I Know the Plans by Melissa Wardwell

Author:Melissa Wardwell
Language: eng
Format: azw3, epub
Published: 2018-10-30T04:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER 13

CHUBBY FINGERS LATCHED on to his calloused hands and the contrast captivated him. The eight-month-old baby he held watched him in wonder, setting his nerves on edge. It was like she saw deep into his soul and was looking for answers, answers he couldn’t give, answers he was searching for himself.

The weight of her tiny body, the dainty way she rested her hand, and the faint pucker endeared her to him. She was precious. He looked to Ryan and Emma in search of a family resemblance, it was their daughter for goodness sake, but he only saw the resemblance in her eyes. It was a resemblance to those that haunted him, and the reason for his escape to his in-law’s house.

“What do you think, Uncle Brad?” Ryan’s pride evident as he handed Brad a soft, thin, pink cloth.

“Put it on your shoulder. She is a spitter.”

“What does that mean?” The world of babies was clearly new to him.

“You’ll see. She is a regular drool machine too.”

Brad looked at the child’s mouth. Sure enough, water poured from her mouth. At that moment, she coughed and sneezed at one time causing her to gag on her saliva. Brad’s only response was to gag with her.

“Poor thing,” Ryan stated as he took hold of the pink rag and wiped her mouth. “She’s teething, but the running spit kicks her gag reflexes into overdrive. Add to it the pollen in the air, and we have one rough night.” The increasingly fussy baby was making him fidgety.

“Well, go ahead and take her. I think she wants you anyway,” Brad tried to hand the child to Ryan.

“No can do, Uncle Brad. I have breakfast duty this morning. She’ll settle down, eventually,” he replied, as he exited to the kitchen.

Ryan’s laughter bounced off the living room walls as he went to the kitchen. His brother-in-law had just tossed him into the deep end of something he wasn’t sure he wanted to be in. Brad was beginning to second guess whether or not he liked the man.

“Wait till you see the diapers,” he stated from the kitchen. “You won’t just gag. Trust me, this is the easy part.”

Fear and wonderment hit him as she settled. “Please don’t mess all over me, little one. I might not be able to keep it together if you do,” she replied with a rub of her eyes and a yawn.

Brad cradled the darling child to his chest, sure to have the burp cloth between him and her. The feel of his unshaved chin on her little head made the infant squirm so he readjusted so that she didn’t touch his face. The tranquility that he found in that moment spoke to his heart.

Taking it all in, he tipped his head back and closed his eyes. He wasn’t sure if his restless night was due to the dreams, Tiffany, or the lumpy couch, but Ryan’s oversized recliner and the baby on his chest was the perfect remedy.

His peaceful nap was interrupted by a thundering echo through the house.

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