bottle for the baby to drink, and the soft scent of her shampoo mingled with the scent of baby. Just another couple of inches and she could rest her head on his shoulder, too. He pulled his thoughts away from dangerous ground.

  “I’ll have to remember that trick.” She smiled sadly. “I can’t change the fact that I’m not her mom.”

  “Steve’s wife wouldn’t be her biological mother, either.”

  “Well, that’s true.” Some of the sadness left her eyes, and he felt gratified to see it. She was hard on herself, that much was obvious. And she was under a tremendous amount of pressure.

  What would it be like to belong with Emily and Cora? This was a sweet moment with the baby in his arms, drinking her bottle, and Emily so close to him that if he just leaned over... No, this wasn’t productive. There was no point in imagining what it would be like to have a family—to have them.

  “Maybe you should take her back,” Greg said gruffly.

  “Oh, no,” Emily replied, nonplussed. “You seem fine, and she seems happy.”

  With that, Cora finished the bottle and Emily moved around to her seat across the table from him. Greg looked from Emily to Cora and back to Emily again.

  “Burp her, would you?” Emily said. “Here’s a cloth.”

  She said it so matter-of-factly, as if asking someone to burp a baby was the most natural thing in the world, that he found himself wondering if it weren’t in fact the most natural thing in the world. He took the proffered cloth and put it over his shoulder the way he’d seen Emily do it. Granted, she was more graceful, but after a couple of tries he managed it, and he started to gently tap Cora’s back.

  “You know, I used to see myself with a whole houseful of kids.” Emily turned her attention to her fries, swirling them slowly through the ketchup. “I don’t even know why I thought I’d have so many. I suppose it comes with always having a class full of five-year-olds.”

  “And now?”

  “Now I’m grateful for the chance to raise one child. It’s all in perspective.”

  Cora let out a resounding burp, and Greg looked down at her with a grin. He’d never expected burping a baby to be so...satisfying. It was as if he’d just slam-dunked.

  “Nicely done.” Emily grinned at him, popping another fry in her mouth. “What about you? Do you ever think about having kids?”

  Greg felt the moment disintegrating around him, caving in on itself like the old mall when a wrecking ball connected with a load-bearing wall. He shook his head.

  “Not at all?” Her brow furrowed as her eyes met his. “You don’t want kids?”

  “No,” he said. “I don’t.”

  It was the truth, wasn’t it? He couldn’t lie to her, but he could see the disappointment in her eyes as he admitted what was inside of him. No matter how adorable Cora was, no matter how sweet it might feel to imagine having a family of his own, children were simply out of the question.

  Chapter Six

  The next day, Emily stood at the kitchen sink washing a sink load of dishes while her mother rocked Cora. The sink was loaded full of pots and pans, some muffin tins sitting to the side taunting her with the sheer amount of scrubbing they were going to require. It was a bright and sunny day, and as Emily stood there by the sink, wrist-deep in soapy water, she could see some robins poking through her lawn in the shade of an apple tree. It was peaceful.

  Emily’s mother stood behind her, Cora in her arms. She looked down at the baby with the wide-eyed expression people used with babies, and Cora looked entranced. Emily chuckled softly as she rinsed another mug and put it in the dish rack.

  “Uncle Hank came by this morning,” Emily said.

  “Poor man.” Her mother sighed. “Did seeing Cora help him at all?”

  “I don’t know.” Emily put her attention into some egg welded onto a plate. “He didn’t stay long. He cuddled her for a little while, then he said he had to go.”

  “I can’t imagine how he must be feeling right now....” Her mother put Cora up onto her shoulder and leaned against the island. “To lose a daughter.” She shook her head. “It’s unthinkable.”

  Emily nodded.

  “He and Jessica had a complicated relationship,” her mother commented thoughtfully. “That would almost make it worse, I think.”

  “What happened between them?”

  “He thought that being tough on Jessica would straighten her out.” Her mother shrugged her shoulders. “Was he wrong? I guess so, considering that she left and never really came back. He thought she needed more discipline, and by the time he realized he was wrong in that call, it was too late.”

  Emily pulled another plate out of the sudsy water and looked back at her mother. “I think it did him some good. He said Cora looks a lot like Jessica did as a baby.”

  “She does, doesn’t she?” The older woman looked down at Cora’s little face. Her mother had been a natural redhead once upon a time, and now she dyed it back to red, but it never looked very natural anymore. The line of white at her roots didn’t help.

