Maybe Matt's Miracle (22 page)

Of course, I remember. She looked like a chipmunk for a week.

“
Yeah, antibiotics,” she says. She shrugs.

“
You’re happy, right?” I ask.

“
I couldn’t be happier.” Her eyes meet mine, and I know she’s not lying.

I brush her bangs from her forehead and squeegee a piece of her hair with my fingertips, removing a little icing. “What’s bothering you, then?” I ask.

She takes a deep breath and closes her eyes. “What if he or she turns out like me?” she whispers. Emily has dyslexia and is nearly illiterate. She has to work really hard to do all the things that people take for granted, like reading street signs and menus in restaurants.

“
What if he or she is?” I ask softly. I want to shout at her, to tell her how fabulous she is. I want to tell her how lucky her baby will be to have a mother like Emily and a father like Logan and a whole room full of aunts and uncles who will spoil the baby rotten.

“
I’m just scared,” she says. She shakes her head like she wants to shake the thought away. “I wouldn’t wish my learning disability on my worst enemy.”

“
If she does, you’ll get her the help she needs to succeed.” That’s something Emily never had. She didn’t have the support. She had a father who thought she didn’t try hard enough and no one who fought for her, until she met Logan.

She looks up at me. “It’ll be all right either way, right?”

Logan lost his hearing because of a fever, so they don’t have to worry about a baby of theirs inheriting his hearing impairment. “It’ll be all right,” I say. And I don’t doubt my words, not at all. “You’re going to be a great mom, Em.”

She nods and throws the towel at my face. I catch it and toss it into the hamper along with mine. She lays a hand on her belly. “It’s hard to believe that I have a little person growing inside me,” she says softly.

I put my hands on her shoulders and follow her out of the bathroom. But I hear crying coming from Hayley’s room and head in that direction. I find Joey and Mellie standing with Hayley, and Mellie has peed in her pants.

“
Uh oh,” I say. I put my finger to my lips. “Shh,” I say. “Don’t tell anyone. I’ll be right back.”

I walk out to the bag that Sky brought with her and get clean clothes for Mellie, and then go back and take her hand so I can lead her to the bathroom. I am not quite sure what to do when she doesn’t let my hand go and drags me into the bathroom with her. I let her clean herself up, and she puts on some clean clothes while I sit on the edge of the tub. This is all new to me. Well, I’ve done it with Hayley, but she lives with us and she’s my niece. Her being family makes it easier to know what to do.

I get Mellie to wash her hands and remind myself to tell her to go to the bathroom in a half hour or so. I toss her clothes into the hamper. I’ll wash them and take them back to Sky tomorrow. We walk out of the bathroom, and Mellie grins up at me and hugs my leg, just below my knee. She sits down on my foot, and I take a few steps wearing her like a boot, her clinging to me like Velcro. She thinks it’s hilarious, and the other girls want to take a turn, too.

After everyone gets a ride and I make sure they all have snacks, I walk out into the hallway. Emily is standing there, and she looks me up and down and nods.

“
What?” I ask.

“
Nothing,” she sings, grinning like a fool.

“
Say it,” I prompt.

She shrugs. But then she looks up into my face. “You’re going to be the best dad ever, Matt,” she says.

My heart swells. “Well, at least I don’t have to worry about them turning out like me.” I scratch my belly. “Being this handsome is quite a burden to bear.”

She laughs and punches me in the gut.

I bend in the middle, clutching my stomach, and that’s when Sky walks around the corner.

She looks toward Hayley’s room. “I was just going to check on the girls,” she says.

“
I just did,” I tell her. Her brow furrows, and she looks so damn pretty that I want to kiss her. “Don’t tell anyone but Mellie’s pants peed on her,” I whisper dramatically.

She turns toward her bag. “Oh, I better get some clothes,” she says.

“
Already took care of it,” I say, and I wrap my arms around Sky.

She hugs me back. “You took care of it?” She lays her face against my chest and nuzzles against me. I could stand here like this all day long.

“
Of course,” I say.

She mumbles something against my chest that sounds like, “You’re really sexy when you take care of children.”

