Unexpected Family

by Jill Kemerer

  “Macy!” Stephanie whirled in her chair. “Keep it down. You know the rule about homework. I have a lot to do, and I need it to be quiet.”

  “Sorry, Mommy.” Her joy disappeared as she hugged the floppy stuffed bunny Tom gave her.

  Stephanie’s stomach plummeted. She’d overreacted again. The poor kid had no one to play with, was entertaining herself by singing, and all Stephanie could do was yell. She would never be up for a mother-of-the-year award. Torn between continuing the assignment and playing with Macy for a few minutes, she closed her eyes instead.

  Lord, I’m having a hard time here. Macy is bored and lonely. And driving me nuts. I don’t want to yell, but this report is important. I’m tired of feeling so guilty. Help?

  “And the snakey says, ‘slither slither slither,’ and the crocodile says...” Macy sang loudly.

  Stephanie’s temple throbbed, but she bit back another holler. She sighed and tried to focus on the columns. The intercom buzzed.

  Six-thirty already? She smoothed her wine-colored sweater over her black pants—she hadn’t bothered changing after work and school—and hoped her makeup had stayed put from this morning. Why couldn’t she have gotten more of the report finished during her lunch break?

  “Hi, Tom.” Stephanie ushered him inside, casting a glance at the papers on the table to her left. “Come on in.”

  His tall body dwarfed the couch. Macy had disappeared, leaving a trail of stuffed animals in her wake. The girl refused to play alone in her room, but now that Tom had arrived, her room had become a welcome destination? Figured.

  “I’ll get Macy,” she said. “Just a minute.”

  She strode down the hallway and opened Macy’s door. “Tom’s here.”

  Macy sat on the floor with two baby dolls. She stuck a fake bottle near one’s mouth.

  “Did you hear me?” Stephanie waited in the doorway. “It’s time to come out to the living room.”

  Glaring, Macy swiped one of the dolls up. Then she trudged into the hallway. When she reached the living room, she didn’t say a word. Just sat cross-legged on the floor and pretended to feed her baby.

  “Aren’t you going to say hello?” Stephanie motioned for Macy to greet Tom.

  “Hello.” She didn’t glance up.

  Stephanie opened her mouth to reprimand her, but Tom leaned forward, elbows on his spread knees, and pointed to the doll. “What’s your little boy’s name?”

  Macy jerked to attention. “This is a girl. A baby girl.”

  “Nah, it’s a boy. Anybody can see it.”

  Macy’s scowl could have dimmed the entire building. “She’s a girl. It’s Emily.”

  Tom scratched his chin, a confused look on his face. “Are you sure about that? It looks exactly like my brother Sam when he was a baby.”

  Macy stared at Tom, then at the doll.

  “In fact, I’d say the baby’s real name is Sam.”

  “It is not! It’s Emily.” She cradled Emily tightly against her sling. “And she’s a girl.”

  Stephanie stood between the living room and dining area. Should she step in? Say something? This meeting was starting out as disastrously as the last one had.

  “Bring it over.” Tom crooked two fingers at the doll. “I need to see this for myself.”

  Macy uncurled her legs, marched to him and thrust Emily into his hands. “See? She’s a girl. She’s wearing a pink dress. Boys don’t wear dresses.”

  He held the doll away from him and squinted at it. Then he brought it closer. “Well, I’ll be. This is a girl. How could I have thought it was a boy? Doesn’t even look like my brother now I’m up close, except Sam does wear a pink shirt on occasion. Must be where I went wrong.”

  Macy put her hand over her mouth and giggled. “Do you want to see my other baby? Briana?”

  “Of course I do. Why wouldn’t I? Wait, is this Briana one of those babies that goes to the bathroom?”

  “No-o.” She shifted her weight to one hip and put her free hand on her waist. “My babies are good babies.”

  “I hope you’re right, cuz I don’t like stinky diapers.”

  Macy hopped up and down, clapping. “I think she has a stinky diaper.”

  “Then leave her in the other room.” He stretched his hands out in a stopping motion. His eyes shimmered, teased. Macy raced out of there with wicked glee.

