The Rejected Wife: Chapter 18

“Come on, honey, just one more mouthful.” I offer the spoon with the boiled vegetables and the half cube of cheese to Serene.

She raises her hand and knocks my hand aside. The vegetables bounce off my shirt. The half cube of cheese joins its twin on the floor. I wince. Did I really think I could get her to eat her lunch and tuck her in for a nap while I jumped on my conference call? When am I going to realize I’m now on someone else’s time schedule?

“I’m not a quitter; you know that, right? My boys in the Marines called me Major Rock, not because I had a hard head, though that, too. But I’m one hell of an obstinate mofo—” I wince. “Sorry, ignore the swearing.”

She blinks. “No.”

Yep, that’s the first word she learned. Right after Papa. It was like, one day she woke up and decided to start speaking.

“I’ll take that as a yes.” I scoop up more of the food and offer it to her.

Serene firms her lips, shakes her head, and stares at me with her melting brown eyes. Her chestnut curls form a halo around her angelic face. There’s an adamant look in her eyes which I’m coming to recognize. Yeah, she’s a chip off the ol’ block, all right. She’s as headstrong as me.

It’s been six months since she came to me, and my life has changed beyond belief. Now, it revolves, not around me, but around the whims and fancies of another person. A tiny little child who has a mind of her own. First lesson of taking care of a kid? Don’t expect them to follow the routine you want to set for them. Second lesson? Forget that you ever had a life. Because now, they rule yours. And the third? Well, there’s no third because, by the time you learn the first two, you’re so starved for sleep, you can barely keep your eyes open during the day. I open my mouth and yawn widely.

My jaw cracks. My eyes water. Man, what I wouldn’t do for just an hour of uninterrupted sleep. Then I blink, for the little rascal in front of me opens her mouth. Wide. For a second, I don’t compute; then I realize, she’s imitating my yawn. Whatever works.

Before she can lock her lips together again, I spoon the food inside. She wipes the spoon clean, then holds the food in her mouth. I blow out a breath. “You’re supposed to chew it, sweetheart.”

She merely watches me with that unblinking gaze. The one I’m still not used to. The one which so often reminds me of Priscilla. I shake my head. I must be more sleep-deprived than I realized. Thoughts of her have been lurking at the back of my mind far too often, and for far too long. It’s an effort to keep them at bay. But truth be told, taking care of Serene while trying to maintain my role as CEO has been the most difficult thing I’ve ever done. More challenging than any mission. While not being life and death, it feels like I still live life on tenterhooks. Wondering what surprise Serene is going to spring next on me. Life with a child…is definitely not boring, I’ll give you that.

“Chew, Poppet.” I mime the action, moving my jaws. But there’s no reaction from her. She’s clever, this one. She knows when I’m trying to get her to do something against her will.

“You’re done, huh?”

She chews. Once. I count that as a victory.

“Okay, then.” I eat the lone piece of cucumber clinging to the spoon. My stomach grumbles, reminding me I haven’t eaten lunch or breakfast. Missed meals are a part of my new reality. Most meals consist of eating whatever Serene refuses. I’ve learned it’s best to eat when I get a chance. So, I scoop up the rest of the cheese from the plate and shove it into my mouth, then the vegetables. And the shredded chicken. She’s eaten some of each. That’s going to have to be enough for now. I place the spoon down and wipe her face with the wet wipe.

Then I scoop her up from the highchair. My phone buzzes, and I shift the munchkin to one arm to answer it. “Hello.”

“You sound breathless, Bro. Serene been giving you a hard time again?” Connor’s cheerful visage fills the screen.

“No need to sound so pleased… Bro,” I say through gritted teeth.

“Just calling it as I see it, and I’m entitled to make fun of your plight. Remember all the times you kicked my arse when we got into fights as boys? This is my revenge.”

“I could still kick your arse,” I promise him.

“Sounds to me like it’s my niece who’s kicking your arse— Hey Serene, how are you doing?” He flashes her a big grin.

And my daughter smiles a big toothy grin at him. “Conn-o-r. Uncle Connnnooor,” she warbles.

“Hi honey. Hope you’re not behaving, and giving your ol’ man a lot of trouble.”

She giggles and nods.

Would you look at that? In front of Connor, she’s so well-behaved. All the tantrums and non-cooperative antics are, apparently, saved for me.

“That’s my girl,” Connor croons.

“Thanks for nothing,” I mutter, half amused, half pissed off. Children know how to present a different front to different people, huh?

“I’ve got to put her down for a nap before I jump on my conference call.”

“Yeah, I know, the busy life of a single dad. Also”—he pauses halfway through his sentence and looks at me closely—“you have something on your”—he gestures to his forehead.

I touch the place on my forehead, bring my fingers down, and stare at the brownish smudge. Then I smell my fingers—“Crap”—and rub it off on a wet wipe.

“Don’t swear in front of the little ears,” he admonishes me.

“No, I mean that was shit. From Serene’s nappy. I changed her earlier, and⁠—”

“Argh. Enough already. TMI.” He screws up his face like he’s the one who caught a whiff of the bad smell.