“
Hey,” I cry. “You should see me when I vacuum. And do dishes. You won’t be able to stand the sexy.”

She laughs and kisses the center of my chest, just over my heart.

We go back into the living room, and I sit at her feet while she sits on the couch. Emily picks up her guitar again after Reagan gets herself all cleaned up. Or after Pete cleans Reagan up, which takes way longer than it should. Emily starts to play, and I feel Sky’s fingers tickle across the back of my neck. I reach up to pull the rubber band from my hair and lean closer to her. She takes the hint and starts to draw her fingers down the length of my hair.

I really need a haircut, but after having been bald for so long, I don’t want to cut it off. I feel like Sampson who took his strength from his hair. I know it’s stupid, but it’s how I feel. My hair being as long as it is means I’m healthy. I’m not going through chemo. I’m not taking lots of meds. I’m just me.

Sky doesn’t stop stroking me, not even when the song changes. I have my family around me, and nothing has ever felt quite so right.

“
So, who’s going to the wedding tomorrow?” Pete asks all of a sudden.

Emily’s fingers stumble across the strings, and she slaps her hand down over them to quiet the noise. “Pete,” she hisses.

“
What?” he asks, throwing up his hands.

“
What wedding?” Sky asks.

I look up at her and tangle my fingers with hers on my shoulder. “An old friend of mine is getting married,” I say.

Pete makes a blowing noise with his mouth that sounds a lot like the noise we heard a goat make once at a petting zoo. Paul shoots him a look, and he bites back whatever he was going to say next.

“
Why would he go to that?” Reagan asks Pete, and she looks at him like he’s grown two horns.

“
To prove that he’s ov—” Pete grunts and shuts up when Reagan elbows him in the stomach. I would have gone for his nuts, honestly. “The invitation was for all of us,” Pete grumbles. “We should at least go and eat all their food and drink all their drinks. Just saying.”

“
Did you want to go?” Sky asks me.

I shake my head. “Not really.”

“
You said it’s an old friend, right?” she asks.

I nod my head. “Sort of.”

“
I think you should go.”

“
You could take Sky with you,” Pete says. “Rub that shit—” He grunts again when Reagan hits him on the back of the head.

“
Go for his nuts next time,” I tell Reagan.

“
Good idea,” she says as she shoots daggers at him with her eyes. “Your nuts are mine the next time you open your mouth,” she warns, pointing a finger toward his crotch.

“
My nuts have been yours since the day I met you, princess,” he says.

Sam makes a gagging noise, pretending like he’s going to throw up.

“
So, did you want to go?” Sky asks. I wish she’d leave it alone. But I’d have to tell her what’s up in order for her to do that, and I’m honestly having so much fun that I don’t even want to think about April and Ken. I don’t want to let them steal one minute of my happiness.

Emily elbows Logan. “We could go with them,” she says. “For moral support.”

Logan shrugs his shoulders. He couldn’t care less, apparently.

“
Well, then it looks like we’re going,” I say on a heavy breath. “Yay,” I deadpan. “Can you be ready by two?” I look up at Sky.

“
Oh, you want me to go with you?” she asks, her eyes opening wide with shock.

I tug her hand until she has no choice but to lean toward my face so I can kiss her. “I wouldn’t go without you,” I say. “Come with me.”

“
What about the kids?” she asks.

Friday raises her hand. “I’ll babysit. I got nothing better to do.”

But Seth steps up. “I’ll watch them. No big deal.”

“
You don’t have any plans?” Sky asks.

He shakes his head. “Nope.” He avoids her gaze. “Nothing at all.” Something is up with that, but I have no idea what. I’ll find out later.

“
Then it’s settled,” Pete says. He leans back, a satisfied look on his face.

It’s far from settled. The farthest of the far from settled. But at least I’ll have Sky with me, which might make it bearable.

Skylar

Matt helps me and Seth as we unload the car and get the girls upstairs. I swear, there’s a lot more to being a parent than I ever imagined. There are toys and bags and clothes, and then the kids themselves. Matt has Joey over his shoulder, and Seth carries Mellie.

