A knock sounded at my door as I scrambled around my apartment, Abigail staring at me from where she perched, ready to go, in her carrier on the kitchen counter.
"One second!" I called as I continued to try and zip up Abigail's overstuffed diaper bag. I had no clue how much I would need to take on this trip, so I had brought almost everything, just to be prepared. The bag was a little too small.
Finally, it zipped and I flung it onto the couch and rushed to my apartment door. Running my fingers through my unruly hair and readjusting my glasses that I had thrown on instead of taking extra time for my contacts, I pulled open the door to see who it was.
I was met with both Sav and Miranda. But my attention pulled to Sav. I let out a loud laugh. "You actually wore it?"
Sav looked down at the ugly sweater that I had ended up buying as part of her Christmas gift. It was the ugliest one I could find, with bright blue tinsel wrapping the sleeves and an extremely fat depiction of Santa shoving cookies into his cheeks. There were even little bells hanging from the hem that jingled annoyingly everytime she moved.
"I thought I would show you that I appreciated your gift," she defended, raising her arms so that the bells tinkled. But by raising her arms, she also showed the bracelet that I had included in the gift slipped around her left wrist. It was a simple chain with green beads and a charm shaped into the letter "S". She gave me a small smile when she saw that I noticed it, and I returned it.
"I'm almost ready. Just give me a few minutes to gather everything up." I turned back into my apartment and left the door open so they could come in while I was finishing up.
"You wouldn't mind if I went and talked to Kaybree, would you?" Miranda said. I spun back around to see her lingering in the hallway and gesturing toward the elevator.
"Of course not. She might still be sleeping but you can go ahead and check." I smiled. "She's been asking when you'd come back."
Miranda grinned. "I'm glad she enjoys my forced company."
Laughing, I shook my head. "I promise she's happy when you visit. Nothing forced about it."
She grinned and sent me a small wave and then made her way back down the hall. I got back to work getting ready to leave.
Sav leaned against the kitchen counter next to Abby. "Hello, beautiful," she said to her with a smile. Abigail blinked and then sneezed.
Grabbing my packed duffle bag from my room, adding it to my growing pile of things on the couch, I spun in a circle, scanning the room to make sure I wasn't forgetting anything. "Anything else?"
Sav raised her brows and then pointed down. I followed her finger to my socked feet. "Right. Shoes. Those are important."
"Not really, but they're considered a social requirement."
I nodded sarcastically and then turned back toward my room.
I returned with a pair of sneakers and laced them on. Then I grabbed my coat, slipping it on too. "Warm thing for me." I snatched up one of Abby's blankets and then went over to her, wrapping it around her small body with a smile. "Warm thing for you, flower."
I ran my knuckle down her nose gently and she let out a rushed breath like it tickled. I chuckled once.
"That's cute."
I looked at Sav. "What, Abby? Yeah, she is."
Sav rolled her eyes, clarifying, "Well, yeah, she's adorable. But I meant your nickname for her. Flower. It's cute."
She watched me as I opened my mouth to respond but for some reason her suddenly soft gaze made me flustered and I didn't know how. Eventually, I just continued to tuck Abby in, saying, "It was what my mother called Bree when she was a baby."
"You remember when she was little?"
"Yeah. There's nearly five years between us so some of my youngest memories are with my little sister."
Sav's smile grew. "That's really cute, too."
I breathed a laugh, before my smile turned teasing. "See? I can be cute, too."
"Mm, I don't think that's you. That's your memories. It's not the same thing."
"Mm, I think it is."
We narrowed our eyes at each other before she cracked her smile, rolling her eyes and unfolding her arms from across her chest. "Ready to go?"
I took a breath and grabbed my three bulky bags off the couch. "I should be." I went over and started to fumble with grabbing Abby's carrier, my hands far too full to make carrying her easy. But I'd get it.
"Want some help?" Sav teased, watching me struggle for a good half minute before offering.
