Page 59 of Loving Kai

“I much prefer Dad, if I have any say in the matter.” After a few more moments of Kai bouncing, Abe got up and went to him. “I suppose you need your diaper changed or something.” Kai held out his arms, and Abe picked him up. “This would be a really good time for Grandma to show up.” He’d managed to make it through the first day without changing Kai’s diaper. He sighed. “You’re going to help me out, right? You must be an expert by now.”

He picked up a diaper and the container of wipes. “We’ll bring these just in case.” He looked at Kai. “You wouldn’t do that to me on my first change, though, would you?” He laid Kai down on the bed and unsnapped his full-body pajamas. “These are pretty cool. I might need to get myself a set of them.” He looked at the diaper for a moment. “Okay. If I can rebuild an engine, I can do this.”

Abe successfully changed the diaper, then smiled at Kai. “Just like I knew what I was doing.” He put the pajamas back on. “I don’t suppose you’d go back to sleep for a little while. It’s kind of early.” He picked Kai up, grabbed the stuffed cat from the crib, then returned to the bed. “Let’s put you between me and the wall. No escaping to the floor or falling off the bed. Are you good with that?”

Kai grabbed his cat and lay down.

“Good boy.” Abe lay next to him. “Sleepy time?” He put a hand on Kai’s back and patted it. “You’re alright, kid.”

Kai snuggled the stuffed cat and whispered. “Dog.”

When Abe woke again, it was to the sound of his mother’s voice. “Honey?”

“Oh, hey.” He turned to Kai, who was sitting next to him, talking nonsense to the toy cat.

Allie smiled. “Did you change him?”

“Yeah. I’m quite proud of myself, actually.”

“I’ll take him to the kitchen and give him breakfast.” She held up a glass vial with a cotton swab in it. “But first, let's get this out of the way. I’ll take it to the lab at the clinic today.”

Abe looked at the vial for a moment, then at Kai. “What if we don’t do it?”

“What do you mean?”

“What if we just…assume he’s mine and screw the paternity test?”

Allie sat on the edge of the bed. “Are you afraid it’s going to come back negative?”

Abe rubbed his face. “I don’t know.”

“Honey, legally, you need to know. You’d want him to be an official Buchanan, right?”

“Um…yeah. Of course.”

She patted his arm. “I’m sure it’s going to come back positive. But if it doesn’t, this boy still needs a family. Would we love him any less if he wasn’t yours?”

“You love him already?”

She watched Kai for a moment. “How could I not?” She laughed. “You used to do that.”

“What?”

“Talk to your animals.”

“Did I know the difference between a cat and a dog?” Abe looked at Kai again. “Give me the damn swab.”

Maggie sat in her car in front of Rocco’s for several minutes after parking the truck. She didn’t see Abe’s motorcycle, but maybe it was too badly damaged to drive after the accident. Maybe he came in with Gentry. He wouldn’t have called her for a ride. Not after standing her up last night. How could he do that? Why did he do that?

She opened her door. “You’re not going to find out sitting out here in the parking lot.” She left the truck and headed for the front door. Gentry was in the kitchen, prepping dough, while Abe was nowhere to be seen.

Gentry smiled at her. “Morning.”

“Hi.” She hung up her purse and put on her apron. Just be cool. Don’t sound judgmental. “Abe’s not in yet?”

“Um…no. He’s taking a day or two off.”

Maggie’s hurt feelings turned into concern. “Is he okay?”