"No trouble at all," I say, my eyes fixed on where Abby now poses with Erin, rubbing their noses together with a wide smile on her face.
"It's nice to see her so happy," he muses. "Are you still staying with them?"
An uncomfortable knot forms in my stomach. Is it weird that I am? Do they think I'm trying to take Aaron's place?
"Yeah, at least for now," I say, shifting my feet awkwardly.
"Good," he says, sounding relieved. "I'm glad someone is taking care of them. I know Aaron would be, too."
"I wish he were here, man," I admit, voice choking at the unexpected flood of emotion. "I love being there for them, but I just wish I didn't have to be, you know?"
"I know," he says, nodding slowly. "You and me both, kid. But they're lucky to have you. We all are."
I'm spared from having to figure out a way to respond to that when Abby calls me over for a group photo.
The four of us gather around Abby and Erin, squeezing in tight and smiling at the camera. Never in my life did I think I'd be huddled around a baby girl, one who's completely stolen my heart, with a group of thirty year olds dressed as Winnie the Pooh characters, but goddamn I'm grateful for it.
"Okay, I want one of just Jack and Erin," Abby says, shooing everyone off the porch and handing her over to me.
"Really?" I ask, "Why?"
"I need to document my Pooh bear and her Christopher Robin," she says exasperatedly, like it's the most obvious thing in the world. "We need to remember this forever, I want to keep a whole Halloween scrapbook with our friends and our Jacky boy as she grows up."
"Don't talk about her growing up," Ellie says, voice breaking. "She's going to be our tiny ginger angel forever."
"Shut up before I cry," Abby counters, waving her away. "Okay, look over here baby girl! Can you smile for me?"
I give her a playful little jostle, and the sound of her little laughs fill the air like the sweetest song I've ever heard.
"I sure do love you, pretty girl," I murmur against her hair, pressing a kiss to the top of her head. "You and your mama. And I always will."
"Oh, if that's not the sweetest thing I've ever seen in my life," Andrea gasps, looking over Abby's shoulder at the phone screen. I hop off the porch, moving behind her so I can see for myself, and it nearly knocks me off my feet. I didn't even notice it happening, but somewhere in the moment, Erin was locked in on my face, smiling up at me like I'm her favorite person in the world.
That's going to be my favorite picture of all time.
"Okay, you're not allowed to hold my baby anymore," Abby teases. "She's going to start liking you more than me."
"Never," I say, handing Erin back to Abby and tugging on one of her rabbit ears. "There's no competition there, trust me."
"Let's get one of the three of us," she says, pulling up the selfie camera and squishing Erin's face between ours as I lean down into frame. She takes several in rapid succession, swiping through them to make sure there's one where we're all smiling with our eyes open. She hits the favorite button on one that looks absolutely perfect, and my heart lurches at how much we look like a family—at how much wefeellike a family.
Never mind.That'sgoing to be my favorite picture. Forever.
After a few more stops, including Granny's, where she prepared an enormous Easter-style Halloween basket full of toys and books for Erin, we finally call it a night and head home. Abby changes a drowsy Erin from her costume into pajamas covered with tiny pumpkins, and I give her a bottle while Abby gets ready for bed.
I rock her gently, entirely mesmerized by her sweet face, and her long eyelashes as they flutter shut. By the end of the night, she was completely tuckered out, dozing in the car on the way home.
"She looks so peaceful," Abby whispers from the doorway, the rabbit costume replaced by an oversized crewneck and boxershorts. I don't think I'll ever stop being amazed at how beautiful she looks in absolutely everything she puts on.
"These are some of my favorite moments with her," she adds. "Just knowing that she feels safe and loved makes me feel like I could fly to the moon and back."
"She really is the most perfect girl there ever was," I agree, setting her gently in her crib and turning off the lamp, following Abby into the living room after closing the door gently behind me. "Although her mom can give her a run for her money."
She looks at me pensively, almost like I'm something she's studying.
"You've been doing that a lot lately," I say, unbuttoning the top button of my polo and kicking my shoes off before sitting on the couch.
"Doing what?" she asks, eyes still searching my face.
