***
Ironically, that afternoon Taylor stopped by as he sometimes did on his way home from work. It rattled me a little this time.
“This is a surprise,” I said as I let him in.
“Actually, don’t get too excited. I have to take a piss so bad, and I know your bathroom is cleaner than the gas station.”
“I feel honored.”
Taylor was wearing his work clothes, a collared shirt and khakis, and he carried a small bag.
“But I haven’t seen Nicholas in a while…” he added. “I got him a little something from the trip and wanted to give it to him in person. Be right back, though,” he said, placing the bag on an end table and escaping to the bathroom.
I could hear him tinkling behind the door.
Nicholas had been playing in his room, and I went to get him.
“Nicholas, Uncle Taylor is here!” I announced, desperate for the distraction of my son. I feared Taylor might sense that something was wrong. This was the first time he’d come by since the wedding.
My son’s eyes brightened, and he ran out of his room just as Taylor exited the bathroom.
“Hey, buddy!” Taylor opened his arms.
“Hi, Uncle Taylor,” Nicholas said in his cute little voice.
“I missed you.” Taylor knelt and hugged him. “I have a surprise.” Taylor reached for the bag and took out a rubber iguana “I got this when I went to Aruba. I saw it, and all I could think was how much you would like it. There are lots of these iguanas there.” He handed it to Nicholas.
My son took it into his palm, looking down at it intently.
“What do you say, Nicholas?” I smiled.
“Thank you, Uncle Taylor.”
“You’re very welcome. And know what the best part is?” Taylor took it back for a moment and squeezed the iguana, prompting a rubber tongue to pop out. “Check out that tongue.”
Nicholas giggled and repeated the motion.
Taylor laughed. “Do you like it?”
Nicholas nodded.
He ruffled my son’s hair. “Well, good. I love you, little buddy.”
That squeezed my heart.Oh, Taylor, I hope you love him even more when you find out he’s your brother.
As Nicholas skipped away to play with the iguana, Taylor turned to me. He placed his hands on his hips. “So…”
I blew some air up into my hair. “So?”
He smirked. “Adam told me you agreed to go out with him Saturday night.”
Iexhaled. “I did.”
He chuckled. “You don’t have to marry the guy, B. Just have some fun. You spend your days taking care of Nicholas, which is obviously the priority, but you need to get out more. You’re too damn young to be cooped up the way you are.”
He made himself at home, grabbing a bottled water from the fridge. “On that note, I meant to tell you Juliana and I can babysit whenever you need us. She said to make sure you knew. And that includes this Saturday night.”
“She’s looking for practice, huh?” I teased.
