15. Sterling
“You came back,” I said as Cecelia strolled into the kitchen carrying several plastic shopping bags.
“I wasn’t going to take all of this home when Georgie needs it here.” She sounded wiped out.
“Two for dinner?” Wayne asked as Cecelia put her bags on the table.
I glanced up at her and raised my eyebrows in question. “Well? You don’t have plans for dinner tonight, do you?”
She blinked a few times. “Oh, two, you mean me?” She stared at Georgie, who was in the process of shoving fists full of chopped up chicken and rice into her mouth. The kid was eating everything. Tonight, the mess was minimal.
“Georgie is already having her dinner. Yes, you. Please, have dinner with us.”
She smiled, and the simple curve of her lips changed the mood of the entire room. It was as if sunlight broke through storm clouds, bringing warmth and golden light. I felt it in my chest.
“Yes, two for dinner,” I answered Wayne. “Show me what you got.”
“Let me get the list from the living room,” she said.
Georgie cooed, and I made faces at the baby.
“You’re starting to actually like her, aren’t you?” Cecelia asked as she stepped back into the kitchen, the notepad with her copious notes in tow.
“I… it wasn’t that I didn’t like her. I didn’t know how?—”
Cecelia snorted. She made the funniest noises, and it all added to her charm.
“What?” I demanded.
“I bet you aren’t used to saying things like ‘I don’t know,’ and ‘help me.’ Are you?”
“I’m not,” I admitted with a huff.
“I can tell. The words sound foreign coming out of your throat.”
“Are you teasing me?” I liked it. I liked that she wasn’t afraid to talk to me or tell me I was wrong.
“It’s only what you deserve for making me blush,” she said with a fierce determination.
“Note to self,” I said out loud as I scooped up a baby spoon full of rice and faced Georgie. “I need to make Cecelia blush more, don’t you think?” I ticked the baby’s foot before feeding her.
“Where is the diaper bag, back in her room?” Cecelia asked.
“Here.” I stood. “Why don’t you feed Georgie and I’ll go grab the bag? What else should I get?”
“Anything that needs to go into the bag—diapers, a pack of wipes, clothes.”
“Right.” I stood there and watched Cecelia smile at Georgie and coo words of encouragement as she fed the baby. It felt hauntingly familiar, like something I had missing from inside me.
I took my time gathering the items I thought would be needed. Instead of grabbing the portrait-ready ruffle dresses I mistakenly thought little girls actually wore on a daily basis—because the only time I saw baby girls, that’s how they were dressed—I picked up soft cotton outfits. Three of them. It seemed like overkill, but having already been grossly underprepared once, I’d rather be overprepared going forward.
I shoved everything into the bag and still had my arms full when I went back to the kitchen.
“Oh, wow, okay. Wayne, do you have any gallon-sized zipper baggies?” Cecelia asked. “Oh, and some paper towels.”
She started to clean up the highchair and Georgie as soon as she had the towels. She carried the baby’s dishes to the sink, leaving the kid in the chair while I spread the contents of the bag over the table.
Georgie sat and cooed and made her baby garbling sounds as I had a lesson in what should go into a diaper bag. Every pocket was filled. It was heavier than before.
“Are you sure this is right?”
Cecelia shrugged. “No. It’s righter than what we started today with. The next time you take Georgie out, you’ll learn whether it has what you need or not. It’s not a static set of must-haves. As she grows, you might need more clothes, or less, or… The point is, you learn and modify as you go.”
“Won’t you be there to help?” I asked.
“At some point, you’ll be on your own. As it is, I’m not here all the time, anyway,” she said.
“It’s better when you’re with us,” I admitted.
She pressed her lips together and looked like she was trying not to smile as she blushed.
“Shall I prepare the formal dining room, or would you prefer I clear the table so you can dine in here?” Wayne asked.
I glanced at my watch. It was almost time for him to leave for the evening. I looked at the piles on the kitchen table. No, we were still working on all of this.
“Dining room, please,” I said.