  Emily was avoiding the topic that was on her mind, but she was afraid to bring it up. Had Uncle Hank felt uncomfortable in her home because of Steve contesting custody? Did he think she was taking something away from his family? She washed a pot, rinsing it in hot water and listening to the sound of her mother making mouth noises for Cora.

  “What about the custody thing?” Emily asked finally.

  “What
do you mean?” her mother asked.

  “Has anyone said anything?”

  Her mother was silent for a long moment. Then she took a deep breath. “Uncle Hank hasn’t said anything, but he isn’t much of a talker. Your aunts didn’t think too much of Jessica, so they think that she should have left her daughter to Steven. He was her brother, after all. Grandma is just really sad. She says that Jessica did a good thing by leaving Cora to you, and she thinks Steven is being willfully difficult....”

  Emily listened as her mother went on with a description of everyone’s opinions on the matter. She knew that every family member would have one, but it was another thing hearing them all. She probably shouldn’t have asked.

  “...Aunt Helen thinks that Sara wants to raise Cora because she gave Jessica such a hard time when they first got married. She thought Jessica was far beneath her and didn’t make any bones about it. Aunt Helen thinks that Sara feels like she needs to prove something. My cousin, Edith, on the other hand...”

  “Mom?”

  Her mother stopped. “Yes, dear?”

  “What about you?”

  “I think that Jessica made the best choice in choosing you. I think Cora would be a lucky girl to grow up with a kind and loving mother like you.”

  Emily shot her mother a grateful smile. “I love you, Mom.”

  “I love you, too, sweetie.” Her mother smiled. “So what are you going to do?”

  “I’m not entirely sure. What would happen if I fought this?”

  “It’s hard to tell.” Her mother laid Cora back in the bassinet and dangled a toy above her. “Steven would be angry, very angry. It would really affect your relationship with him.”

  “And Uncle Hank?”

  “He’s just grieving Jessica right now. I don’t know. People would choose sides....”

  That was exactly what Emily was afraid of—a big, tragic divide in a large family. The Shaws had big yearly family picnics. Everyone came with all of their children and grandchildren. There were games, more burgers than anyone could eat and a whole lot of gossip and chatter. Emily met cousins she saw only once a year, but it felt good to be a part of the Shaw clan. They had something special—a unity that defied the modern tendency to fracture.

  “And what if I lost this case?” That was Emily’s biggest fear—that after all of this trauma to the family, she’d lose the case anyhow and have nothing to show for it.

  Her mother didn’t answer that. She just exchanged a sad look with her daughter.

  “Is it worth it?” Emily asked.

  “Only you can answer that.”

  That was true enough, and Emily knew it. It was almost harder that way—having to make this decision that would affect all of them on her own. Jessica had named her the guardian of her daughter. Emily was the one with legal rights to the baby, and she was the one being brought into court about it. No one else could make this decision for her.

  “I think this is different for you because of your condition.” Her mother sighed. “You have more to lose.”

  Emily couldn’t help but agree. It had been two years since her doctor explained her medical situation to her. There had been months of testing, culminating in a day of exploratory surgery. When she awoke from the anesthetic, her doctor sat down beside her bed and met her gaze levelly.

  “It’s worse than we thought, Emily.”

  “How bad is it?”

  “The endometriosis has affected every part of your reproductive system. This is a severe case.”

  He had explained that another surgery was recommended. It was a solution that sounded like good news to her, and she felt a rush of relief. But then he had explained that the surgery would be a hysterectomy. Her symptoms would go away, her pain would be gone and she’d feel normal again. She’d have her life back, but—the kicker—she’d never have children.

  But the surgery was her only option. She was infertile.

  Emily and her mother had discussed the options long and hard. She had been in severe pain for the better part of a year. Her job was at stake. The school relied on her, and with her condition, she wasn’t going to be able to continue teaching.

  It had been the hardest decision she’d ever made, but she’d made it. The surgery had done all that the doctor had promised, and after a lengthy recovery, life had gone on, but there had always been a small part of her that quietly mourned the children she would never have.

  “Is it possible that God has a different child in store for you?” her mother asked now.

  Emily’s heart constricted at those words, and she winced. “I’ve thought about it, Mom,” she admitted, “but it would hurt. A lot. I’m crazy about Cora. Is that called bonding? I don’t know. The thought of just giving her up to someone else and walking away makes my heart physically hurt.”

  Tears rose in her mother’s eyes, and she nodded. “I know that feeling,” she whispered.

