11. Chapter 11
He looked like he had more to say when we parted ways. What could it be? I look in the rear-view mirror and see that Tori is wide awake and full of excitement. She’s a big sister now. I wonder if Holly wants to be a big sister someday, too.
When I turn on my street, I see a car parked in Aaron’s driveway. As I’m pulling in, I see Marilyn Monroe exiting his house, her fiery red curls bouncing on her shoulders.
I park and exit the car. She looks over at me and waves. I wave back before opening Tori’s door. I unbuckle her seat belt, and she climbs out of her seat. I take her by the hand and walk towards the house, but then I think better of it and turn around.
“Hi,” I hear myself say as my heartbeat picks up speed.
“Hi,” She answers.
“I’m Loren. We met the other day,” I say as I walk towards her.
“Yes, the day you dropped off Holly’s dish. It’s so cute. Aaron put it on top of the entry table by the door.”
“And your name is?” I ask, hoping not to sound rude or nosy.
“Sorry, yeah, hi, I’m Lisa,” she says, extending her hand for me to shake.
I do. Her hand is warm and soft.
“So, are you Aaron’s?” Her expression tells me she understands my question before I can put it into words.
“Oh, God, no.” She says, “Um, I’ve never met them. I’m actually filling in for my mother, Gretchen. She owns the cleaning company that services Aaron’s house. I’m visiting for a few months, so I’m scheduled to clean Aaron’s place three times a week. I know their names because they were written on the work order Mom gave me. She says it makes it more personal and shows that we care when we know our customers by name.”
I smile and nod stupidly.
“I can see you’re relieved,” she says, letting out a little chuckle. “You like Aaron, don’t you?”
I look down at Tori, but she appears distracted by the unicorn on the front of her shirt, which she’s slowly tracing with her index finger.
I want to say something. I want to correct Lisa’s mistake, but I’m speechless and frozen in place. What is she talking about? I don’t like him.
“Don’t worry, I won’t tell,” she continues, “I don’t blame you. There are plenty of pictures throughout the house, so I know he’s really good-looking. I’m a sucker for dimples, and this man definitely has them. Tall, mature single dad. Handsome as all get out. Like I said, I don’t blame you, girl. The man is hot.”
I’m unable to utter a single word in response to her assertions and assumptions.
“Ok, well,” I smile, “It was nice meeting you, Lisa.”
“Yeah, likewise,” she says.
I take Tori by the hand and walk towards the house. My face is hot and beet red.
“Loren!” I hear her yell.
I turn around and see her hurriedly walking up the driveway. When she reaches me, she hands me a business card that reads Gleaming Homes by Gretchen. “In case you ever need it,” she says, giving me a big smile.
“Thank you,” I say, smiling back.
When I reach the door, I look down at Tori. Her sweet little face is smiling up at me. Thank goodness she’s too young to have understood any part of the conversation between me and Lisa.
Aaron is not dating Lisa. He’s not married. I reach for the rings around my neck and grip them tightly, feeling a mixture of guilt and hope.
We walk into the house, and I take Tori to the bedroom. She sits on my bed while I go into the bathroom and splash cold water on my face. I can’t believe I just did that. I pat my face dry and reapply what little makeup I had on.
On our way to the hospital, I can hardly contain my excitement. When Tori was born, I was there. Watching her come into this world was one of the happiest moments of my life. They only allow two people in the room with Katherine, so it’s Mom’s turn. Next time, it’ll be Laila. Poor dad is outnumbered, but he has Adam, who has always been like a son, and now there’s baby Jon. They named him Jonathan David, after Dad and Grandpa. Dad must be over the moon with happiness.
My sister’s dreams are all coming true. I can’t help but feel a little envious, but I quickly brush it aside. Adam and Katherine deserve all the happiness this life has to offer. I’m grateful to share in their joy and love by being their children’s aunt. Tori is sitting in her car seat, quickly losing the battle between excitement and exhaustion. By the time I drive into the hospital’s parking lot, she’s fast asleep.