"Nope." I grunted. I wrapped my fingers around the carrier's handle and then tried to lift. But it slipped and I nearly dropped all three bags and Abby at the same time. I glanced at Sav who looked like she was dying of laughter inside. I sighed. "Fine. Would you mind carrying her?"
"Of course not." She easily picked her up and gave me a gloating flick of her gaze before waltzing out the door.
I huffed.
"Do you mind if I stop by Kaybree's real quick?" I asked as we made our way down the hall.
"Sure."
We took the elevator down a floor and then I slowly entered Kaybree's apartment. When I peered in, Kaybree was sitting on her couch, blanket around her legs, and facing Miranda who was still there.
Her face fell a bit at seeing the bags in my hand. "Leaving already?"
I nodded. "But if you don't want me to, I can always stay." Though I had told Sav I would go, making sure Kaybree was okay was much more important. Kaybree was always more important than any of my other plans.
Kaybree shook her head without any hesitation. "No, it's okay. I'll be okay."
I dropped my stuff by the door and looked at her skeptically.
"I promise. Miranda is good at what she does."
Miranda nodded, smiling sweetly and making me a little less scared of leaving.
I took a deep breath. "Okay... But I'm not leaving without a hug."
Kaybree smiled slightly, crawling off of the couch and making her way over to me. She nestled into my outstretched arms, squeezing me tight. I squeezed her back.
"I'll miss you," she whispered.
"I'll miss you too. But I'll call every day, I promise. And it's only a few days. I'll be back before you know it."
She nodded against my shoulder. "Love you. I'll try to be good."
"Love you, too. And I know you will." I knew she would try. If not for her sake, for mine.
She eventually pulled away and smiled up at me, a genuine smile that I savored. I pecked a kiss on her head and then let go.
"Bye, Kasi," she whispered when I was ready to go again, holding all of my things.
"Bye, Bree."
Glancing behind me, her gaze landed on Sav and then the carrier in her hands. She bit her bottom lip and then added, "Bye, Abigail."
Abigail didn't respond but I knew that it had been another big step for Kaybree and my heart beat with hope.
"So what's the plan on getting there? Do you have a car?" I asked when Sav and I made it to the elevator after leaving Kaybree with Miranda.
"I was thinking I could take an Uber. I took one here..." She stared at the elevator door and I noticed her snap her fingers on her free hand. I was learning what that cue meant.
"But...?"
She glanced at me as the door opened and then she hopped on. I followed, awkwardly knocking my bags against the side of the door frame before finally shooving in.
"I just don't know if I have enough money to make it all the way. Most Uber drivers aren't happy driving more than thirty minutes and decide to make up for their grumpiness and 'wasted time' by doubling their rates."
As the elevator shuttered down to the bottom floor, I watched her. She looked a little... nervous.
Casually, I shifted one bag between my hands. "Maybe we could take my car."
"No, I wouldn't want to do that. That's a lot of gas. And miles."
I shrugged. "I wouldn't mind."
"But-"
"Sav, it's fine." I sent her a reassuring grin. "Plus, wouldn't an hour car ride with a stranger be kind of like torture?"
She became still, staring at nothing. Eventually, she met my gaze again. "Are you sure?"
"Perfectly."
She released a breath of relief. "Thanks. Honestly, I was not looking forward to having to pay so much. But I promise I'll give you a bit of money for gas."
"Don't worry about it."
"I'm not worried about it because my mind is made up. You're not stopping me."
I sighed. "I'll drop it simply because I don't want to argue with you, but we'll reassess the situation later."
She shot me a victorious smile, and even though she hadn't technically won, I found I didn't mind that smile.
After Sav grabbed her small bag from the waiting Uber driver and let him be on his way, we loaded our stuff into the back of my Mercedes. Sav climbed into the passenger's seat as I buckled Abigail in the back.