He nodded and went back to his work.
“That’s so weird,” Cecelia said.
“Hmm?”
“Having a butler, it’s… not something I think I could get used to,” she said.
“Trust me, it is very easy to get used to having someone help out. I grew up with staff, and for a while, I did it all on my own, but at some point, I kept forgetting that laundry didn’t do itself, and if I wanted a protein boost after my workout, I had to have the protein powder and peanut butter available to make the shakes with.”
“Maybe I could imagine having a personal assistant like that. I hate having to make sure I have enough money loaded into the app for the laundry at the apartment complex. Or I need quarters and a block of time to hang out at the laundromat, just to have clean clothes. And I have to do my own grocery shopping.”
“And you have to make sure that I’ve done all of that for Georgie.”
“Yeah, but that’s my job. I want to help out. It doesn’t mean I couldn’t use some help myself from time to time.” She lifted Georgie from the highchair, and food cascaded to the floor. Cecelia brushed her off and held her on her knee. “You are a mess.”
Georgie yawned and rubbed her little fist into her eyes.
“Bedtime,” I announced. “I’ll take her.”
“Your dinner will be ready by the time you’re out of the shower. It will be in the oven,” Wayne said.
“Thank you. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
Cecelia stared up at me, her brow twisted in confusion. “It’s her bedtime, but you’re taking a shower?”
I cocked my head for her to follow.
“She’s a mess, and she needs a bath. I’ve discovered it’s easier to just get in the shower with her. I’m going to get wet, anyway.”
“Do you have any laundry baskets?” Cecelia asked.
I shrugged. “I have no idea. I’m not doing laundry.”
“No, you’re washing a baby. Don’t get in the shower. Start the tub. I want to show you something.”
I had my shoes kicked off and my shirt off by the time she stepped into my bathroom. She held a white plastic laundry basket, and her expression was one of shock. There was no tub, only a large walk-in.
“I guess the trick I was going to show you isn’t going to work.”
“What’s the basket for?”
“I learned this great trick. You put the baby in a small laundry basket in the tub, so it”s a baby-sized tub in the bigger tub. But no tub.”
I took the basket and tossed it in the shower on the floor. “It will still help. She can sit in there while I hose her down. I’ll show you.” I stood and dropped my jeans.
“Mr. Alexander!” Cecelia shouted and spun around, giving me her back.
“I have shorts on,” I said with a chuckle.
Georgie and I stepped into the shower. I put her in the basket and turned the water on. I had previously programmed the spray for a lukewarm temperature. It was warm enough so the shower didn’t feel cold, but it wasn’t hot enough to burn the baby.
I knelt down and washed the baby as water showered down on us.
“This really helps. I don’t have to hold a wet, squirmy baby.”
“Do you really shower with her like this?”
“This, and she’s had a few baths in the kitchen sink. I don’t know how, but she’s always sticky. The shower makes less of a mess than the sink.”
“Make yourself useful. Grab a towel.” I turned off the water before picking up the baby.
Cecelia had the towel over her shoulder and wrapped it around Georgie as she took her from me.
“Thanks, I’ll be right out.”
Cecelia didn’t get the hint. She continued to dry off the baby and talk to her with cooing sounds.
“Unless you want to see me naked, you should take the baby to her room. I need to dry off.”
She blushed and scampered from the bathroom, slamming the door behind her. She was delightful.
I peeled off the wet shorts and wrapped a towel over my hips. I donned a robe before I crossed the hall and went into Georgie’s room.
The lights were already off, with only a soft glow from the cat-shaped nightlight. Cecelia gently rocked Georgie in her arms, humming a lullaby I didn’t recognize.
I stepped in close and wrapped my arms around Cecelia with her back to my chest. I watched Georgie yawn and settle into sleep over Cecelia’s shoulder. This felt right, having both of them in my arms at once.
I kept my arms around Cecelia’s hips as she lowered the baby into the crib. I rubbed my cheek against hers as she straightened. She turned in my arms, and I captured her lips.