After I park the car quite a bit away from the entrance to the hospital, I open the back door to take Tori out of her seat, hoping I don’t wake her up and thinking I should’ve brought her stroller. I’m wrestling with the seat belt when I hear steps behind me and quickly turn around to see who’s approaching. I’m happy and relieved to see Aaron walking towards us. He’s still wearing his work clothes, a white dress shirt with the sleeves rolled up to the elbows and a blue tie loosely tied around his neck. God, he’s handsome. His dimples are on full display as he smiles at me. I can’t help but smile back. What the heck is going on with me? I feel a rush of emotion course through me, and I know I’m blushing.
“Here, let me help you. I’ll get her.” He says as soon as he reaches us.
“Thank you,” I say, stepping out of his way and hoping he can’t tell how his mere presence is affecting me.
I watch him as he reaches into the car and takes Tori’s seat belt off. His back is broad and strong underneath his dress shirt. In one swoop, he pulls Tori out of her seat and puts her over his shoulder. She doesn’t make a sound. He must get plenty of practice with Holly. He’s definitely a pro at this.
I immediately think of Holly’s comment at the studio. “My mommy lives in heaven. I don’t get to see her.” The sensation I felt in my heart at that moment can only be described as anguish. I had to will myself not to cry.
I grab the gift bag from the front seat, and we walk together towards the hospital entrance. I glance over at him, assessing what I see. He has thick dark hair with grays growing at the temples. The scruffy five o’clock shadow is salt and pepper. He’s at least a foot taller than me. Adam is six foot one, so Aaron must be a couple of inches taller than that. He has one protective hand on Tori’s back, and the other is wrapped around her bottom. I can see the wedding band on his finger. His hands are big and strong. There are prominent veins on the back of his hands that go up his forearms. I find that very appealing for some reason—something I’ve never noticed in any other man. Maybe I just haven’t looked. Lisa is right; he is very attractive. I try to focus on something other than this man’s many physical attributes, realizing I’m totally checking him out.
“You’re quiet,” I hear him say before we step into the elevator. Great! I’m blushing, and there’s nowhere to hide.
“I was thinking about Holly’s comment when we were at the studio.” I’m not lying; I did think about it.
“Yeah, I’m sorry about that.” He says, “Holly was only two when Julie died. Too young to understand what was happening. But now she’s old enough to realize she’s missing what most people have: a mom.”
The elevator doors open, and we step out. We walk down the hall to the waiting area, where Dad and Laila are sitting.
“Where’s Holly?” I ask.
“She’s in the room with Katherine and Mom,” Laila answers. “She’s meeting her new cousin.”
My little sister is gorgeous. Her hair has maintained the bouncy curls we were all born with. At five foot ten, she’s the tallest in the family, and when she wears heels, she’s even taller than Dad. Her eyes are a darker shade of green, and she has more freckles on the bridge of her nose and cheeks, which just adds to her unique beauty. She wears minimal makeup, but her skin is flawless. She’s in medical school right now. How she maintains her body in such excellent shape is beyond me. Her arms are toned, and her long legs are those of a dedicated runner. And in this moment, I feel completely inadequate, almost frumpy, standing next to her.
Aaron takes a seat next to Dad, adjusting Tori to cradle her comfortably in his arms. His protective nature extends to all the people he cares about. He’s also a wonderful father. I can’t help but stare intently at him, admiring everything about him, inside and out.
“Loren.” Laila’s voice and gentle touch snap me back to the real world. “Where were you?” she asks. I instantly feel myself blush for the third time today.
“Sorry, Sis. I was just wondering whether I should let Tori sleep or if I should wake her up and take her in to meet Jon.”
“Liar,” Laila whispers.
I look at her, my eyes wide with disbelief, and my mouth open in mid-sentence. “What do you mean?” I ask.
“Don’t even try to deny it,” she whispers, raising one arched eyebrow. “I agree, he’s a total hottie. But he’s a little mature for you, don’t you think? Isn’t he like forty?”
“I’m not even going to dignify that with an answer,” I say, feeling offended.
“And doesn’t he smell amazing?” she adds.
“How do you know?” I ask, looking over at her.
“I ran into him in the hallway at Mom and Dad’s, and well, he smelled amazing. That’s all I’m saying.”
“He has a habit of doing that,” I say.
“Do tell,” she adds with a teasing smile and another eyebrow raise.