"Fair warning," I said to Sav as I clipped the clasp on her carrier, "Abigail doesn't travel well so we'll have to make lots of stops on the way. Is that okay?"
"No problem. We'll get there with plenty of time."
I climbed in and then we were on our way.
Well, sort of. Twenty minutes later as we tried to force our way out of New York City, traffic left us at a stand still.
"Well this is fun," Sav sighed.
"Super fun."
"But expected."
"But expected."
It was quiet for a moment before Sav leaned back in her seat slightly and glanced over her shoulder to look at Abigail, who was probably dozing into her mid morning nap. "What is your favorite thing so far?"
I furrowed my brows and looked at her out of the corner of my eye. "Favorite thing?"
"Yeah, about taking care of Abby?"
I processed the question. "Hm." I hadn't really thought about it. I knew my least favorite thing was the little amount of sleep that I had been getting. But there were so many things that I hadn't expected to like when taking care of a kid. Like the weird little noise she made, or how she somehow seemed to know exactly what I was saying even though there was definitely no way she could. Or even how she always stared at me after she woke up, like she was making sure I hadn't left her while she was sleeping. Before I could think about it, a word slipped out. "Trust."
Sav stayed quiet, waiting for me to elaborate.
I realized I had already said something so I had to keep going to explain what I meant. "When I first agreed to take care of Abby, I was terrified of being responsible for a tiny human's needs and requirements. I still am, really. But it's also... strange. She's barely a month old and yet I can see how much she trusts me. She doesn't know my nature or what I've done, yet she trusts me with everything in her little body. I do everything for her, and she knows it. And for some reason, that feeling is so... amazing."
I sat quiet for a moment, wondering if I had really just said that all out loud. Snapping back into the present, I moved forward a few inches on the road.
When we stopped again, I risked a look over at Sav. She was staring at me in her investigative way, the corners of her mouth barely turned up and her temple rested on her fist, elbow resting on the window frame. Normally, that look made me squirm. This time, it didn't.
Eventually, she muttered, "You know what that is, Kason?"
I shook my head.
"It's love. A love only a parent can feel."
I didn't mean to tense. But I did. "But I'm not her dad..." I whispered, the sentence slipping out without me even wanting it to.
"Her father lost all right to be her dad when he left Kaybree." I met her fierce brown eyes, their intensity contrasting her soft tone as she added, "She needed someone to fill that roll. And I don't think God wanted anyone else to fill it but you."
The car fell silent as we stared at each other. Her words, so quiet yet powerful, brewed through my mind. I looked away eventually when traffic finally started to move a bit again, but my mind lingered on the conversation. She was right. No matter if I liked the term "dad" or "father," that's who Abby had needed. That's who I had become to her. And while it was scary, it was also so... filling. Whatever this feeling was... It was something I had never felt before. But something I never wished to not feel again.
°•°•°•°•°
We continued to chat as I drove. The farther we got from the city and the less buildings that lined the road, the more Sav opened up and laughed. I had never seen her this relaxed, despite how relaxed she normally was. But I liked it. She smiled more and I found I really liked her smile.
"So," Sav started, her feet propped on the dashboard. She had had it propped out the window and I had been waiting for her boot to go flying off since I was going nearly eighty miles an hour on these long, straight backroads. But, luckily, she'd pulled her feet back in and rolled up the window.
I glanced at her. "So."
"I was thinking maybe I could give you a quick briefing on my family. You know, so there are no surprises."
I let out a breath. "Thank you."
She chuckled, bright yet soft and I felt myself smile.
"Alright. I'll start with Andrew. Or Drew. Or Andy. Whatever you feel like calling him, he'll let you. Except for Annie. He hates that one." She grinned and I felt a story connected to it but I didn't ask. "He's the brother that is closest in age to me and therefore we are closest. He's twenty-one now. So a year younger than you, right?"
"Yep."
"And he's the one that's studying law, though you wouldn't expect it since he can be kind of quiet around new people. But I promise he'll open up once he gets used to you being around."
