The offer surprised her, and she tested him. “There’s a bottle pre-made in the fridge. Would you mind running it under warm water while I change her diaper? At her age, I just take the chill off.”
“No problem.”
She pointed him in the right direction then went upstairs to the bedroom. Had she misjudged Elijah? Maybe he wasn’t so bad after all. He’d made a mistake, but he admitted to it.A month later. She’d rather not think about him at all. Pushing him out of her thoughts for a few minutes, she entered the bedroom.
Alice stood up when she saw her and put her hands in the air. “Up.”
“Did you have a good nap, princess? You seem much happier than a few hours ago.” She lifted Alice from the crib and kissed her nose. “Uh oh. Someone needs a change.”
Balancing Alice on her hip with an arm around her, Trixie pulled out a change of clothes and a fresh diaper. “We have a visitor,” she said as she undressed Alice. “Pastor Elijah Brewer. You know, the person who thinks less of your mommy because I made a mistake.”
She slipped on the new diaper and secured it before putting a onesie on her. “He did apologize, and I think he meant it. Maybe there’s hope for him yet.” After she slid dry pants on Alice, she stood her daughter upright and pulled them up the rest of the way. “It’s not a good feeling being judged, even if I deserved it. I pray every day that you’ll make better decisions than I did.”
Alice smiled and babbled.
“I know, I know. You don’t have a clue what Mommy is saying, and for that I’m glad. The longer you stay innocent, the better for you.”
“Mama.”
Trixie smiled. For all she’d done wrong in her life, she’d given birth to an adorable and loveable daughter. She took her in her arms again and carried her downstairs.
Elijah met her at the bottoms of the stairs and handed her the bottle. “I tested it on my wrist. It’s not cold anymore.”
The added gesture spoke to an empty spot in her. “Thank you.”
She took the bottle from him and sat down on the recliner.
He followed her, stopped several feet away with his hands in his pocket. Cleared his throat. “For the record, I don’t think less of you.”
“I thought we’d moved passed that.” She sat Alice on her lap and let her hold her own bottle.
“I, uh, heard you tell Alice I did.”
“Huh?” From the corner of her eye, she spotted the monitor on the end table where she’d left it. Her cheeks burned with embarrassment. “How much did you hear?”
“Enough.” He sat down on the sofa’s edge closest to her. “For what it’s worth, I really am sorry.”
“Okay.” Compassion touched her, and she remembered the forgiveness her family had freely offered her. “Apology accepted.”
“Thank you.”
“I sense you didn’t come only for that.”
He shook his head. “I have a favor to ask, and before you can think it, no, my apology wasn’t made in an effort to sway your answer.”
An unexpected chuckle bubbled from her. “You’re like my sister—your expressions give you away, so I would have known if that was the case.”
“Glad to know you have a little faith in me.” His wry grin tapped into a modicum of humor. Alice dropped the bottle, and before Trixie could bend over, Elijah caught it. “Here you go.”
“Thanks.” She pulled Alice further back on her lap in a proactive attempt to stop more bottle drops. “What’s this favor?”
“Lara and Aiden stopped by my office yesterday.”
“Are they okay?”
“They will be, I think.” He sat back and laid an arm on the armrest. “They were confused and needed an ear to vent their feelings. Aiden’s parents threatened to kick him out and cut off his college fund if Lara didn’t have an abortion.”
“That’s horrible.” Her stomach knotted, saddened for the families.
