Chapter 20
Twenty
Chris stared out the window facing the backyard as Erykah navigated the tall pines with Charlie and a flashlight. He hated letting her go without company, but he fully understood the desire to be alone with one’s thoughts.
Lord God, whatever is going on with her, please help her sort through it. May she find You and be able to understand how You’re the answer to any question. Please comfort her. I’m not sure if she’s stressed from all the changes or if something else is on her mind. Whatever it is, please guide the way for Erykah. Be the literal flashlight in her hand, if that’s what it takes.
Because as much as Chris wanted to be out there trudging through the weeds with her, he had an equally important assignment: Ashlynn and Cheyenne. He didn’t take the trust Erykah gave him regarding her two nieces lightly. He was thankful he could be there for them all, no matter how inadequate he felt.
Taking care of both girls for the length of a walk—or however long Erykah would be outside—shouldn’t make him nervous. But it did.
Cheyenne asked so many questions, and her temperament se emed to change with the wind. Ashlynn liked him well enough, but she fed off others’ emotions and was prone to excessive crying.
He turned away from the window to see Cheyenne with her hands on her hips and her brow furrowed. Uh-oh.
“You okay, Cheye?”
“I’m hungry.”
She’d just eaten a good-sized helping of the casserole Erykah had made. How did her stomach have room for more food? “Do you want seconds?”
“No.” She tossed her curls. “I want an apple.”
That was a good snack choice. “Okay.” He grabbed one out of the fruit bowl and handed it to her.
“But...” Tears welled up in her eyes. “You didn’t cut it.”
Right. You’re dealing with little kids. Get it together. Chris grabbed his bamboo cutting board and a knife out of the block on the counter. Speaking of which...
Chris pushed the block of knives against the wall, then eyed Cheyenne, trying to measure her arm span. No way he wanted to risk her being able to reach those and possibly injure herself. He sliced the apple into eighths, cutting right through the core, then dropped the slices onto one of the colorful plastic plates Erykah had brought from her sister’s house. He set the dishware at the table in front of Cheyenne’s booster seat.
“There you go, kid.”
“You cut it wrong!” she cried. Her head tipped back, reminding Chris of one of the Peanuts gang.
All he could see was a wide mouth letting out a wail that would surely wake Ash.
He rushed to her side, hoping to hush her before Ashlynn started crying. “How? What did I do?”
“What’s that?” Cheyenne pointed to the seed in the middle of the apple. “Mommy never put that on my plate.”
“I t’s the seed.”
“Is that like a baby apple?”
It was all he could do not to tease, but the seriousness in Cheye’s gaze kept Chris quiet. He drew in a breath, trying to figure out how to keep her from rejecting the perfectly good apple.
“How about I just remove them?” He scooped up the few seeds that had landed on her plate.
He’d have to be more careful in the future. Weren’t seeds a choking hazard? Even though Cheye was bigger than Ash, she could still easily choke. Come to think of it, so could Chris or Erykah for that matter.
“There. All better.” He smiled at her. “I promise it’ll still taste like an apple.”
She shook her head. “I don’t want it.”
Chris ran a hand down his face. Of course she didn’t. Cheyenne got out of the chair and stalked out of the kitchen like she hadn’t just wasted a perfectly good apple. Though Chris would eat it. He couldn’t throw it away without a perfectly good reason. How about the fact you don’t want it? Yeah, not good enough.
Before he could reach for a slice, cries sounded on the baby monitor. Ash was awake. He headed down the steps to the basement and went straight to their room. The eight-month-old held on to the crib rail, tears rolling down her face.
“Hey, Ash. You okay? Need a diaper change?” Please be dry, please, please ... please.
She held out her arms, so Chris picked her up. Her cries settled, and she nuzzled her head right under his neck. Holding her made him want a family. Was this what his friends were trying to get him to have? A life with a good woman and the kids who came from that relationship?
“Y ou want a bottle?” Ash’s bottom didn’t feel soggy, thank goodness.
She whimpered and made a grabbing motion as if wondering where the milk was. He probably should’ve prepared one before coming downstairs, but he hadn’t wanted her to cry long. Her cries went straight to his heart and ripped it to shreds.
“Let’s go get a bottle,” he murmured.
Instead of Ash making a happy noise, the longest, wettest sound of wind ripped the air and stopped him in his tracks. That wasn’t just a normal sound of passing gas. Not when the arm that was tucked under her diaper had warmed.
“Oh no.” He looked down at the cherub. “I thought we were friends? Why would you do this?”
Her bottom lip trembled, and her dark eyes filled with water like something out of a Looney Tunes episode. “Don’t cry, don’t cry, baby. I’ll change you.”
God, help me. Please don’t let it be a blowout.
He still remembered the time that happened on their road trip.
Chris laid the baby on the changing table and wished for a bandana to cover his nose and mouth. He grabbed a fresh diaper to have at the ready, then unsnapped the onesie. As he peeled the flaps back, the full force of the smell smacked him in the face.
“Whew, Ash, you let that rip!” He wrinkled his nose and waved a hand in front of his face.
She giggled. The more he waved his hand, the harder she laughed. If that wasn’t just the cutest thing, he didn’t know what was. While he cleaned her up, he continued to make the stinky face—yep, he’d named it—and gained more laughter.