  “You handle her well.” Stephanie hitched her chin toward him.

  His mischievous side disappeared, leaving questions and uncertainty in its place. “I don’t know.”

  “I’m sorry she’s been so—” She kept her voice soft, but Macy tore back into the room with a baby in one hand and a play diaper tucked into her sling. Her eyes sparkled above flushed cheeks. Excitement sizzled in the air.

  “Yep, Tom, Briana has a dirty diaper!” She held the doll right up to his face.

  His expression transformed to mock horror. “A dirty diaper? Yuck.” He held his nose between his fingers and waved with his other hand.

  “She’s really stinky.” Macy pushed the baby to him.

  “Well, go change her diaper!”

  “No!” she squealed. “You do it!”

  He fanned himself. “I can’t. I would melt.”

  Stephanie slipped away and sat at the table, unexpected tears pressing against the backs of her eyes. She’d never guessed this side of Tom existed, had never seen him interact with a child. He’d broken through Macy’s bad attitude with teasing—hadn’t had to yell. She bowed her head, blinking back the emotion. If she had known he could be such a caring dad, would she have done things differently?

  “You’re doing it wrong, Tom.” Macy’s haughty tone made it clear she was thrilled to have the upper hand. “The diaper doesn’t go there!”

  Stephanie jerked her head up and looked over her shoulder. Tom wrestled a diaper around the baby’s shoulders. She stifled a laugh. Macy lunged for the diaper. “No, no, no! It’s not a vest, silly!”

  “Macy,” he said in a deep, low voice. “I think you’re going to have to teach me about this baby stuff. I don’t have a clue what I’m doing.”

  Stephanie craned her neck to see Macy’s reaction. She heaved the baby out of his hands and set it on the couch. “It’s easy. Don’t worry. You’ll get it.” She laid the diaper out and put Briana on it. “Then this part goes up here, and this sticker thingy goes over here, and—”

  “Hold up.” Tom lifted his nose and pretended to sniff. “Do you smell that?”

  Macy’s eyes grew round, anticipation dancing within. “No.”

  “You don’t smell it?” He sounded incredulous. Stephanie suppressed a laugh, certain where this was going.

  “I don’t smell anything ’cept Mama’s spicy candle.”

  He pointed to the doll. “The baby went potty again. It smells real bad.”

  Macy’s forehead furrowed; then she grinned. “She did! She stinks! You change her.” She tossed poor Briana into the air toward Tom.

  “No way!” He dodged the doll. “You change her.”

  Stephanie frowned. They didn’t need her. All it took was a couple of baby dolls and pretend dirty diapers and he’d wrapped her daughter—their daughter—around his finger. If she had known...

  No. No more regrets. Besides, what he was doing was the easy part. Time would tell if she could trust him to see this relationship through. Macy wasn’t a toy to pick up and set down at will. If Tom wanted to be her father, he’d have to commit to Macy forever, not just show up for a few months and fade away, busy with his own life.

  But Stephanie had to admit, she liked seeing this side of him, loved the way he made Macy laugh.

  And—she smiled—since they obviously didn’t need her, she was going to work on her report.

  * * *

 
Tom opened an orange Powerade, wiped the sweat off his forehead with a towel and swallowed a gulp on his way to his bedroom Friday night. Right after work he’d pounded out five miles on the treadmill, then tried out his new stationary bike. With winter almost here, his days of cycling outside were numbered. Of course, nothing beat the real thing, but he could adjust the speed and incline to mimic hills—a good enough substitute. The one piece of the triathlon puzzle he still worried about was the swimming portion. He could handle himself in a pool, but his form wasn’t good enough to excel in the 2.4-mile open-water swim.

  After a quick shower, he changed into sweatpants and a faded Detroit Tigers tee and fell onto the couch. Bryan must have come home while Tom was in the shower, because he stood behind the open fridge door, scanning the contents. “Didn’t you go to the store?”

  Tom looked up from flipping through channels. “Yeah, why?”

