Page 52 of Loving Kai

Allie smiled. “He wasn’t talking to his grandfather, honey.”

Abe motioned toward the hallway. “I’m going to…”

“Go ahead.”

Abe was pretty sure his father would have a few more questions than his mother. He went to his room and threw some clothes into a leather tote. A few hours ago, he was planning a first date with Maggie. Now? He zipped up the bag, then sat on the bed and rubbed his face. Now there was a tiny human in his living room who just called him Papa. It wasn’t the word so much as how it made him feel. He rubbed his chest. “Maybe I’m just having a heart attack, or a stroke. I’m young. I’ll recover.” He sighed. “And you’d still have a kid.” A kid? He had a kid? He thought about Lizzie and how upbeat and full of life she’d been. She was the parent Kai deserved. Abe mumbled, “Papa? Unbelievable.”

When he returned to the living room, Kai was on the floor banging on the trunk in front of the couch and giggling like it was the funniest thing he’d ever done.

Abe stopped and couldn’t help but smile. “He can walk?”

“Of course he can walk. This boy can run.”

“Is he still in diapers?”

“Yes. But not for long. Once he’s settled in, we’ll get to work on that.”

“Bottles?”

“I didn’t see any in the diaper bag. Just a sippy cup.”

“Hmm. He’s damn near a kid.”

“He’s closer to being a kid than a baby.”

Kai was still banging on the trunk with drool running from one side of his mouth. “Sure looks like a baby to me.”

“Pick him up and let’s go.”

Abe set his bag down, then went to Kai, who looked up at him and grinned. “Papa?”

“Yeah, I’m afraid so, kid.” He picked Kai up, then grabbed his bag and followed his mother outside.

“We’re going to put the car seat in my car for now. You’ll need to get rid of your truck.”

“What? No way.”

“Or get a second vehicle. He needs a backseat to ride in.”

“Why?”

“The airbag.”

Allie secured the car seat in her backseat, then she took Kai from Abe and buckled him into it. When she closed the door, she looked at Abe. “What, honey?”

“So I have to buy a car?”

She patted his chest. “A nice, manly SUV will work just fine.”

Abe scowled. His life was basically over. He peered in at Kai, who was blowing saliva bubbles. “How can he produce so much spit?”

Allie laughed. “He’s probably teething.”

“Like growing teeth?”

“Yes.”

Kai was lost in his own little world of spit bubbles. Abe sighed. “Gross.”