The Baker, Part 2: Sous Chef

Chapter 19

Ben wasn't entirely sure what he should do. Cassie was baking, smiling, humming like she was in a disney movie and he didn't want to do disrupt that. Not after watching the torture she's endured for the past three months. He was going to head out to the store to buy everything on her four page grocery list, but he wasn't sure he should leave Liam with her. 

He hated thinking that he could never leave their son with her. She's his mother, there shouldn't be a problem there. She's been so happy since she started baking again yesterday, so he thought...what's the harm in leaving Liam with her for an hour?

Of course, he would ask her first because he didn't want to just leave him without knowing she could handle it if he cried or needed a diaper change. With the list in his hand, he walked over to her in the kitchen and rested his hand on her hip to get her attention. 

"I'll be back in a bit," he told her. "Do you want Liam here, or should I take him? If you're worried he'll cry or throw a fit, I can bring him along." She shook her head and told him, "No, it's fine. He's sleeping, so I'm sure he'll still be asleep when you come home."

Ben was still hesitant, but told her, "Alright. If he wakes up and you aren't sure what to do, just give me a call and I'll come straight home. Promise me?" She looked to him and said, "Promise. Now go, I need to start getting on dinner and I can't do that if I don't have what's on that list!" 

He chuckled, then pressed a kiss to her lips. "I love you, baby," he said. "I'll be back soon." He walked out of the kitchen and stopped at the bottom of the stairs. He looked up and let out a deep breath. 

He didn't like feeling uncomfortable leaving his son with his mother. Taking a deep breath, he shook away his thoughts and walked out the door. 

It took him a little over an hour to find the things on the list because he had to go to several different stores. At one point, he stopped for coffee and took pictures with a few fans who noticed him. 

He texted Cassie every twenty minutes or so to make sure she and Liam were okay. He's been getting the same response; "Still sleeping". He knew Liam shouldn't be still be sleeping, that it would mess up his sleep schedule, but he didn't want to put that pressure on her. 

It was around three-thirty when he got home to the smell of freshly baked cookies and the sound of humming coming from the kitchen. Ben had several bags he had to get from the car, but opted to check on Liam first. 

He quietly climbed the stairs and went inside his room. When he went up to his crib and looked inside...Liam wasn't there. "Liam?" He called. He had just gotten a text from Cassie right before he pulled up the driveway. She said Liam was still sleeping. 

Heart hammering in his chest, he looked around the room. He's heard of babies slipping through the gates of their crib, or getting stuck in between creases. "Liam!" He practically turned the room upside down and turned over the crib to make sure he wasn't stuck anywhere. Hunter, who was trying to sleep by Liam's crib started growling at Ben for the disruption, but then seemed to notice that Liam wasn't there. 

When there was no sign of him, Ben bolted out of the room and ran downstairs with Hunter on his heels. "Cassie! Cassie, I can't find Liam!" He ran into the kitchen, but then stopped when he saw Cassie standing at the sink. He couldn't see what she was doing. 

"Cassie," he said, short of breath, "where's Liam?" She didn't answer him. Hunter walked up to the sink next to her and started sniffing and whining. "Cassie, where is my son!" He shouted. She suddenly jumped and looked at him. She had headphones on and took them out. "Jesus, Ben," she breathed. "Don't shout, you'll scare him." 

"What?" He asked. He quickly walked over to her...and saw she was giving Liam a bath in the sink. "I heard him crying right after I texted you. I brought him down here and we got a little silly with the cookie dough, didn't we?"

Liam giggled when she tickled his stomach. Ben huffed out a laugh. He didn't know what was going on here...but it was making him smile. He watched as Cassie cooed at their son and washed his round belly and arms. 

This was something he's only dreamed of seeing. He chuckled when Liam squealed in laughter. "Having fun baking with mummy, then, little man?" He asked, as he tickled Liam's stomach. He laughed when his son's giggles echoed the house and when Hunter's excited barks followed. 

"Did you get the stuff?" She asked. He nodded and told her, "Yeah, I'll go grab it." He went outside and brought in the several bags from the car. Every inch of the kitchen counters were filled with grocery bags.

While he was putting things away, he also watched as Cassie pulled Liam out of the sink and wrapped him up in a towel. With a wide smile, he stopped unpacking and leaned back against the counter. 

"Why...I mean, how...I don't mean in a bad way, but...what...what happened?" He asked. He was very confused and very interested on how, why, and what happened. He watched her dry off Liam, as she told him, "I told you, he started crying. I brought him down here and--."

"No, no I don't mean that," he interrupted. "You know what I'm asking, Cass. You have postpartum depression. For three months, you haven't been able to look at Liam without breaking down somehow and now...you're giving him a bath, you're laughing, you're smiling. Don't get me wrong, seeing you bond with him like this is making my heart swell in pride and love. I just want to know what you're thinking."

This didn't look like something she was quite ready to answer. She held Liam a little closer to her, but then started to hold him at arms length. Ben's eyes widened and he quickly told her, "No, no, no I didn't mean that!" 

She shook her head with tears in her eyes. "Take him," she said. Sighing, Ben took Liam and held him close. "Cass, please don't this," he begged, as she walked out of the kitchen. Liam reached out for his mother, but then started crying when she disappeared. 

Ben lovingly shushed him and kissed his head. "It's alright, buddy, it's alright. It's my fault." He continued to bounce and shush him, as he thought about a better way to approach this situation with Cassie. Liam is so close to having his mother back.