Page 38 of SEAL's Doorstep Baby

Parking in the lot, we head to the counter of the flower shop to surprise her. “Wave now, baby!” I whisper to Maddie out of the side of my mouth the moment we’re in eyeshot, but she ignores me.

“Come on, Maddie, I’ll get you anything you want.” I plead with her, and finally she does it.

I strut all the way to the counter, proud of my accomplishment. “Hello Allie. What’s a flower girl like you doing in a pretty shop like this?” I ask.

Predictably, Allie starts laughing. “You’re absolutely horrible at puns or jokes in general, Jake. You might as well give up,” she starts before turning her attention to Maddie. “Hey, princess. How are you? I saw you waving at me, and just for that I got a flower for you.” She pulls out a single dandelion and hands it to Maddie who promptly tries to eat it.

“Stop baby, that’s not edible.” I warn as I try to gently pry it out of her grip, but just like all babies I have had the pleasure of meeting, she has a fist like a steel trap.

“I think you’re remembering daffodils. Dandelions are completely edible.” Allie supplies unhelpfully.

“Well, I wouldn’t go to a restaurant and order a plate of dandelions, so spit it out, Maddie!”

In complete defiance, she chews it with all four incisors of hers and swallows it while looking me straight in the eyes. I heave a sigh of despair in response and shoot an accusing look at Allie who is just as unrepentant.

“I’m actually the one who deserves these flowers. I was the one who taught her how to wave, and I was the one who got her to wave to you.” I protest.

“Really?”

“Yes, really.”

“Then you deserve a flower, too” she laughs, stretching another dandelion my way. Maddie tries to snag it midway, but I pull it out of her reach before she tries to eat that one too.

“Thank you.” I say with satisfaction. “Are you ready to leave yet?”

“Yeah I just need to get some stuff. Hold on, please.”

Maddie and I wait for her to grab everything she needs, and once she is ready, we pile into my truck and head to the park.

The closer we get to the park the more my mood darkens. Allie must notice it because she leans across to place a hand on my forearm. “It’ll all be okay, Jake, you’ll see,” she comforts me.

We haven’t spoken about exactly what to do about Jeff and I don’t honestly know what I want to do. Some part of me wants to pound him into a pulp, but the more reasonable part of me acknowledges that there is always room for discussion and a chance to resolve all this with words instead of fists.

And if all else fails, then I can always take more drastic action, but that will come last.

I slow down when we get close enough to the parking lot and I get everything we need from the truck.

The park is beautiful, and in no time we have the blanket spread out. Allie plays with Maddie while I keep an eye out for Jeff.

“Hey Jake, I want to take Maddie to play with some kids. We’ll be right over there,” Allie assures me, and when I give her an affirmative nod and a kiss to Maddie’s head, she leaves.

I stroll around the park, watching families play and I see a woman who I almost mistake for Emily. Her hair is the exact same shade of chestnut as hers and Emily’s name is already on the tip of my tongue before I take a closer look.

It isn’t you, Emily.

When the realization that I won’t get the chance to see her ever again hits me, I feel a squeezing feeling in my chest that just won’t go away no matter how many deep breaths I take.

I won’t get a chance to see you laugh, or see the sun bounce off your curls again, and it’s all my fault.

After some more minutes of thinking negative thoughts like this, my mood is too dark to take any more of it. I take a seat on a bench close to Maddie and Allie’s new location and I continue my watch for Jeff.

I spot him long before he gets into the park despite the fact that he no longer looks anything like the picture I have of him. His long blonde hair is pulled back into a ponytail that screams sleaze, and his sunken eyes, paranoid darting gaze, and jittery gait are a testament to his recreational drug use.

Carefully, I pull out my phone and click record before placing it in my coat pocket. Just in case.

He takes a puff of the cigarette he is holding between two fingers, and when he catches a glimpse of me, he tosses the butt to the ground, crushing it under his heel, and puts on a sickening smile as he heads straight in my direction.

“Hello, Jeffrey.”

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