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She laughed a little, and Travis said, “What’s so funny?”
“Claudia wants to know if I’m pregnant.”
“No. That’s me.”
They laughed together. Knowing that in some circles, that idea might not be quite as funny as it was to them.
“All right. Thanks a lot for talking me through this. I thought that the time that I spent away had helped me become a more confident person able to handle whatever life throws at them. I was not expecting life to throw me a baby.”
“I think that was the Lord who tossed you this child, and I don’t think it was an accident,” Ellen said.
Now that she had a little time to process, she could remember that everything that happened to a person in their life came through the Lord. Obviously, this was just one more thing that God had given, and he picked the perfect man to do it. She couldn’t imagine a better father than Travis.
“She’s going to need a mom,” Travis murmured softly. “Or I’m going to need a nanny, at least.”
She held her breath. Then she thought she was being silly. If he wanted her to be the mom or the nanny, he would ask her. He wouldn’t just throw a sentence like that out there.
“Well, you hired me for the week. I can help you with that, along with everything else. I can get the car seat, I can even make a diaper run, and I assume you’re going to run out of formula, too, although it says she only eats four ounces at a time right now.”
“I suppose that’s four ounces every two hours?”
“Ashley fed her babies every two to three hours, but she nursed them. I’ve always heard that bottle-fed babies can go a little longer. But I suppose it depends on the baby. Right now, she’s pretty soundly asleep.”
“I keep touching her to make sure she’s breathing. It looks like she’s sleeping, but when she’s not moving like that, she could be dead.”
“I remember Tadgh and Ashley getting up in the middle of the night and sometimes during the day just to go over and stand by the crib and make sure their baby was breathing. I think that’s a natural human instinct any time you’re around a baby and you have any ounce of compassion at all.”
“Well, that’s a relief. I have compassion. And more than an ounce. It wasn’t exactly something I had been dying to find out today, but it’s still news.”
She laughed and then realized she’d never answered Claudia.
No. I’m seriously asking for a friend.
“Are you really going to let everyone think this is your baby?” she asked, knowing that that was probably the best way, especially if the mother needed to be protected, but knowing that it wasn’t really fair to Travis, considering that it wasn’t true, and it would change the way people thought about him.
“I think that’s best.” He didn’t sound overly happy about it, but he did sound determined. His voice matched the jutting out of his chin and the way he nodded his head decisively.
Her phone buzzed.
What friend?
“If you’re going to tell anyone, Claudia wants to know what friend I’m asking about the missionary closet for.”
“I guess now is as good a time as any. Although, people might remember that when I walked in, I wasn’t holding anything. They might wonder where the baby was then, and there will be some awkward questions. Do you think you can put it off until tomorrow?”
They were just winging it, and she didn’t blame him for not wanting to face any questions this evening.
“Yeah. Definitely. I’ll just tell her I’ll talk to her about it tomorrow. I have to get up early and do the aquatics instruction at the Olympic training center, but after that, I can help you all day and meet with Claudia too.”
“All right. I guess that means I’m on my own for tonight.”
She bit her lip. She would like to help him. But if he was going to do this, claim the baby as his own, she wasn’t sure what kind of rumors would swirl around both of them if she was there beside him. Everyone knew she wasn’t pregnant, but they just came out of a long, brutal winter. She could have worn bulky clothes and hidden the pregnancy. It had been done before.
“Yeah. I guess you are.”
“Stop that,” he said, indicating where she had her lip between her teeth. “I wasn’t trying to pressure you into anything. Nothing more than helping me find someone who can be a mother...wife.”
He said that a little oddly, but she couldn’t figure out exactly what he was trying to say, so she nodded. “Yes. I will be there tomorrow, after I’m done teaching aquatics, and I’ll help you with whatever you need. Getting diapers and formula for the baby, finding a wife. Easy-peasy.”