I nodded, taking in and filing away the information she was throwing at me.
"Then my other two older brothers are actually twins and they are both twenty-five. The older one—by only ten minutes, as Logan will stress—is Nash. He's the quieter, more sensible of the two. Not as quiet as Andy but quieter than Logan. He has a degree in mechanical engineering so while Logan was also the bronze growing up, Nash was the brain. Not that he's not strong. He is. But he doesn't flaunt it as much as Logan.
"Now Logan loves to demonstrate his strength and execute his 'grand ideas' that turn out hilariously disastrous in the end. He reminds me a lot of Rico, actually, except, you know, taller. Because everyone is taller than Rico."
I laughed. "I'm so telling Rico you said that."
"Go ahead. He'd never beat me in a fight." To prove it, she punched me in the shoulder. Hard.
"Hey! I'm driving and that hurt."
She puckered her lip. "Aw, I'm sawee, baby. I'll be more cawful next time."
I narrowed my eyes at her as she cackled.
"Next are my parents. My mom's name is Natasha and she likes to be everyone's mom so I'm sure you'll be smothered by her the instant you walk through the door. But she always means well and she loves everyone with her whole heart, no matter who they are. And then there's my dad, Daniel. He can be weird sometimes, but in a good way. So just be expectant of that.
"Oh! And I bet Andy's girlfriend and Nash's wife will be around so I'll tell you about them. Nash's wife is named Deavon and she'll be the shorter one with the shoulder length black hair. And then Shiloh is Andy's girlfriend and she has bright platinum blond hair, really long. She likes to put it in braids and it still goes past her waist. Both of them are really nice. Deavon is always happy and chatty and Shiloh is quieter but super sweet, kind of like Miranda but a little more shy. But they'll warm up to you and love you. I doubt there's a person in the world that doesn't like you."
I raised my eyebrows and flicked my gaze to hers. She just sent a big smile back.
From the backseat, I heard Abigail whine. My expression fell. "Could you check on her?"
Sav sat up in her seat and twisted to look at her. "Hey, babe. What's going on?" I was a little surprised by the tenderness of her voice. But of course she would be great with babies. It just made sense and completely fit her.
As Sav tried to calm her down by messing with her toys which were clipped to her carrier, Abigail only got whinier. Quickly, she was crying.
"Is there a stop close where I could get her out and change her, see if I can calm her down?"
Sav glanced up, thinking. "Uh... Actually, yeah. I think there's a gas truck stop and community center a mile or two down the road. Should be on the right."
As promised, two miles later, I turned off the road and into the community center's parking lot.
"I think there are public bathrooms inside," Sav said.
I nodded and then climbed out of the car to get Abigail out.
Sav went ahead and used the restroom as I pulled Abigail's carrier from the car. She was still in the bathroom when I took Abigail to the men's room and hoped there was a baby changing station in there. Luckily, there was.
After changing her very full diaper, she calmed down. I smiled down at her as I adjusted her back into the carrier. "All better?"
She blew a spit bubble. It popped onto her nose and she blinked in surprise. Shaking my head in amusement, I used the burp rag from her diaper bag to wipe away the slobber.
When I went back out into the main section of the lobby, Sav was leaning against one of the benches but not actually sitting down. "Everything all good?" she asked upon seeing me.
I nodded. "I think she's better now."
Sav smiled down at her. "Good."
"Would you mind watching her for two minutes while I used the restroom too?"
"Of course not."
I transferred the carrier over to her and she sat down with Abigail on the bench. Sav started talking to her and I couldn't help but smile a little as I walked back toward the men's room.
After relieving myself, which was much more needed than I had realized, I quickly washed my hands. Glancing up into the mirror on the wall, I noticed how wild the top of my hair had become. I shouldn't have cared, since it wasn't like we were doing anything but driving for the next little while, but I found myself using a bit of water to tame it anyway.