Cheyenne found them and glared at Chris from the doorway. “Why is she laughing?”
“I was making a face. It made her laugh.”
“I want to see.”
He did it again. Instantly, Ash laughed, but Cheyenne’s glower only darkened. “You’re not funny.”
Chris bit back a sigh. “Do you want to do something fun?”
“Like what?” She eyed him warily.
Like what, indeed. Erykah was outside, walking who knew where, and he didn’t want to encroach on her quiet time. “Want to watch a movie?”
“I want a tea party.”
Chris stared at her as his thoughts stuttered to a halt. Had her father had tea parties with her? Would Chris if he had a daughter? Definitely.
He nodded. “’Kay. I’ll be right up there.” He held up the diaper. “Do you want to throw this out for me?”
“No way,” she yelled as she raced toward the stairs.
“No running!”
Chris’s phone buzzed. He grabbed it, checking to see if the notification was from Erykah.
Tuck
Chris, are you able to make the wedding or not?
Tuck
And I’m not being accusatory.
Tuck
Shoot, I should’ve called.
Lamont
Nah, this is entertaining.
Lamont sent a GIF of a foot going into a mouth. Chris had to laugh at the image.
Chris
I should be able to. I’ll fly out day before and day after. I don’t want to be gone too long.
Tu ck
I hope you know Erykah and the girls are welcome.
Would that be a good thing to invite them to? Would she be able to get away from work?
Chris
I’ll ask her. But pray for me. My mom is planning to visit for Thanksgiving.
Lamont
Is that not a good thing?
Chris
She never comes to me, so I can’t help but worry.
Lamont
Never ever?
Chris
NEVER
Lamont
Tuck
Then pray I will.
Lamont
Same. Also, don’t forget our wedding is New Year’s, and Erykah and the girls are definitely invited.
Man, his friends were in full wedding season. Chris thought back to his almost wedding and again felt relief that he hadn’t married Tracey. Perhaps breaking your word wasn’t always a bad thing. He knew now that they weren’t meant to be, but even so, the trauma of the whole ordeal still clung a little too much.
Lord God, thank You that my friends found the right women. Please bless their marriages.
Chr is
I’ll invite her.
Tuck
Piper and I would love to have her there. We’re keeping the guest list small to keep reporters away.
Piper’s dad had confessed to using blood-doping agents on his horses early this year. It had been a huge scandal that’d broken out a couple of months before Piper’s own horse—not associated with her father’s thoroughbred farm—had won the Kentucky Derby. His confession had earned him a hefty fine, a lifetime ban from horse racing, and a five-year ban on betting. He’d missed jail time since the person who’d administered the drugs was the farm’s veterinarian.
Chris
Bet. Ttyl. Gotta feed a hungry baby and have a tea party with the 5yo.
Lamont
#FamilyGoals
Chris smiled. Theirs wasn’t the stereotypical family, but over the past couple of weeks, he’d come to feel like they were a family, though he didn’t know if Erykah felt the same way or was merely tolerating his presence.
His mind reverted to the day before, when she’d leaned against his palm and stared up at him with big eyes that were signaling consent for a kiss. At least, that’s what he’d believed until his mom had called and interrupted.
“What do you think, Ash?” he whispered. “Does your aunt like me?”
Ash looked at him like Feed me.
“Right. Sorry, baby girl.”
As he prepared the bottle, Chris turned on the tea kettle. How could he pour the tea so it wouldn’t burn Cheyenne’s mouth? Aren’t tea sets plastic? He needed to use a different liquid. Maybe Asher would’ve used apple juice since Cheye enjoyed it so much. He grabbed the bottle from the fridge, then made sandwiches.
“Cheyenne,” he called.
Footsteps pounded. “Yes?”
“Do you have a tea set?”
“Yes,” she said earnestly. “I’ll be back.” Her little arms pumped as she left the kitchen in a hurry.
Watching her was equal parts amusement and awe versus the very real tension of being exhausted from her energy. She quickly brought a tea set in.
“I’ll get the tea and snacks ready, okay?” Hopefully he would cut the sandwiches to her liking.
“And I’ll get the hats and feathers.”
He frowned. Feathers?
By the time Cheye walked into the living room, Chris had the coffee table set up as the makeshift tea table. Sure enough, Erykah’s niece walked into the room wearing a hat ... and feathers. More accurately, she wore a neon pink feather boa. She placed a small hat on his head and gave him a green boa.
“Now you look like Daddy would.”
He’d called it. Asher played dress-up and gave tea parties for his daughter. Chris could only pray he was doing the man proud and not disappointing him or his daughter. Stepping into the role of caregiver came with so many mixed emotions. No wonder Erykah needed a breather.
Chris pushed away his thoughts and smiled brightly for Cheyenne. “Should we take a picture?”
“Yes. We have to.”
He grabbed his cell and adjusted Ash in his arms while she inhaled her bottle. “Say cheese .”
“Cheese,” Cheyenne yelled cheerfully.
Chris would have to show Erykah when she came back, but for now, he’d be present with her nieces and learn the ways of a successful tea party.