“Yeah, this is what is in store for you, too, Bro.” I chuckle. “Wait until your spawn comes along.”

“Not a chance,” he says with confidence.

That’s what I thought, too. I was so sure that life would continue as it had been, with me at the center. Then, a curvy woman swept in, this little sprite on her heels, and suddenly, I went from wondering which woman I was going to take to a hotel that weekend to wondering if I could get through the rest of the day. My brother has a rude awakening coming. I want to tell him all that, but I stay quiet. Of course, there’s a chance he’ll never settle down—but given Arthur’s machinations, I sincerely doubt that.

I wasn’t sure how my grandfather would react to Serene, but the old coot welcomed her with open arms. Apparently, confirmation that she shared my genes, and his, was enough.

Gramps was over the moon to welcome Serene into the family as his great-granddaughter. Every time he sees her, there’s a new gift, whether it be a toy or a new dress. It’s so out of character for him, I suspect he’s allowing Imelda, his Harley-riding, shit-kickers-wearing girlfriend to make these purchases on his behalf. On the other hand, maybe he’s just thrilled to have a girl in the family. He even set aside a bedroom just for her—which is really more of a playroom—filled with everything a little girl could want.

Bonus: I suddenly went up in his esteem for having fathered a child. An archaic attitude, for sure, but one I didn’t question.

I’m glad the family has accepted her. Becoming a father made me feel vulnerable. I’m conscious of all the ways my daughter could come to harm. The world is suddenly a place filled with people who could hurt her. I’ve vowed to keep her safe, no matter what. Which, in turn, made me all too conscious of my own mortality. Nothing like having a child to make you conscious of your age and everything you’ve lived through.

And just watching her grow and blossom in the last few months has made me realize, I, too, am growing older. I worried that, one day in the future, I might not be around. Then, what would happen to my child? It made me appreciate the old man and my family, knowing they’d step in if anything happened to me. I’ve never valued the presence of my brothers or my friends. I took them for granted. But now, I’m cognizant of the fact that my brothers will watch out for my daughter. It makes me feel more secure.

“I called to make sure you’re coming to the family lunch at Arthur’s.” Connor says.

I’m about to make an excuse and refuse, then remember: Family’s important. I owe the old man that much. And yes, I’m being more amenable to him because he accepted Serene so whole-heartedly. I nod. “I’ll be there. So will you, I assume. Or are you off on one of your trips again?”

Connor has his own biotech firm and is often away on research trips. “I would be, but the old man insisted I attend. He’s got his panties in a twist about something, I tell you.”

Serene wriggles around, then tugs on my shirt. “Papa, play. Now.”

“The princess has spoken.” Connor flashes her another big smile. “You have your Dad wrapped around your little finger, don’t you?”

He has no idea.

Serene grabs hold of another handful of my shirt and pulls.

“I really do have to go.”

“Bye, Poppet” Connor blows her a kiss.

“Bah. Bye.” Serene blows him back a kiss.

I disconnect the call, place the phone on the table, then I place her against my chest and begin to pace. “You gotta sleep, baby.”

“Play. Sheep. Dog. Play.” She means her toys. My heart sinks. I really do need to get on that conference call. I’m a dad, and she comes first. But I also want to ensure I don’t neglect my company. I’m going to pull my weight as the CEO. I can do this.

“Plaaaay, Papa,” she screeches.

I can do this. I can do this. On my own. No, you can’t. You need childcare help. Though the experience I’ve had with hiring nannies has put me off them. The first one claimed a family emergency and quit in two days. The next one kept coming onto me, and that was very uncomfortable. So, I had to let her go. The third and fourth, Serene hated on sight and refused to let them near her.

The last nanny I hired, Serene seemed to tolerate, but she spent too much time on her phone instead of paying attention to my kid. I came home from a meeting one day to find Serene bawling her head off with a dirty nappy. I fired her right then.

I can do this. I have to do this. I’m a good father. I am.

I walk Serene to her room. I moved to this townhouse in Primrose, not far from my brothers and my friends. Serene now has an entire back garden with her own swing set and sandbox. I also have more space in the house, so I can work from home. I walk into her room and place her on the bed.

She sits up at once. “Papa, no. Play now.”

“Honey, you need to nap. Otherwise, you’ll be tired and cranky, Serene⁠—”

She slides down from the bed and crawls toward her toy bin. She picks up her stuffed dog in one hand, her toy sheep in the other. Then proceeds to bang them together, head-to-head.

“Way to go kid.” I sink back, defeated, then yawn again. I check my watch. Perhaps, I could take a little nap? But no, I can’t. I need to keep an eye on her. I yawn again. Then freeze as Serene pushes up to standing. On her own. Without any support.

She turns and beams at me. I watch, open-mouthed, as my daughter takes her first step toward me. Then another. My heart blooms in my chest. I have a big-ass grin on my face. And not lying, there might be a tear rolling down my cheek, too. Nothing like having a kid to put you in touch with your emotions.

I go down on my haunches and hold out my arms. She stumbles forward, then throws herself at me.