Granted: A Family for Baby Read Free Page B

baby food and sack of toys to her mother’s front door, “someday soon you and I will be stay-at-homes. Instead of working in an office, I’ll help you build skyscrapers of Lego, we’ll watch “Sesame Street” and play in the park.”
    Suzy smiled at the picture in her mind, conveniently overlooking the time in between while she’d be working at the diner and looking for Daddy Right. In her dreams she was already a full-time mom. No more cold cereal on the run. No more coming home at six o’clock too tired to even play peekaboo with Travis.
    She could see it all so clearly. What was not so clear was the face of the mystery man who would make all
     this possible. All she knew was he was solid and dependable. He didn’t have to be good-looking. In fact, she would prefer he wasn’t. She didn’t want anything to distract her from finding the perfect father for Travis. Anything distracting, like personal magnetism or rugged good looks, which could cloud her judgment and which Travis’s biological father had oozing from every pore.
    Travis gurgled happily as if he was looking forward to their new life as much as she was. “Mama,” he said, yanking on her earring with one pudgy finger and tossing it into the bushes.
    “Ouch, Travis,” she said. “Mommy needs that earring. Mommy has to look nice for the Rotary luncheon where they’re going to endorse Brady for sheriff.” She sighed and pushed her mother’s front door open. “Never mind. It’s too late to look for it now.” She exchanged a brief greeting with her mother, handed Travis over to her and watched anxiously while his face screwed into a frown and he let out a howl of protest when he realized she was leaving. “Mama, Mama, Mama,” he yelled, holding out his arms.
    “Go on,” her mother said over the noise. “This is just for your benefit To make you feel guilty. He’ll stop as soon as you leave.”
    Suzy nodded but hesitated on the front step. Her chest tightened, a pang of guilt hit her in the ribs as his cries carried clear out into the morning air. But she didn’t linger. She couldn’t. As it was she was going to be late for work. And she still had to drop off some important bills at the post office.
    Since she was already running behind, she grabbed a coffee to go from the diner. But in her haste she spilled half of it on her skirt before she finally arrived at her office. Brady was waiting for her. The drawers to his
     file cabinet were opened wide. His desk was piled high with papers.
    “There you are,” he said, glowering, as she opened the front door. “Do you realize what time it is? Do you know what day this is? Do you have any idea where my speech is?” He stepped forward to take a close look at her. “Do you know you’re only wearing one earring?”
    “Yes, yes, yes and yes. I’m sorry. I can’t do it,” she said, setting the foam cup on the file cabinet and dabbing a tissue at the stain on her skirt. “I just can’t”
    “Can’t do it? Can’t do what? Can’t find my speech? Can’t find your other earring?”
    She shook her head wearily “I can’t be a good secretary and a good mother too. I told you I couldn’t. I told you I wanted to quit. I told you...”
    “Hold it. Just hold it,” Brady said, grabbing her by the shoulders. “You’re not a good secretary. You’re a great secretary. Probably a great mother, too, for all I know. What I do know is that it isn’t going to be easier to be a good waitress and a good mother at the same time. So why not give up that crazy idea and just stay here with me?” He gave her his most charming, slightly crooked smile, and she almost gave in. Almost, but not quite.
    She pulled out of his grasp and reminded herself of her goals. “Stay here with you?” she asked incredulously. “For how long? Until you retire? Until Travis goes off to college? Until I’m old and gray and I have nothing to show for it but a tiny retirement fund and no one to share it with? No