Page 52 of Beside the Rolling Waves
He had said something about still wanting to be with her. But she didn’t know exactly what that meant. He had abruptly cut off their relationship, and she didn’t know whether when he said that he wanted to be with her, he meant until something else happened that he was going to not want to tell her, or whether it meant this time for real.
She knew he wanted her to believe that it meant this time for real, but… How did she go about doing that?
She walked over to the counter, pulling two clean bottles from the rack, and started to get them ready for Rodney, who had knelt down beside one of the car seats and was opening it up. He would get a diaper changed while she made the bottle.
She realized she was still wearing her coat, so she took it off and threw it on the stool.
She was wearing her boots as well, but they would just have to wait. The babies were crying in earnest now, and she would get them taken care of first. If she worked, she would have both bottles almost ready when he had one diaper changed, and she would feed the first twin while he changed the second diaper. They kind of had a system going. Whoever started changing the diapers just did them both.
Neither one of them fussed or complained about getting the short end of the stick. They were past that, she thought. Or maybe both of them were willing to do whatever work it took.
She screwed on the last bottle’s cap and carried them both over to the coffee table where Rodney had just finished changing one of the babies. In the dark, she couldn’t tell which one. Thank goodness they were different genders, otherwise she probably would get them mixed up and never be able to figure out which one was which.
He handed the baby to her, carefully cradling its head.
“This is Marley.” He grinned. “She’s the loudest.”
The other baby was still crying, and Marley was still making angry whimpering sounds.
“The squeaky wheel and all that,” she said, feeling more awake and a little bit embarrassed at how she had been sleeping.
He seemed fine, totally comfortable. Like it wasn’t any big deal.
But it was a big deal to her. She didn’t do that with just anyone. In fact, she didn’t do it with anyone.
But Rodney was different. She didn’t mind doing it with Rodney. Once upon a time, she dreamed every night about kissing him.
He was definitely her teenage crush, and her young adult crush, and her now crush apparently, because she found herself sitting down on the couch, watching him work. Admiring him.
Had he really abandoned the opportunity to become even richer? Selling off what he had to come back here to take care of babies?
What did that say about him?
And he seemed to indicate that he was going to stay. He said he was arranging things, getting rid of the staff and all that, buying a house in Raspberry Ridge. That sure looked like a man who meant what he said about sticking around.
She’d been burned by him once.
But for the years and years before that, decade even, he had done everything he said he was going to. Was she going to hold just one little mistake against him?
It was a five-year mistake. He could have corrected it anytime, and he didn’t.
But he explained why, and it did make sense. Yeah, she didn’t really understand the man’s need to look all macho and all that, but she understood that it was there.
Kind of like her need to look pretty and go shopping, or even her need to see the future and at least have an idea of what was there so she could make plans and adjust her schedule accordingly.
It really wasn’t necessary. The Bible told them to live day by day. And not to worry, because God would take care of them.
He finished changing the diaper and carefully set the baby in one of the car seats while he went and washed his hands.
They really needed to get bassinets or beds or something. But before they did that, they should see how long it was going to take to get the house in Raspberry Ridge. It didn’t make any sense to load this house up with stuff, only to carry everything up there.
Cart and horse and all that, she thought to herself.
He came back, sat down, grabbed the bottle, and carefully picked up the baby.
Kevin was crying almost as loud as Marley usually did by the time Rodney leaned back and put the bottle in his mouth.
Kevin took a moment to realize what happened, and then a blissful quiet descended on the living room.