When I emerged for the second time, Sav and Abby were in the same place I had left them, but the lobby had become busier. What looked like two tourist families had entered and were taking pictures of the painted mural on the right wall.
"Everything okay?" I wondered even though nothing seemed amis. But I thought I'd ask anyway.
"Yep. Though there's a kid over there that keeps making googly eyes at your girl." Sav gestured to Abby and then at a girl who wandered around her family, though her eyes kept finding Abigail's carrier.
The girl, who couldn't have been more than thirteen, noticed us looking at her. She must have taken this as an invitation because she beamed and then nearly ran over to us. "Hi. Sorry to barge in but could I see your guys' baby?"
I opened my mouth to tell her she was actually neither of our babies, let alone both of ours, but Sav beat me to it, simply agreeing, "Sure."
I glanced at her, wondering how she was just going to let that slide, but I didn't bring it up as the girl bent down. "Aw, she's absolutely adorable! My little brother was never this cute. He was just really fat and loud. But she's so pretty and her eyes are so bright! How old is she? What's her name?"
"She's just over a month old and her name is Abby," I replied, shoving my hands in my pockets.
"Aw, Abby is such a good name. Isn't it?" she cooed. Abby just stared at her, almost looking bewildered. I knew the feeling.
The girl quickly stood up. "Thank you for letting me look at her! I can't wait until I have a baby one day. They're so freaking adorable."
I chuckle slightly. "That may be so, but remember to be careful. Don't grow up too quickly." I knew Kaybree had and I didn't want anyone else to have to go through what she did.
The girl cocked her head. "Oh, well, okay. Anyway, I should probably get back with my family before they leave without me. Bye!" She skipped away and back to the rest of the people on the other side of the lobby.
I stared after her. "She was..."
"Entertaining," Sav filled for me.
I nodded. "To say the least."
"Welp, ready to get going again? We still have a half hour of the drive left."
"Sure." I scooped up Abby's container and then trailed after Sav as she went back out toward the parking lot.
As I watched her head to the car, my mind filtered back to how she had made it seem like Abby was our kid. Not that she had explicitly said that, but she hadn't disagreed with the girl, either. As I strapped Abigail in, I just couldn't get the question out of my mind.
When I finally joined Sav in the front seat, I reached to put the key in the ignition but hesitated. Glancing over at her, she was already looking at me. "What?" she asked, sensing something on my mind.
"I was just curious..." I leaned back in my seat and made the words come out. "I was just wondering why you let that girl think Abigail was our kid when she isn't."
Sav stared at me a moment before she burst out laughing. "Oh, I'm realizing how that might have come across. Whoops."
I nodded slowly, my mouth twitching at the corners as I tried not to laugh along. "I was just confused."
She stopped giggling, though her smile was still stretched across her face, displaying her perfectly imperfect teeth. "I just knew that explaining the whole situation about your sister would take a while and she was practically a stranger, a young stranger at that. I just thought it might save us some time and awkward conversation by just playing along with what she already thought."
Thinking about it, she had good solid points.
"Oh." I nodded and started the engine. She was right; that had probably been for the best...
But why had it left my mind spinning?
A/N SURPRISE!! Early update! Are you excited?! XD Why did I update early? Because I'm going to be on a road trip this weekend and I knew I wouldn't have my computer to be able to update. Soooooo, here it is! Though, sadly, that means there won't be an update on Sunday (yes, I'm sorry, not a double update.... this time XD) But, anyway, thoughts on the chapter? Anyone else love how the girl thought it was their kid??? XD I know I did haha! Anyone else excited to meet Sav's fam??? *raises hand aggressively* Annnnyyyy other thoughts? Sorry this author's note is so long and has so many questions *phew* Anyway, I would love to hear all you've got for me here! ----->
(P.S. This chapter is dedicated to @Biana772Vacker for predicting part of what would happen in this chapter.... You know what I'm talking about, B XD)