Page 6 of The Wrong One

“Look at her.” Lily held up a doll that looked like an actual baby.

“Whoa,” I said and found myself taking the doll and cradling it. “She looks so real! Is it a girl or boy?”

“Girl,” Lily declared. “I named her Amy.”

“That’s a pretty name.”

“Dad said I might get a new baby stroller for Christmas,” Lily said. “Look at her little bed.”

I knelt down to inspect the cradle. “This is really cool,” I said.

“And I got some clothes for her.” Lily opened a little chest. “I want new clothes for her.”

“Your baby is very lucky to have you for a mommy,” I said. “And this doll is awesome. When I was little, my dolls were hard plastic and didn’t look real at all.”

“We should put her down for a nap,” Lily declared. “Dad is making lunch.”

I handed her the baby and watched as she gently put it in the crib. She covered the doll with a blanket and gave it a kiss on the head. The thing was cool, but a little weird. I wasn’t sure I liked the idea of it being so realistic. It would creep me out if I had to sit in the same room with it.

“What’s your dad making?” I asked her as she led me out of the family room and into the kitchen.

I didn’t have to guess what it was. I noticed the stack of sandwiches on a plate. He was mixing up Lily’s favorite mac and cheese and had an assortment of cookies and brownies as well as chicken nuggets.

“Are you planning on feeding an army?” I teased. “I’ve eaten my feelings already. I really don’t need any more help in that department. Unless you’re planning on sending that to school with Lily every day this week, I think that’s more than two and a half people can eat in one sitting.”

“Thankfully, it’s for three and a half people,” I heard a familiar voice say.

I turned around, wanting to match the voice to the face. Sure enough, it was Cam. Lily rushed toward him. “Uncle Cam! I didn’t know you were coming!”

Cam lifted her up and gave her a hug. For him, holding an eight-year-old was like holding a toddler. I tried not to stare, but dammit, he was hard not to stare at. He was my own Scottish love. Not my actual love and he wasn’t even a little Scottish, but he had the build of a highlander with light red hair that could look blond or brown depending on the lighting.

I listened to Lily gush about her friends at school and the dance class she started a few weeks ago. She was very close to Cam. It was such a cute sight to see the big brute turned to putty in Lily’s presence. He treated her like his little princess. Lily didn’t have a mommy, but she had a wonderful father and an honorary uncle that more than made up for the lack of a mother figure.

Cam glanced over at me and caught me staring. I quickly looked away. “I’ll set the table,” I murmured.

I went to the cabinet and pulled out four plates. I tried to remember the last time I saw Cam. We grew up together. We spent a lot of time together and then I left for college. We saw each other on occasion whenever I visited, but things were always a little tense between us. I couldn’t explain why.

The birthday party!

That was the last time I saw him. Wow. That was forever ago. It couldn’t have been that long ago. I tried to picture him the last time I saw him. He was wearing a baseball cap sitting on top of his head and cocked off to the side. There had been a Corona lime wedge hanging on the lip of the bottle. I remembered there were a bunch of kids laughing at him.

Lily’s eighth birthday party.

That was when I saw him last. I remembered her birthday party had been a big event with a blowup castle, cotton candy, and a few princesses roaming about. But it was also the same week a horrible flu bug went around the school. Several of her friends weren’t able to make the party. Poor Lily had been crushed, but Uncle Cam saved the day. He was a kid in a man’s body.

Behind me, Lily and Cam were cracking jokes and talking about how many sandwiches Cam could eat. It reminded me of that day.

“Daddy, no one’s in here,” Lily pouted.

Ramsey looked at me for help. I didn’t know how to help him. Cam swooped in and picked Lily up. I watched as he carried her to the bounce house entrance and practically threw her inside. He kicked off his shoes and climbed in behind her.

“You can’t come in, Uncle Cam!” Lily squealed.

“Why not?” he asked and rolled around.

“You’re too big! You’ll pop it!”

Cam got to his knees and started to crawl. “I’ll buy a new one. That’s the good thing about your Uncle Cam.”

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