  “There’s nothing in here.” Bryan slammed it shut. “I’m ordering a pizza.”

  “What are you talking about?” Tom breezed into the kitchen and opened the fridge. “There’s tons of food in here. If you’ll give me half an hour, I’ll grill us some chicken breasts. There’s broccoli and brown rice to go with it.”

  In black pants, pin-striped shirt and tie, Bryan leaned against the counter and glowered. “You’ve got to be kidding me. We had chicken four times last week. Just hearing the word broccoli makes me hurl. See that? I threw up a little. I’m getting a pizza.”

  Tom blocked his path, which was easy to do in the small kitchen. The out-of-date oak cabinets, beige Formica counters and boring cream vinyl floors looked tired. His eating and exercising habits weren’t the only areas in his life needing an overhaul. They should update the bungalow. “What’s wrong with eating healthier?”

  “You might be living the dream, but I’m a normal person. It’s Friday. I want to live in the real world. A world where we eat hot wings and nachos. Pizza. Brownies.” Bryan brushed past him, loosening his tie in the process. “How long until I get my brother back?”

  “About nine months.” Nine months, two weeks and three days to be exact. “Why don’t you work out with me? I signed up for private swimming lessons at the Y. We can swim laps.”

  Bryan glared, unbuttoning his collar, cell phone in his other hand. “You’re killing me.”

  “What’s wrong with swimming?”

  “I’m not spending every waking free hour working out. No way. Hey, I give you credit, man, but it’s not for me.”

  “You’ll change your mind.”

  Bryan’s disgusted look said it all.

  Tom bit back a laugh. He’d better change the subject before his brother punched him. “What do you think about the new truck models? We’ve almost cleared out last year’s inventory. Only have six left. What about you?”

  Bryan brightened. “Yeah, sales are great right now.” He managed the two other auto dealerships. Their grandfather had started Sheffield Auto on a vacant lot surrounded by cornfields about four miles from town. Within ten years, Granddad had added another dealership, eventually owning and running five total in two counties. Dad took over the operation in the mid-1980s. They had to shut one location down during the last recession, but Tom and Bryan owned and operated the remaining four. Sam was CEO of the company, and Dad and their sisters had a share in the overall profits. “I’m thinking about buying a new four-by-four.”

  “Already? Don’t tell me you’re tired of the silver monster out front.” Bryan switched out vehicles the way their little sister Libby changed clothes—frequently.

  Bryan shrugged, held up a finger and pressed buttons on the phone. “Give me a minute. I’m ordering.”

  Tom rolled his eyes but waited for Bryan to order a double-meat pizza.

  “You were saying?” A gleam lit Bryan’s eye.

  “You’re bored.”

  “What?” Bryan’s chest swelled. “I’m not bored. Just because your life shifted into hyperdrive doesn’t mean mine’s boring.” He tossed his tie onto the table and dropped to the couch. “How did it go last night anyway? You guys going to tell her soon?”

  “Not yet.” Tom sprawled out on the recliner. “I’ve only seen Macy twice. She barely knows me.”

  “So it didn’t go well?” Bryan clicked through the channels, stopping at ESPN.

  “I didn’t say that. Last night was good. She’s less standoffish, you know, warming up.”

  “How warm does she need to be? It doesn’t change the fact she’s your kid. She doesn’t have to like you. I’m surprised you let Stephanie have her way on this. I hope she isn’t trying to weasel her way out of letting you see Macy.”

  “Why would she do that?”

  “It’s the old ‘Well, Macy doesn’t feel comfortable with you, so I’d better keep her and never let you see her. It’s for her best interests’ bit. Why is Stephanie keeping it a big secret? I mean... Wait—” Bryan twisted to stare at him. “It’s a trick. A trick to either get you back or get you off her back. I wouldn’t put it past her.”

  Tom ground his teeth together. “It’s not a trick. Do you really think I’m stupid enough to get involved with her again? I’ve been down that road, brother, and we both know how it turned out.”

  “Then why is she so insistent you spend all this time together?”

  “We’ve spent three hours together.”