The girls fell asleep at Matt’s apartment, and we decided to scoop them up and bring them home instead of letting them wake up in a strange place. Between that and finding a place for Seth and Matt and me to all sleep, it was just too difficult. I kind of want to wake up in my own bed with Matt tomorrow morning—if he wants to stay over, that is. I haven’t asked him yet. But it’s what I want.

I know he feels funny about setting a bad example for Seth, but Seth is almost an adult. I think he’ll be fine with it.

We go inside, and Matt and Seth put the girls to bed and tuck them in tightly. I give them both a kiss because it’s becoming part of our nightly routine. Sometimes I still sneak into their room to watch them sleep, but I get to take part in the bedtime ritual, too. I like putting them to bed and hearing them talk to their mother when they think I’ve left the room. It’s heartbreaking and uplifting at the same time.

Matt and I walk out into the kitchen, and he gets a bottle of water from the fridge.

“
I had a really good time tonight,” I tell him as I load the few dishes that are left from dinner.

“
I did, too,” he says. “My family likes you.”

“
Did you already know about Emily and Logan? You seemed surprised.”

He snorts. “I wouldn’t have thrown her over my shoulder if I had known.” He winces a little. “Didn’t mean to do that.”

“
You’re happy for them, right?” I ask. I watch him closely because Matt usually wears his feelings on his face.

“
Oh yeah,” he breathes. “Emily is pretty worried, though.”

“
About what?”

“
She has dyslexia,” he says. “Reading is hard for her.”

“
I know what dyslexia is.”

“
She’s afraid the baby will have it, too, if it gets her genes.” He shrugs his shoulders. “She’s just worried, like any new mom would be.”

“
How do you think Logan will do with a baby?” I ask. I have always wondered how deaf people raise hearing children.

“
He’s been taking care of Hayley her whole life,” he says. “He can do a lot more than people give him credit for.”

“
Oh, that’s not what I meant,” I start.

But he cuts me off with a smile. “I know. I get it.”

“
Is she going to have to quit school?” I ask. I know Emily is in college at Julliard.

He shrugs. “I have no idea, but they’ll work it out. Sometimes I think she went to college just to prove she could succeed. And she has. She’s satisfied. All she wants to do is play music.”

“
She should be playing huge venues with a voice like hers,” I say. It really was amazing.

He shakes his head. “She has no desire for fame. She just really loves music. And she loves my brother. So, I love her.”

I walk over and wrap my arms around his waist and then lay my head on his chest. My cheek rests over his heart. “My little family fits into your big family pretty nicely,” I say quietly.

“
Yep.” He sets me back from him with his hands on my shoulders. “Were you worried about that?”

I shrug. “Maybe a little.”

“
Talk to me,” he says.

“
You guys are just so tight,” I admit. “I’m envious of your bond.”

“
You’re part of our bond, now. You know that right?” he says. The hair on my arms stands up. “Just like Emily and Reagan. You’re part of the family.”

I nod against his chest. Seth walks into the kitchen and hitches his hip against the counter. “Would you mind if I have a friend over tomorrow night while I’m babysitting?” he asks. He doesn’t meet my gaze, and he avoids Matt’s, too. Hmm.

“
Who’s the friend?” I ask.

He shrugs. “I don’t know yet. I was just thinking it would be fun to have someone over to talk to.”

“
Talking?” Matt asks. “That’s what you’re planning to do?”

Seth’s face flushes. “Well, we might play Xbox or something, too.”

What would his mother do? “Why don’t you come back to me in the morning with the name of a person you want to have over, and we’ll discuss it?” I say. “Will that work?”

He scowls, but he nods. He sits down at the kitchen table and starts to flip through a magazine. Matt jams his hands in his pockets and rocks back and forth on his heels. He raises his brows at me. Then he sits down across from Seth and flips open the newspaper until he finds the crossword section. He and Seth start to work it together. Seth laughs when Matt gets a word wrong. And Matt goads Seth incessantly about his penmanship. They look happy and comfy together, though, so I go into the bedroom to shower and get into my jammies.