Chapter 20
McKinley
I’ve spent the morning at the hospital with Evan and Lexi. I taught him how to use his camera and he’s already taken a gazillion pictures. I know he’s worried. I can see it in his eyes, but he has nothing to be worried about. Less than twenty-four hours and he’s already the best daddy. You can see how much he loves her.
“All right, baby girl. Let’s get you home,” Evan says, placing Lexi in her car seat. He went down and got it when the hospital told him he had to prove he knew how to work it. They also have to watch him putting her in the car before he can leave. Who knew?
I insisted he take my Durango and I would drive his truck. He complained, but not as much as I would have thought. I think his only complaint is he was not okay with me driving his rust bucket either. I waved off his concern. It’s not that the truck is dangerous, it’s just…not reliable. I would feel much better knowing he wasn’t stranded on the road with her.
“Really, Kinley, I can’t thank you enough for all you’ve done,” he says as he straps Lexi into her seat.
“It’s nothing. You can keep my car until you get a new one. I’ve got nothing going on the next few days, and even if I did, I could take your truck,” I tell him.
“No, that’s not—”
“Evan, I’m not taking no for an answer,” I interrupt him.
“Fine, I’ll rectify the situation as soon as possible. Thank you.”
“You’re welcome. Do you need anything?” I ask him.
“No, I don’t think so. The hospital gave me a ton of formula and thanks to you, her room is ready for her.”
“Okay, well, call me if you need anything. Aaron said he would stop by later tonight.”
“Sounds good. Thanks again,” he says.
I nod, pick up his bag of clothes, and follow him out of the room. The nurse follows us down to the parking lot and watches as Evan straps Lexi into the seat.
“Take care, Mr. Chamberlin,” she says after he passes the test.
“She’s so tiny,” he says, looking at Lexi snuggled in her seat. “She’s riding back there all alone.”
I was thinking the same thing but didn’t want to say anything. “I can ride back with you and have Mom bring me back to get your truck,” I offer.
“I can’t ask you—”
“You didn’t.” I squeeze past him and slide into the backseat beside Lexi. “Hey, sweet girl, you want some company?” I ask her. I don’t look at Evan, even though I know he’s watching me. Instead, I focus on Lexi. Eventually, he closes the door and slides in behind the wheel.
He adjusts the seat and the mirrors. “You girls ready to go home?” he asks. His eyes find mine in the rearview.
“Yes, she’s ready to see her new room.”
“Oh, she is, is she?” Evan chuckles.
“Yep. Girl talk, buddy, get used to it,” I tease him.
“Got it,” he says through his laughter.
The drive to his place doesn’t take long. Of course, that could be because I spent the entire ride watching a slumbering Lexi on her first car ride. I even pulled out the camera and snapped a few pictures for Evan.
“Do you mind going to see Gran and Gramps with me? I know they’re dying to see her.”
“Sure.”
He parks in front of the old farm house and hops out of the driver’s seat. Instead of opening the door on his side of the Durango, he walks around and opens mine. I climb out, pulling the diaper bag with me, as he leans in and releases Lexi’s seat.
I lead the way up the steps. “Just knock and go on in,” Evan says from behind me. I do as he says and hold the door open for him.
Evan heads down the hall and turns left into a room that I assume is the living room. “Surprise!” he says.
His gran clutches her chest. I’m thinking that was not the best way to announce our arrival.
“Sorry, Gran,” Evan says sheepishly. “Would you like to meet your great-granddaughter?” he asks them.
“What kind of question is that, boy?” his grandfather’s hoarse voice says. “Bring that girl here so we can get a better look.” They’re both sitting on the couch.
Evan sets Lexi’s seat down, carefully removes the straps, and cradles her in his arms. “Gram, Gramps, I would like to introduce you to Lexington Rae Chamberlin,” he says proudly, handing her over to his grandmother.
I watch as tears well in her eyes as she takes in baby Lexi. I catch Gramps swiping at the corner of his eye. I feel like I’m intruding on a precious family moment. Stepping back, I plan to escape to the Durango to give them some time when Evan turns to me. “Kinley, would you mind taking a few pictures for us?”
“Absolutely,” I say, happy to have a reason to be here. I reach into the diaper bag and pull out the camera. I snap a few shots; well, maybe more than a few. You can never have enough pictures.
“All right, I need to get this little one home. It’s almost time for her to eat.” Evan takes her from his gramps and kisses the top of her little head before placing her back in her seat.
We say our goodbyes and load back up to drive just a few hundred feet to Evan’s place. I text Mom on the short trip, asking her to come pick me up. I’m sure Evan doesn’t want me hanging around his first day home with his daughter.
“Mom’s on her way,” I tell him once we have carried everything inside.
“I can’t thank you enough, Kinley.”
“You’re welcome, and I wanted to.”
The sound of tires crunching gravel gets both of our attention. “I hope you’re ready to give her up, at least for a few minutes. Mom’s going to want to love on her.”
Evan smiles. “Yeah, I figured she would.” He looks down at the little pink bundle in his arms. “You ready for some Grandma Mills loving?” he asks her.
At first, I’m surprised he referred to my mom as grandma, but I shouldn’t be. Evan has practically grown up at our house and has always referred to my parents as his “second set.”
I make my way to the door and pull it open before she even has time to knock. “Is she sleeping?” Mom asks as she passes me to walk into the house. I can hear Evan chuckle in the other room. He obviously heard her.
I point toward the living room and Mom doesn’t waste any time as she heads that way. “Oh, Evan.” Her voice cracks. “Can I hold her?”
When I join them, Mom is sitting on the couch, Lexi in her arms as she unwraps her from her swaddle. “Ten fingers and ten toes, you’re such a cutie. Your daddy’s going to have his hands full with the boys when it comes to you,” she tells the baby.
Evan groans. “She’s not allowed to date.”
Mom laughs. “Oh, Evan, she’s going to date and you’re going to have to learn to deal with it. All you can do is give her the values and make sure she respects herself enough to make good decisions.”
“Or,” Evan says with a grin, “she can not date until she’s at least thirty.”
Mom focuses her attention back on Lexi. She offers the baby her finger and Lexi latches on. “You’re just going to have to wrap Daddy and Uncle Aaron around your finger. Don’t worry, Kinley and I will be there to guide you.” She laughs.