  Cora started to fuss, and Emily’s mother passed the baby to Emily. She tucked her little legs up underneath her and held her close the way Greg had done. Cora settled against Emily’s chest and let out a contented sigh.

  “That’s a cute trick.” Her mother chuckled. “Look at you!”

  “Actually, Greg showed me this one.” Emily blushed. “He’s surprisingly good with kids.”

  “You seem to see quite a bit of him,” her mother prompted.

  Emily just shrugged.

  “I don’t believe that for a minute.” Her mother laughed softly and folded her arms across her chest.

  “We...” Emily paused, unsure of how to explain it. “Greg is great. I don’t know what’s happening, exactly.”

  “So something is happening?”

  “Mom, stop it.” Emily chuckled. “I don’t know. To be on the safe side, I’d say that nothing at all is going on between us. We’re friends.”

  Her mother nodded, but looked unconvinced. “He seems like a nice man.”

  A nice man. Yes, Greg was most definitely a nice man, and so much more. He was kind and compassionate. He was strong and solid; a guy with a veiled sense of humor and compassion when it mattered most. Emily looked lovingly down at Cora’s downy head. Emily’s mother looked down at her watch.

  “I hate to rush out on you,” she said, bending to kiss Cora. “But I’ve got to get back home. Your dad and I have a date.”

  “A date?” Emily raised her eyebrows with a grin.

  “He’s taking me out for dinner.” Her mother let out a girlish laugh. “And I’m buying a new dress.”

  Emily laughed. “Go. Have fun. I’ll be fine.”

  “Love you, Emmy,” her mother said, blowing her a kiss. “You’re doing just fine.”

  “I know.” Emily chuckled. “Now go knock his socks off.”

  Her mother grabbed her keys from the counter and headed to the door. Turning back, she shot her daughter a playful grin. “I fully intend to!”

  * * *

  Later that evening, Emily sat in her big, overstuffed armchair, her feet tucked up underneath her. A novel lay on the arm of the chair, untouched. Cora slumbered in her bassinet, and Emily leaned her head back with a tired sigh. It had been a long day—the kind that reminded her that she was doing this on her own.

  She’d honestly thought that having a large, supportive extended family would be a bigger help than it was. While she had lots of advice and plenty of offers to babysit, there was one thing she knew she was missing—someone to sit on the couch with at the end of the day. Someone to say, “Wow, what a day.” Someone to share the memories with.

  It would be nice to have a loving husband next to her during all of this, but she was no fool, either. If meeting the right guy was this hard when she was single without children, meeting Mr. Right just got a whole lot more complicated now that she was a single mom. How many
guys wanted to jump into parenting with both feet? Not Greg.

  She blushed at that thought. How come when she thought about husbands and marriage lately, Greg popped into her head?

  As if on cue, the phone rang, and Emily looked around to try to spot the handset. It took her three rings to find it—this time in the bowl of fruit in the middle of her kitchen table. This lack of sleep was affecting her more than she liked to think.

  “Hello?”

  “Hi, it’s Greg.”

  “Hi.” Emily couldn’t help but smile as she walked back toward her seat, but from the bassinet, she could hear Cora begin to fuss. It was the wet-diaper fuss—she could already tell the difference between whimpers. Pushing herself up from her chair, she went over to pick up the baby.

  “How are you doing?” he asked.

  “Pretty good.” She bent over the bassinet and scooped Cora into her arms. “It’s been a long day, though. It’s tiring, you know?”

  “You sound like you have it under control, though.”

  “I really do.” She felt a little wave of pride as she looked around herself. “I mean, doing it alone is going to be a challenge, but I think I’m doing just fine.”

  “Good.” She could hear the smile in his voice. “I guess I just wanted to check up on you.”

  “Professionally?” she teased, laying Cora down on the receiving blanket she had on the floor for this purpose.

  “Not really.” He laughed. “I can’t find any professional excuse to call you at eight o’clock at night to say hi.”

  Emily blushed at that. “Well, it’s nice all the same.”

  Cora wriggled as Emily pulled the wet diaper away, kicking her little legs happily at her new freedom. She wiped and cleaned and put on some more diaper cream, then Emily reached for a fresh diaper.

  “Oh, no...”

  “What’s the matter?”

  “Oh, it’s okay.”

  “No, really. What’s wrong?”

  Emily closed her eyes for a moment and sighed. “For all my bragging about having it all under control on my own, I’m out of diapers.”