  Bryan’s stare probed.

  His brother didn’t get it. If their positions were switched, he’d probably say the same thing. And Bryan knew divorce firsthand. His marriage had made it barely a year.

  “Hey, man,” Tom said. “I get what you’re saying, but it’s not like that. You’ll understand when you see Macy. She’s young. Used to being with her mom all the time. This is all new for her, too.”

  Bryan leveled a look full of disbelief at him. “With her mom all the time? I doubt it.”

  Everything Bryan said had a grain of truth to it. “We’ll tell Macy when the time is right. I don’t care what Stephanie’s motives are. All that matters to me now is being there for my daughter.”

  They listened to the college football predictions, but Tom couldn’t concentrate. His brother lacked tact, but he also brought up good points. What he’d told Bryan was true—he had no intention of falling for Stephanie again.

  But...what if this was a ploy to keep him from claiming Macy?

  He let his eyes close and took a deep breath. The day at the pumpkin patch Stephanie had been careful to keep Macy between them. Yesterday, she’d made sure Macy came out to the living room to spend time with him—and she’d left them alone to work on her report. If she was trying to keep him from developing a relationship with Macy, she had a funny way of showing it.

  As far as wanting him back, Tom doubted she’d ever wanted him in the first place.

  She’d been attracted to him. He didn’t doubt that. He’d wooed her, proposed. The light in her eyes had told him she was interested, but after they were married...he didn’t know. Maybe she had loved him, but he hadn’t paid attention.

  Bryan had one thing right, though. They couldn’t play “let’s pretend” forever. Next time he saw Stephanie, Tom would broach the subject of when they should tell Macy the truth.

  Chapter Five

  “Stay here.” Stephanie tightened her grip on Macy’s hand as they waited in line a week later. From the looks of it, every kid in the city had come to Chuck E. Cheese’s tonight. A hint of aftershave drifted to her. She snuck a peek at Tom. His wide shoulders filled out his light blue button-down shirt rolled up at the sleeves, and his jeans fit him perfectly. Not that she’d noticed.

  The line inched forward, and Macy tugged on Stephanie’s hand. The doctor had checked Macy’s wrist yesterday and declared her healed enough to get rid of the sling. “Come on, Mommy.”

  “Wait.” She g
lanced at Tom. “Are you sure about this?”

  “Yeah, why? I hear this is the place to have fun. Isn’t that right, Macy?”

  “Yeah!”

  Have fun...or misplace a child. How could anyone keep track of a kid in this chaos?

  They reached the front of the line. Tom ordered a large pizza, drinks and tokens, and he pulled out his wallet. Stephanie set her hand on his. “Let me.”

  He shook his head, presenting his credit card to the kid behind the counter. “I’ve got it. Why don’t you find us a table?”

  “And leave you to carry everything?” She reached for the tray the clerk passed to them.

  “Seriously, Steph?” He grabbed it before she could react. His use of her nickname stunned her into silence. She hadn’t been called Steph since they were married. “I can handle a tray with three empty cups.”

  “I know, but—”

  “Macy, did your mom forget I’m working out?” He winked, pretending to flex his biceps.

  “No-o, silly. She remembers.” Her pigtails bounced. “Let’s go play!”

  Yes, she remembered. The fact was, Stephanie remembered everything about him. The first time she saw him her pulse had practically jolted out of her skin. The first words he’d said to her—“Nice shirt”—with an amused grin at the tailgating party they’d both attended. He had a way of setting her at ease. She’d tucked it all in her heart—the proposal, the dazzling diamond ring, the love in his gaze when he met her at the end of the aisle. The hatred he’d poured out during their final fight.

  She remembered it all.

  “We have to find a table first.” Stephanie led Macy to the dining area.

  “How about here?” Macy’s face glowed. Stephanie sidestepped a trio of young boys racing to the arcade games.

  “Well...” Stephanie cleared her thoughts to focus on now. “How many seats do we need?”

  “Three.”

  “And how many does this have?”

  Macy pointed her finger as she counted. “Six.”