Page 17 of The Blessing

Suddenly, I feel as if I’ve made an error. I’ve intruded on something personal and it’s obvious I’ve upset her. I give her a sheepish smile and she gives me a tight one in return. I don’t want to recognize the pain in her eyes because it fucking hurts to see her upset. I hope I haven’t messed this up already because in the few hours I’ve known her, I already feel comfortable around her. “Did I—” I begin to ask, but Ronnie quickly interrupts me.

“The manicotti is ready, and I made garlic bread, too.” Her cheery voice doesn’t match her uncomfortable demeanor.

Whatever is troubling her I’ll never know because I wouldn’t dream of pressing her any further. I know how much I hate that shit. I want to mourn the loss of my brother in peace and I don’t need people constantly asking me twenty questions about it. I know everyone means well, but I don’t want to drudge up some painful memories just to spin a story for someone—so they can feel sorry for me. My silence seems to relax her and all the tension in her body seems to dissipate as soon as we’re in her kitchen.

My eyes widen in shock as I see the lengths she went to for tonight. Maybe she does this whenever she has company, but I like to think that all this effort is for me and me alone. “This is incredible,” I say as I eagerly take a seat with Grey comfortably in my lap. I tear my eyes away from her body long enough to look at the meal sitting in the center of the table. I’ve never had a dinner like this. My mom would cook every now and then, but most of the time she would order expensive takeout or we’d go out to dinner at a nice restaurant in town. She’d never go all out like Ronnie did tonight.

“Jesus, Ronnie. You didn’t have to do all this,” I say as I practically salivate at the sight of the meal she prepared. I’ve got to come up with a way to pay her back for all this hard work.

“Well, it’s my way of saying ‘welcome to the neighborhood,’ ” she tells me with a flirty grin. Maybe it’s just wishful thinking on my part, since I’m sure I’m not the type of man she probably goes for—but she seems into me. “So, have you lived in Evergreen long?” she asks as she grabs my plate to serve me.

“Born and raised,” I respond as I eagerly accept my plate of food. “I spent the last five years traveling all over the U.S. and spent the last two years in Cali before I decided to come back.”

Grey reaches for the food on my plate but I stop him, which causes him to become fussy again. Probably sensing the impending tantrum, Ronnie rises from her chair and glances around her kitchen. “I have some yogurt if you think he’d like it.” I give her a thankful smile and she rushes toward the refrigerator, coming back with vanilla yogurt and a spoon. “I hope this helps.”

“I gave him his bottle before we came over,” I tell her as I open the yogurt and scoop up a small amount, before spooning it into Grey’s mouth. He takes a little bite and smiles at me.

“Yeah, but he’s watching you with your hot plate of food and probably wishing he had something more substantial than formula,” she teases me as she sits back down in her chair across from mine.

“You’re right about that. I’m never sure what to feed him half the time. Everything just seems so risky,” I explain, kicking myself for not buying a baby book. I’m definitely going straight over to the town’s used book store tomorrow after work to purchase one.

“I understand that. I used to be terrified when I would watch my niece, Harper. Children seem so small and fragile; it definitely takes a while to realize they’re not as breakable as we think.” I’m happy she doesn’t ask me why I don’t know much about babies. I don’t want to explain why or how I recently became Grey’s guardian. One day I’ll tell her all about Dean, but I’m not ready for that day to be today. I’m not ready to talk about his death with anyone.

“I just can’t believe how little babies are,” I quietly muse as I feed Grey his yogurt.

“You’re really good with him,” she says after a long moment of watching us together.

I smile, content with her compliment. I don’t get compliments very often, and every time I do I feel like it must be some sort of mistake. Sure, I seem good with him now, but I’m positive I’m doing something wrong. I know nothing about being a parent and I’ve never been around a baby before I met Grey. I can’t be too good at caring for him. I thank her for her compliment anyway, despite not believing it.

“I don’t know about that,” I say looking up from Grey to give her a sly smile. She smiles back and begins to eat her food. “He’s just an easy baby to take care of. He makes my job pretty easy.”

She giggles at this and takes a sip of her water before saying, “You don’t give yourself enough credit.”

Maybe she’s right, but I haven’t really ever given myself much credit for anything. Hell, I’ve never done anything right to take the credit for. She smiles as she watches me help Grey finish up his meal before I start on my own. We fall into an easy conversation and I’m astounded by the number of things I have in common with this woman. For someone who’s accomplished so much in her twenty-five years, she’s incredibly laid-back and doesn’t have an ego. She’s a simple girl, but she’s really more extraordinary than she gives herself credit for. I guess that’s how I appear to her. We both seem to downplay all of our strengths. When I’m talking to Ronnie, hours fly by like minutes and before I know it, Grey is falling asleep in my arms.

“I better get going,” I regretfully say, not wanting to leave her side after the amazing night we had together. “It’s past Grey’s bedtime and he’s going to get cranky if he’s not in his crib soon.”

“I totally understand,” she responds with a coquettish grin before rising from the table to walk Grey and I to her door. “It was really nice having you over, Trev. I could definitely use a few more friends around here. Outside of my sister, I’m practically a hermit,” she says with a snort.

Hearing her say “friends” puts a damper on the evening, but I know I can’t expect any more from her. She barely knows me and I barely know her. She could have a boyfriend already or maybe I’m just not her type. Hell, I’ll take what I can get when it comes to her, though. If being her friend is the best I can achieve then I’ll be more than happy to slide into that position. Maybe one day she’ll see me as more than that. Although, it’s not like I really need a relationship to complicate my already hectic life right now.

“I definitely hear you,” I tease her as I look down at the sleeping baby in my arms, “Grey’s pretty much the only person I hang out with these days.”

“Well, maybe we can all hang out together then.”

“My door is always open.”

“I won’t be a stranger then,” I hear her respond, making me grin as I return to my empty apartment.