The Kiss: An Anthology About Love and Other Close Encounters(16)

“Eddie!” Caulder yells with relief when he sees me. “Help us!”

I hesitantly step inside the living room and walk toward the kitchen, afraid of what I’m about to get myself into. “What happened over here?”

Kel is at the stove again, turning on a burner and pouring something into a pan. He glances at me, then returns his attention to the stove. “We told Layken and Will we’d cook dinner tonight so they could sleep, because that baby never sleeps and they’ve been walking around like zombies. But then she started crying, so we picked her up before she could wake them up and we couldn’t get her to stop crying because all she does is cry. Now we’re trying to cook but…we don’t really know what we’re doing.”

I look around the kitchen and assess the situation. There are measuring cups and bowls spread out on the counter, along with what looks like an entire bag of spilled flour. I glance into the living room, but there’s no sign of an infant anywhere. “Where’s baby Julia?”

Caulder and Kel both look at each other, then look back at me. I don’t like the looks on their faces. They look guilty, and guilt is never good when it involves an infant.

“Where is she?” I say again, scared to hear their answer.

Caulder nudges his head in the direction behind me. “She’s asleep. On the dryer.”

My eyes grow wide. Surely I didn’t hear that right. “The dryer?!”

Kel shrugs. “She’s in her car seat. And don’t worry, we put the dryer on the cool setting and strapped it down so it wouldn’t fall off. It’s the only way she’ll stop crying,” he says defensively. “I think she really likes the sound of the dryer.”

I roll my eyes and rush to the laundry room. Sure enough, her car seat is strapped to the top of the dryer with bungee cords. I start to reach over and undo them, but then I notice Julia is actually passed out. It’s only the third time I’ve seen her since they brought her home, but it’s the first time I’ve actually seen her not crying.

I decide to leave her there and I walk back into the kitchen to help Kel and Caulder finish whatever meal they’ve started.

“Where’s Gavin?” Caulder asks.

“He’s changing Katie’s clothes. She found the ketchup bottle again.”

Caulder laughs. “You guys are gonna have to get rid of all your condiments.”

I nod in agreement. If it’s something that squirts, Katie will find it, no doubt.

I look at the mess laid out across the counter and stove. “What is this supposed to be?” I ask.

“We were trying to make a casserole,” Kel says. “But it’s not working out too well.”

I try to figure out a way to salvage it, but it’s impossible. It’s turned into some sort of paste. “We could just order pizza,” I say.

Caulder doesn’t even hesitate. He grabs the phone from the bar and starts dialing the number from memory as Kel switches off the oven and the burner on the stove.

I hear the shuffling of feet and look up to see Will slowly making his way out of the hallway, rubbing sleep from his eyes. He looks up at me and I try to stifle my laugh, but he reminds me of how Gavin looked for the first few weeks after Katie was born. Scruff on his face, unkempt hair and stains all over his t-shirt.

Will looks at the three of us preparing dinner in the kitchen, then spins around, looking for Julia. “Where is she?” he mumbles.

Caulder stands up straight as if he’s about to give a speech. “You know how she’s never slept for more than five minutes straight?” Will arches an eyebrow, suspicious of what Caulder is getting at. “Well, we think we figured out the answer. She’s been asleep for over an hour.”

“Where is she, Caulder?” he asks, almost threateningly.

Caulder nudges his head again toward the laundry room. Will’s head slowly turns in that direction.

“She likes the dryer,” Caulder says.

“Don’t worry, Will,” I tell him. “I checked on her. She’s fine.”


Will ignores my reassurance and heads into the laundry room. I watch him as he stares down on her. A slow grin spreads across his face and he leans forward and gives her a kiss on her forehead. I smile, because there’s nothing like watching a man kiss his baby girl. It’s my favorite thing to see Gavin do.

Will walks out of the laundry room. “Who would have thought she’d love the laundry room?” he says. “She’s just like her mom.” He smiles to himself, then turns his attention toward the front door when it opens.

Gavin walks in with Katie on his hip. As soon as she sees Kel and Caulder, she’s struggling to break free from Gavin’s arms. “Want down, Gabin,” she says.

He rolls his eyes and sets her down. “It’s Daddy,” he says to her.

She’s been on a first-name kick with him for about a month now. I think it’s funny, but Gavin hates that she hasn’t been calling him Daddy. I think it’s even cuter that she can’t pronounce Gavin, so she calls him Gabin. I’ve caught myself doing it on more than one occasion.

Katie runs right past me and into the kitchen, where Kel scoops her up and tickles her. “Want to help us clean up this mess, Katie-bear?” he asks her. She nods and he walks her to the counter and plops her down on top of it. He gives her a rag and tells her to start wiping the counter, so she does, even though she’s making more of a mess than she’s cleaning.