“I have nothing to say. Now, can we please go meet Jon? We’ve been waiting months.” She puts an arm around me, and we head for the hallway. I look over at Dad, who gives me a little nod to indicate we can go. Then I meet Aaron’s gaze and hold it until we round the corner.
The room is two doors down from the waiting area. We walk in slowly and are immediately met by Holly’s excited little voice. “Auntie Loren!” She runs over to me and hugs my legs. I pick her up into my arms and hug her. When she pulls away from me, I lightly rub her nose with mine. She gives me a huge smile, and my heart melts. When I put her down, she holds my hand and pulls me towards Katherine, who’s holding the baby in her arms.
“He just finished eating,” she says, “Do you want to hold him?”
I look over at Mom, who’s folding a blanket at the foot of the bed. She’s smiling from ear to ear. I let go of Holly’s hand and put the gift bag next to Katherine. Then, I carefully take Jon from her arms. I stare at him and then gently unfold the blanket he’s swaddled in to get a better look at him. His hair is dark like the Linders. He’s pink, wiggly, and perfect. Once he’s free from the confines of the blanket, he stretches his arms far above his head until his face is red, but he doesn’t wake up.
Holly walks over to Mom, who’s sitting on a small armchair next to a table topped with gift bags, fresh flowers, balloons, and a baby bag that I’m sure is filled with everything a baby needs and more. In true grandma fashion, Mom picks Holly up and brings her over so we can all take full inventory of Jon together.
“Ten little fingers and ten little toes,” I say. Holly repeats my words and says, “He’s my cousin.”
“Yes, he is,” Mom says.
I look at my sister. She’s glowing with happiness.
“How did you do?” I ask, eyeing her from head to toe.
“It was tough,” she says, “but he’s finally here. We waited nine long months to welcome him, and now he’s here.”
I feel a tear roll down my nose as I look at this tiny human being—a little boy already loved by so many.
“How did Mom do?” I smile and look over at Mom.
” It’s hard to watch your child go through pain,” she says, “I’m glad it’s over.”
“Where’s Adam?” I ask, looking around the room.
“He went to get me something to eat,” says Katherine, “I haven’t eaten anything in over twenty-four hours. My contractions started yesterday afternoon, but I thought it was false labor. I could hardly eat anything, so I’m starving.”
“Dad and Aaron are in the waiting room. Have they met Jon yet?”
“Oh, of course,” Katherine says, “Dad was in here for a long while before Aaron arrived. Then he and Holly came in. He held Jon, and he cried.”
“That poor boy has been through a lot,” says Mom.
“What do you mean?” I ask.
Mom looks down at Holly and says, “We can talk about it later.”
I look at Katherine, who gives me a knowing nod. I wonder what that’s about. I turn to Laila, who’s too distracted by the little gift bag sitting next to Katherine.
“Can we look inside?” Laila asks Katherine.
“Yes, of course,” Katherine replies.
Laila reaches into the bag and pulls out a soft, white baby blanket with satin trim with the name Jonathan David embroidered on it, along with his date of birth.
Katherine looks at it and asks, “How did you pull that off? How were you able to get the date of birth on it on such short notice?”
“I have connections,” I say, smiling.
“It’s beautiful,” Laila says.
“My blankie has my name on it, too,” says Holly.
“It does?” I ask, “You’ll have to show it to me when I come over to see your mommy’s picture.” She nods and gives me a big smile.
I walk around with Jon in my arms for a few minutes, giving him a little bounce every time he stirs. “He looks just like Adam,” I say out loud, “Oh my goodness, you’re so handsome, just like your daddy.”
“Did I hear my name?” Adam asks as he enters the room. He’s balancing a bagel, a slice of pizza, a turkey sandwich, a baked potato, an apple, and a couple of bottled waters in both hands. Laila rushes over to help him.
“What looks good to you, Babe?” he asks, looking at Katherine.
The man is as smitten now as he was the day he married my sister.
After Katherine decides on the turkey sandwich, Adam gives the apple to Holly. I give the baby to Mom and then walk to the chair. When I sit, Holly comes over and pulls herself onto my lap. There’s no question, no hesitation, just a normal and natural move for her. I watch her take the first bite of her apple, her blue eyes twinkling with delight. In that moment, I realize I love this child.