The nasally voice that comes out of my sister almost makes me lose my composure. “That little girl exploded. Seriously, it sounded like a bomb went off in her pants and then the most horrific stench I’ve ever smelled filled the room.”
Setting the boxes down on the kitchen counter, I rush to the high chair and lift my daughter out of it. Brown liquid drips down her legs. “She just pooped, Dil.”
Dilynne dry heaves again. “That is not just poop, big brother. That is vile, disgusting soup dripping down her legs.” She gags again. “I can’t handle this. I—I have to go.” She rushes for the front door, but not before turning back to Elodie. “It was nice to meet you. Hopefully we can talk more when I don’t feel like I’m inhaling pollution that could destroy the ozone.” Elodie laughs out loud. “But if you’re ever interested in hanging out or have any questions about my brother here,” she says with a toss of her thumb over her shoulder, “my best friend Laney and I would be happy to oblige.”
And then she’s gone, leaving us standing there in relative shock before we both burst out laughing.
“I take it your sister doesn’t have experience with babies either?” Elodie manages to finally ask through her laughter.
“What gave that away?”
Elodie winces when she sees the back of Remy’s outfit as I continue to hold her at arm’s length before casting my eyes toward the wipes, debating how I’m going to clean her up.
“That outfit is probably unsalvageable.”
Sighing, I accept the clothing’s fate. “In the trash it is, then.”
“Honestly, you’re better off just stripping her down and washing her off in the sink.”
“You can do that?” I ask as I hold Remy over the kitchen sink and Elodie begins to undress her.
She chuckles as she carefully removes the soiled clothing and diaper. “You bathed her over here last night, didn’t you? It’s better to rinse her than waste all of those wipes. She’ll be much cleaner this way anyway.”
Setting Remy down in the porcelain sink, I turn on the faucet, wait for it to warm up a bit, then put it on the spray mode and gently rinse her off.
“I’ll go get her an outfit and new diaper,” Elodie says.
Once Remy is clean and redressed and the high chair cover is in the washing machine, Elodie heads for the front door.
“Where are you going?” I ask.
“I left something in my car. I’ll be right back,” she says, as though she needs to reassure me that she’s not about to run away. Maybe that’s my own insecurity coming out, but I push the thought away.
When Elodie returns, she’s carrying a guitar case.
“Please tell me you don’t also have a drum set in your car.”
Laughing, she props the case upright. “Nope. I’m a one-instrument band.”
“So you play?”
“No, this is just for decoration.” Her sarcasm is becoming oddly comforting. With an eye roll, she says, “Yes, Henley. I play.” She leans the guitar case against the back of the couch, surveying the state of my house. “So, looks like you didn’t get much done today.”
“Honestly, I don’t even know where to start. I was lucky to get the high chair finished and put Remy in that. I swear, it’s impossible to get anything done with a baby in tow.”
Elodie takes Remy from me, settling her on her hip with ease. “Okay, let’s start with the crib. That way she can sleep in her own bed tonight, and maybe you can get a little more sleep.”
I almost tell her that having Remy sleep on my chest last night was much more pleasant than I care to admit. Holding her close was a surprising comfort, especially for a guy who likes his space. But with my daughter? It’s a different sort of bond, one in which it feels like she’s been missing from my life this entire time.
Fuck. There’s another thought I don’t want to tackle right now.
“Crib it is.” I drag the box into the only empty space on the floor in the living room before taking my utility knife from my pocket and slicing through the tape.
“Sorry for assuming that Dilynne was your girlfriend, by the way,” Elodie says, breaking through the silence.
Lifting my head, I meet her eyes. “No need to apologize.”
Her cheeks turn pink again behind the curtain of her hair. “I know you said that Remy’s mom took off, but I wasn’t sure if you were seeing someone.” Our eyes meet and she shakes her head. “I guess I just wanted to be prepared if someone else would be around the house,” she explains with a shrug.
