Knocked Up(35)

"Wonderful." She shifted the toddler on her hip as he grabbed for a hank of her hair, then nodded toward him.

"Would you mind taking Tyler for a minute while I collect the flowers? I'm afraid he's going to reach for the shears."

"Oh, um, yeah, sure." Tawny rushed toward her and took the child from her arms awkwardly. When he was finally settled on her hip, he looked at her with mingled curiosity and contempt.

"Hi," she said, and smiled at him, but he only wrinkled his nose in response. "I'm sorry, I don't know your name," Tawny said to the woman as she added another daisy to the bouquet in her hand.

"Barb," she offered, then straightened up and gestured toward the front door. "Come on, we can get to know each other inside."

Barb led the way and Tawny followed her through the narrow, toy-strewn living room into an old-fashioned-looking farmhouse kitchen. There were a few toys on the table, too, along with a stack of important-looking papers and plates that seemed to be left over from that morning's breakfast. When Barb's gaze fell on the plates, she sighed.

"Boys," she said, then grabbed the dishes and set the stack in the sink behind her. "You ask them to do one thing...but anyway." She shook her head, then, seeming to notice that Tawny was still holding a growingly impatient toddler on her hip, she said, "Oh, would you mind setting him in the playpen in the next room? I'll get us some lemonade."

Tawny did as she was told, but when she sat Tyler in his little prison full of toys, he kicked one of them then stuck his tongue out at Tawny.

"That's not nice," Tawny said, but, as if in response, he did it again. And then a third time for good measure.

"Okay," Barb called from the next room. "All set. Nice homemade lemonade."

Tawny moved back into the kitchen, sparing one last glance at an incensed-looking Tyler, before taking a seat at the kitchen table. Barb smiled at her warmly and for a moment she was reminded of the way her own mother had looked when she'd come home from school on the base.

It was nothing like this.

Strange, but the memory of her mother’s chilly demeanor and total lack of maternal instinct still made her insides churn.

She needed to stop that nonsense. She was a grown up, after all, and that had been years ago. Some people weren’t cut out to be parents and all she could do now is make sure she was nothing like them.

"Thank you so much," Tawny said and took a sip from the glass in front of her. It was two times as sweet as it should have been, but that only made Tawny like it that much more. "This is delicious."

"Thank you," Barb said. "That's kind of you to say. It was my mother's recipe. I'll have to give it to you, too."

Tawny frowned, sensing something unsaid in her meaning. "Um, that would be great."

"So tell me, what's your family like? Are you used to being around all these baby toys and things?" She gestured to the Technicolor contraption at the edge of the table, and, confused, Tawny shook her head.

"No, not at all. I'm an only child."

Barb nodded. "I was, too. And my husband. Lonely, I think."

"It was okay. You learn to entertain yourself which is good."

"Yeah, that's a good point. Still, when I look at Rex and Luke together...well, I'm glad they have someone who understands them, you know?"

Tawny took another sip of her drink, considering. "Yeah, that must be nice. I did always sort of wonder what it would be like to have a brother or a sister."

"Naturally," Barb said. "So, where are your parents now? Nearby?"

Tawny shook her head. Ever since she'd found out she was pregnant, she'd barely been able to bring herself to think of her mother and father. When she did, it was always directly on the heels of wondering what they'd say when she told them about her baby. What they'd do when they found out they were going to be grandparents. Somehow, she couldn't manage to picture anything other than her mother’s disapproving frown.

“No. My father is stationed in Hawaii right now, so they're both living on base there."

"Oh, wow. It must be difficult, being away from them like that."

Tawny frowned. Not really. “Sometimes, I guess.” She took another sip.

"They must be so excited, though. With the news."

"I..." Tawny started, but couldn't figure out exactly what to say.

"Luke told me not to bother you about it, but I have to know. Did your mother already pick out what she wants to be called? I'm, of course, willing to take a back seat to whatever you want, but I'd love to be called 'Granny’."

If Tawny had been taking a sip of her lemonade, she was sure she would have choked.