Chapter Five
CHAPTER FIVE
FRENCHIE
As I lay in bed this morning after getting about two hours asleep and not all together due to my daughter waking me up most of the night. Staring at the ceiling, my thoughts come back to last night's events and everything starts to replay back through in my head. It hits me, I’m a dad! Oh fuck. I’m a dad! Then as I am about to have a high speed come apart, I hear the most adorable coo and look over at the pack-and-play that currently holds the most precious thing in my world. I still cannot believe that Angel could just leave her. Suddenly Avalynn’s coo’s get more serious and are now a hangry plead for food, I’m assuming.
“Daddy’s coming, I know I’m hungry too.” It’s the weirdest thing as soon as she hears my voice. She is silent. Maybe I am the baby whisperer, then she lets out a wail of a cry, maybe not the baby whisperer. I jump out of bed and pick her up. Her little face breaks into a gummy smile as I make my way to the kitchen. “Let’s get this bottle made and you fed, sweetheart, then we need to call your grandma and tell her that she is indeed a grandma.” I place her in the car seat Angel left her in so I can make the bottle because I cannot do it one handed yet. I’m measuring very carefully as I read the instructions over and over again. I feel like a complete moron because I keep picking up then setting down the formula container rereading the instructions over and over to confirm I’m making Avalynn’s bottle right.
I pick up Avalynn and with the bottle in one hand, Avalynn snug in my other arm, I tell Siri to call my mother’s number. The phone rings once, twice, then she picks up. I hit the speakerphone button so I can feed and talk at the same time. I know I can multitask like a boss!
"Hello?" My mom answers and I can hear people in the background and a bell tinkling once in a while. She’s at the bakery.
"Hey, Mom, it's me," I start, trying to keep the tremor out of my voice. Avalynn snuggles closer, her tiny hand gripping my finger.
"John-Paul? What's wrong, honey? You sound off."
I take a deep breath. "Well, nothing's wrong, exactly. It's more like unexpected news."
There's a pause. "John-Paul, you're making me nervous. Just spit it out, I'm not getting any younger."
I chuckle softly, adjusting Avalynn as I burp her. "Mom, you're a grandma."
Silence fills the line for a good ten seconds. "I'm what now?"
"Yeah, you heard right. I'm a dad." I have to swallow the emotions back.
"Oh my goodness! A little boy or girl? Name?” Her excitement comforts me.
“Her name is Avalynn Norman. She’s such a beautiful little girl, Mom! She is a copy and paste of me with the light eyes and red hair.” I can’t help but stare at my daughter.
Mom's voice cracks a little, likely from shock mixed with excitement. "Avalynn? That’s a beautiful name. But how? I mean, when? You never mentioned dating anyone."
"You really want to know how this baby was made?” Her chuckle fills the room. “I’m not dating anyone and it was a surprise for me too," I admit, shifting Avalynn again as she finishes her bottle. "I didn’t know until recently."
Mom exhales sharply on the other end. "And the mother?" she cautiously asks a mix of concern and curiosity threading through her voice. "How's she in all this?"
That is the million dollar question I suppose as I look down at Avalynn, her tiny fingers curl into a fist as she falls back to sleep with a full belly. “Angel is her name, and she’s not around. Mom, she gave up her rights to my daughter. It’s just Avalynn and me. I’m so out of depth here. Obviously, I have you and the guys, but you understand what I’m saying, right?”
She is so quiet on the phone that I almost check to see if we lost connection, “Oh honey, that’s a lot to take on. How can I help?”
I’m grateful for her offer because handling a newborn wasn’t something I pictured for my racing dreams—pit stops didn’t include diaper changers and bottle making. “Maybe you could come over sometime? Since you did raise perfection, maybe show me how to do things or what I’m supposed to do?”
“Now tell me what her size is so I can go shopping. I know the essentials you’ll need for now.” I go through the minimal clothing Angel packed. I read off the size and let her know what Liam bought for me. Mom tells me she’ll see me later and we hang up. I inform Renee I’m not coming in until my mom gets here.
“All right Avalynn, it’s just the two of us until Grandma gets here. What should we do?” The next thing I know I smell how I’m spending my morning. Gagging and trying not to die. “How can someone so small and adorable smell so fucking foul? Your uncles smell like this after a night of tacos or Uncle Liam’s chili.” After I clean up the little terror, she falls asleep and I place her in the bassinet so I can try to figure out where things will go.
This apartment has three bedrooms but one is a small office. For now I’ll turn the office into the nursery. I’ll either move the desk to the living room or figure out how I can do the paperwork downstairs now that I have Avalynn. The third bedroom is a guest room with a bed, dresser, and a closet for when Mom stays overnight or if I have Peyton for a weekend. I’m wondering if this should be Avalynn’s room or keep it for my mom. I know I’m going to need her help until I get a handle on this dad thing.
I pull out the tape measure so I can get a dresser, crib, and a changing table. One of the times I was up in the middle of the night with a crying Avalynn, I Googled what I need for a nursery. I may have also ordered some books for the first time dad books. Avalynn stays asleep for a couple of hours while I rearrange things, waiting on my mom. I make the decision to keep the bassinet in my room for now until I get used to being a dad.
There’s a knock on the door before the door opens and mom walks in. She has four bags, two in each hand. “There’s more in the car plus I have all the answers to your prayers.” She smiles and heads to the living room. “First things first, I want to see my granddaughter.”
I shake my head as I walk down the stairs to my mom’s car. My jaw opens, “Did she save anything for anyone else?” I say aloud. I unload the car in about three trips while my mom feeds, burps, and changes my baby.
“Now how did you save my life in the last fifteen minutes?” I ask her.