Jake stared back at him, the frown not so intense now.
“I’m your daddy. Do you understand that, Jake?”
Jake’s eyes never wavered from Phoenix’s, but he didn’t say anything.
Phoenix touched Jake’s chest. “You’re Jake.” Then he touched his own chest. “I’m Daddy.”
The little girl came over. “Daddy.”
“No!” Jake shouted again. Yep, no was his favorite word.
“Allie, come with me.” Mrs. Devers quickly took her hand and led her into the kitchen. Jake scrambled down and picked up the truck and a stuffed brown-and-white dog with floppy ears that was lying on the floor. He came back and crawled onto Phoenix’s lap, the dog tucked under one arm and the truck in his hand.
“You like trucks?”
Jake nodded.
“I live on a big ranch and we have trucks, horses and cattle. Big trucks that you can ride in. Would you like to ride in a truck?”
Phoenix continued to talk about nonsensical things and Jake just listened. Finally, Jake rested against Phoenix’s chest, and Phoenix lost his breath at the emotions that filled him. Protective. Overpowering. Parental emotions that he hadn’t even known he possessed. He just wanted to make Jake’s world better and safer. He wanted Jake to be happy.
Mrs. Devers and Ms. Bauer walked over. Phoenix had lost track of time and he realized it was getting late.
“Mrs. Devers said if you’d like to spend the night with Jake, you’re welcome to. She can move the children around for the night. They love playing camp-out.”
“Thank you, but I don’t want to put you out.”
“It’s no problem,” Mrs. Devers said. “It’s important that Jake bonds with you before you take him home.”
It was settled. Tom Devers came in from the grocery store, and Phoenix met him. It was a lively bunch when the kids all came to the table. Jake was very quiet, sitting in his high chair. He kept looking at Phoenix.
Later, he gave Jake a bath while Mrs. Devers watched and gave instructions, which he was glad about because he wanted to do the right things.
“I have a weak stomach,” Phoenix admitted as he put a diaper on Jake.
“Then you need to do it fast, like bull riding.” She grinned at him. “Yeah, I did some checking on you. I always do that when parents take kids from my home. I want to make sure they’re well taken care of. Jake is still on a bottle, and he needs to be weaned from it soon and potty trained. Mr. Rebel, you have your work cut out for you.”
Phoenix was going to have to learn to do a lot of things besides bull riding and ranching. They wouldn’t be pleasant, either. But he would learn. With Jake tucked into bed with his dog, which Phoenix learned was called Floppy, and his favorite blanket, Phoenix removed his clothes and slipped beneath the sheet on the twin bed. He thought he wouldn’t sleep because so much was crowding in on him about how his life was changing. But he fell into a deep sleep. The next thing he knew, a little hand touched his face.
“Dad-dy.”
Tears stung the backs of Phoenix’s eyes, and he pulled his son into his side, dog and all, and covered them with the sheet and blanket. He went to sleep holding his child, and it was the most natural feeling in the world. He would remember the moment for the rest of his life when his son had called him daddy for the first time.
A stench woke him and he knew what it was—Jake had a dirty diaper. Oh, man.
“Mr. Rebel,” Mrs. Devers called from the hallway, and Phoenix quickly slipped into his jeans.
“Yes, ma’am.”
Mrs. Devers appeared in the doorway. “Are you and Jake ready for breakfast?”
“Yes, ma’am,” Phoenix thumbed toward Jake in bed, who was looking at him with big eyes. “He got out of his bed this morning.”
“Oh, yeah. He climbs right out of it. That’s why Tom put latches on all the doors. You’ll have to do the same.”
“Okay.” He wrinkled his nose. “He has a dirty diaper.”
Mrs. Devers started pulling out things and laying them on the bed. “This is a plastic bag to put it in when you remove the diaper. Helps keep the smell down.” She pointed to a trash can in the corner. “That contains another bag you put the small bag in. You can get these anyplace that sells baby supplies. I will give you a few to get you started. You need to change the big bag every day.” She looked at him, and he realized she was expecting him to do something—like change the kid’s diaper. Oh, man.
“Hold your breath, Mr. Rebel. It will be over before you know it.”
He unsnapped Jake’s pajamas between his legs, and the smell made his stomach roil. He took another deep breath and undid the diaper tabs. The stench hit him square in the face. He was going to throw up. No! He was a cowboy. He was stronger than this.
Mrs. Devers handed him another diaper. “Put this over his little wee-wee so he doesn’t pee on you.”
Phoenix did as instructed.
“Take the top of the diaper and wipe down under his wee-wee.”
He did it quickly, trying not to breathe. She handed him a baby wipe, and he wiped Jake’s bottom clean and whipped another diaper under him and had it secured in seconds. He felt like raising up his arms in victory. He hadn’t thrown up. He’d done it.
The rest of the morning was a lesson in taking care of Jake, and Phoenix listened avidly. Soon Ms. Bauer arrived, and they left to go to the hearing to make Jake legally his. As he walked to the door, a strange feeling came over him, and he glanced back at Jake, who was playing with the little girl on the floor. He didn’t want to leave his child. The parenting thing was settling in. He could do this. He could be a father.
He arrived at the hearing to learn that he had a lawyer. Rather, the deceased Mrs. Green had a lawyer and was handling Jake’s case. The lawyer had a file he presented to the judge, which contained depositions from neighbors and people who knew Valerie. The judge asked Phoenix a few questions and then terminated Valerie’s maternal rights, and Phoenix gained full custody. It didn’t take long, but it seemed like a year had passed by the time he walked out of the courtroom.
They then went to the lawyer’s office. Phoenix found out that Mrs. Green had a small savings account, and it had been put in trust for Jake’s college education. He signed papers to become executor of the trust.
As Ms. Bauer drove them to Mrs. Green’s house, she told him Valerie had almost bankrupted the old lady. The woman had to sell her home to pay off credit cards and loan sharks. She then rented a small house for herself, where Valerie stayed from time to time when she had nowhere else to go. But her grandmother absolutely refused to give her any more money.
The house was very neat, and everything was in its place. Jake’s room was blue and white, and the bed was a warm honey color. Phoenix smiled at the sight. He almost took a picture to
