“I hope you’re right,” I mumble the words. The rest of the drive is spent in silence. It’s not awkward or uncomfortable. McKinley gives me the space I need to process what she said. Space to work through this fear I have of ruining my kid’s life.
I pull into the parking lot of Babies “R” Us and kill the engine. It’s full of SUV’s and minivans. I can’t see myself driving a minivan.
“What’s wrong?”
I point to the silver van parked in front of us. “I don’t think I’m a minivan dad.”
Kinley throws her head back and laughs. “Of course not. You’ll be the cool dad with a big four-door truck. That’s the most practical for your job, you know.” She winks at me and my jeans tighten just a little. Just enough that I know my body responds to her; to remind me she’s Aaron’s little sister and only here to help me; to bring back that my kid’s mother wants nothing to do with either of us.
“Let’s go, old man. We have some shopping to do.”
Kinley hops out of the truck and waits for me by the tailgate. I slowly climb out and join her. Linking her arm through mine, she guides me into the store. Once inside, she stops to get a cart. “Just in case we find any deals.” She grins and again I find myself under her spell.
Kinley pushes the cart, glancing up and down the aisles. I walk beside her, taking it all in. She leads us to the back of the store where a huge sign reading “Furniture” hangs from the ceiling.
“Okay, so you will need to decide what color furniture you want. I would suggest going with the color of the trim in your house. Make it all match.”
“Yeah, that sounds about right,” I say, pulling off my hat and running my fingers through my hair.
“There are several designs. I guess you should also decide how you’re going to decorate the room.”
“Umm….” Decorate the room? Shit! I’m in way over my head. Kinley must notice because the look on her face is one of understanding.
“Yeah, usually there is a theme, you know—cars, planes, movie characters, things like that. Unless you go completely unisex, you should probably wait to find out what you’re having before making any big decisions,” she rambles on.
“Yeah, we, uh, we can find out at her next appointment. She doesn’t care either way, and at first, I was on the fence. But seeing all this, I think knowing could only help me prepare better.” I decide.
“I agree.” A woman with a baby on her hip and too many items in her arms walks by. “Ma’am, would you like this cart? We’re just looking,” Kinley offers.
“Yes! Thank you. I came in for a few things…” She shrugs her shoulders. “You know how that goes.”
“Always.” Kinley offers her a kind smile and proceeds to take the items from the woman’s arms, placing them in the cart.
“Thank you again.” The woman waves and pushes the cart on down the aisle.
“That was nice of you.”
“Yeah, she looked like she could use it more than us. Let’s go check out the clothes.” McKinley again links her arms through mine and pulls me to the other side of the store. She rattles on about onesies, sleepers, diapers, bottles, and a million other things that have my head spinning.
I swallow hard. “Babies need a lot of stuff.”
Hearing the desperation in my voice, she stops and turns to look at me. “Yeah, but you’ll have a shower. It’s a little unconventional with mom not being in the picture, so maybe we should plan it for after the baby’s born. Maybe a welcome home so everyone can meet the baby?”
“Nope, too many germs.”
Kinley laughs. “Already sounding like a dad,” she chides. “Well, I’ll take care of that. I’ll enlist Mom’s help.”
“Yeah,” I say. My mind is racing; I’m overwhelmed.
“I think I’ve scared you enough for one day. Let’s go get some food, I’m starving.”
I let her lead me back out to the truck, my thoughts on everything that lies ahead in the coming months. “What sounds good?” I ask her, forcing myself out of my own head.
“I’m easy. We can just pick up a pizza if you want. I’m sure Aaron will be home by the time we get back.”
I nod in agreement. Kinley pulls out her phone and orders pizza. She surprises me when she tells them to just deliver to her house. I can feel myself relax a little. Their house was my second home growing up. Aaron has been my closest friend for as long as I can remember. Their parents are my second family. With my own parents living so far away, being with them is exactly what I need.
Chapter 8
McKinley
Sitting at the kitchen table working on edits is how I’ve spent my day. Over the last month, I’ve done at least two shoots per week, which is more than I could have hoped for just starting out. They have all been referrals. Word of mouth really is the best advertisement.
“How’s it going?” Mom asks as she carries in a load of laundry that was hanging out on the line. She loves the smell of fresh air-dried laundry. I have to admit I do too, which is something else I didn’t even realize I’d missed until I was away at school.
“Good. Little Robbie is such a cutie. He was fun to shoot.” My session earlier this week was a two-year-old. It was his birthday pictures and he was such a ham. I love photography. I only hope it never begins to feel like a job. I hope it continues to stay fun. Not many people I know can claim they have fun at work, but I can.
Mom sets the basket on the other side of the table and walks over to where I’m sitting. “Oh my. He is a handsome little devil. Look at that smirk,” she laughs.
“Yeah, his parents are going to have their hands full with this one. He’s already got game,” I joke.
Before she can reply, Aaron comes barreling through the door. “Hey,” he greets us with a smile.
“What’s got you in such a good mood?” I ask him.
“Evan just called and we’re going out tonight.”
“Oookay, and why does that turn you into chipper ‘smile so big my face could crack’ Aaron?”
He ruffles the hair on top of my head. “Well, apparently Misty showed up for today’s appointment after missing the one on Monday. He was able to find out the sex of the baby,” he explains.
“Yay! Tell me,” I demand. It’s been killing us all for weeks. Not knowing is just too stressful.
“Don’t know.” He shrugs. “He said I had to meet him tonight at Mike’s Tavern and he’ll tell me then.”
He turns to head for the stairs. “I can’t wait that long. I need to shop,” I call after him.
Stopping, he looks over his shoulder. “I’m leaving in twenty. Be ready,” he says.
I glance at the time on my laptop. I’ve been at this all day. I could use a break. Luckily, I just need to change and add some lip gloss. My hair is in a side braid today and that is a more than appropriate style for Mike’s Tavern. Saving my work, I shut down my laptop and sprint to my room. I change out my yoga pants into jean shorts and a flowing tank. Grabbing a pair of socks, I rush back downstairs. My cowboy or as I like to call them, cowgirl boots, are by the door where I left them. Just as I slide them on, Aaron’s heavy footsteps get closer.