Page 36 of Silver Fox's Secret Baby

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ETHAN

Nostalgia hit me the minute I walked through the door into the Carter residence. I had only been here a few times to have dinner with Lily's parents, but those were fond memories I cherished now. David and Ellen were such kind people. It was no wonder Lily turned out as amazing as she had.

"You can just set that stuff over there," David told me, nodding in the general direction of the dining table at the far end of the open space.

I carried a duffle bag with Lily and Noah's clothing, a plastic sack of their things from the hospital, and a vase of flowers one of her aunts had sent to the room for Noah. Ellen followed me through the door with an arm full of teddy bears and a few other small tchotchkes Noah's visitors had brought. It wasn't a dull week by any means.

I spent the majority of my time working like normal, and my evenings were filled with caring for Mom, who had finally recovered from her cold, and shuttling her to and from the nursing home to be with Dad, who was less grumpy now. But every night, I slept in Noah's room on the pullout sofa, giving Lily a chance to go home and shower and rest before returning atfirst light. It was an exhausting schedule for us both, but it was worth it.

"Here, Ethan," Ellen said, taking the flowers. "I'll go put some fresh water in this. You go help Lily with the boy." She smiled at me and took the flowers as I set the bags down. When I turned to the door, I saw Lily carrying Noah in her arms. If I didn't know he was four, I'd never have guessed it. The congenital condition had really repressed his body's ability to absorb nutrients and stunted his growth, but hopefully, all of that was behind us for the foreseeable future.

"Want me to carry him?" I asked, approaching Lily. She gladly handed him over, and he clung to me. He weighed almost nothing and felt light as a feather, but when his little arms wrapped around my shoulders, I almost melted. Nothing in the world felt better than this.

"So where do you want to sit, buddy?" I asked him, and he pointed at David, who had sat down in the recliner at the end of the coffee table.

"Pop," Noah grunted, and then laid his head on my shoulder. He was recovering well but still very weak and still in pain. It would linger a while, but hopefully, not long.

"Pop it is," I told him and carried him over to sit on Lily's father’s lap. The burly man embraced his grandson and started rocking as soon as Noah was settled.

We told Noah this week that I was his mom's friend, that I’d be around for a while. Noah took to me instantly, and when he was awake and feeling okay, he had a lot of questions about monster trucks and sharks, and anything else his four-year-old brain could think of. I soaked up every second of the attention that I could but managed to encourage him to sleep at night when he really wanted to be talking to me.

"I, uh… I should go, I guess." I stood next to Lily and waited for her to acknowledge me. She was hunched over, stacking herdad's magazines on the coffee table to make room for Noah's blood pressure cuff and medications. When she straightened, she had a curious, hopeful expression.

"I was hoping you'd stay for dinner." Her eyebrows rose, and she glanced at her mother, who brought the vase of flowers and placed it next to the stack of magazines. "Mom?"

"Oh yes, dear. Ethan is welcome to stay. I have a roast in the oven that should be ready any minute. It's been cooking all day. And let's see, we'll have apple crisp and vegetables, and?—"

"Chocolate pudding!" Noah chimed in, happy to be home. His face lit up like it was Christmas.

"And chocolate pudding for Noah, if he eats all his food." Ellen's eyes sparkled, and I could tell that she loved the boy very much. Being part of this moment and being invited to dinner were priceless to me. I loved how close Lily was with her family and that her parents were young enough to truly enjoy being grandparents. I couldn't wait for my parents to meet Noah someday and feel that same joy.

"Well, if there is chocolate pudding involved, count me in." I winked at Noah, who giggled, and Ellen chuckled. She returned to the kitchen to put finishing touches on our meal, and I helped Lily carry Noah's things to his room and organize them.

The entire afternoon and evening felt surreal. Just a few months ago, I spent my evenings alone with Mom or at the pub after work with coworkers. I had no future in mind other than more caring for my aging parents or building my career up. Now I was looking at a beautiful family of which I desperately wanted to make myself a part. The idea I'd been tossing around in my mind of marrying Lily was slowly becoming more and more concrete by the day, and tonight, I felt like speaking with her father was the next step.

We managed to get everything cleaned and organized, and Lily told me how her parents had been gracious enough to allowthem to stay here until she got her own place. But with Noah's illness, she decided it was safer to just stay with them a bit longer, until after his surgery. She'd been letting him stay in her bed with her, but he needed his own space now. It was safer with his incisions to have his own bed. I could tell she was saddened by that fact and that she would rather he continued co-sleeping for a while longer.

At dinner, however, I could tell Noah was excited about the idea of having his own bed. He made a big deal of it too, talking about how he was going to sleep with his toy trucks, which of course, Lily wouldn't allow. He pouted about that, but I loved watching the interaction. Each little conversation showed me more snippets of his personality and how happy and smart he was. The birth defect might have robbed him of some of his physical vitality, but his mind was sharp.

When he finished eating, he started to doze off right in his seat at the table, so Lily stood and roused him from his slumber. "Time for bed, baby. I'll get your bandage changed and get you your medicine, and then Ethan can tuck you in with me."

I smiled at the sentiment. "I can help with bandages and medicine too," I offered, but she shook her head.

"It's okay. Finish eating. I'll get him ready, and you can say goodnight."

I felt bad allowing her to do all the work, but it did afford me the perfect opportunity to speak with David and Ellen alone. I put my last bite of roast in my mouth and chewed thoughtfully while she collected Noah, and when she left the room, I washed the food down with a swig of soda and wiped my mouth.

"Mr. and Mrs. Carter, I'd like to speak to you about something while Lily's not around, if that's okay." My confidence soared as David nodded his head and pushed his empty plate away.

"What do you have on your mind?" he asked before using his tongue to polish his tooth.

It felt awkward seeking his permission to marry his daughter. For the first time, it dawned on me how much older I was than Lily. At forty, I was halfway between David's age and Lily's, and at times, I felt I had more in common with him than her. Like the fact that my back just didn't work the way it used to and sometimes, I felt like my knees were the knees of a seventy-year-old man.

He stared at me with stern eyes while Ellen stood and started stacking dirty dishes up to be carried away.

"Well, sir, I want Lily and Noah to move in with me. I know you have been providing for them both for a while now, though I'm positive Lily pulls her own weight around her. I just feel like if my family is going to be whole, we should be under the same roof." Nerves played at the corner of my mind as I watched his thoughtful expression. He was mulling it over, as if he had any true say in the matter.

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