A Thanksgiving Dilemma (Excerpt Only) - BWWM Romance

Chapter 5 - Karen

Brian looked stunned. Despite all their talk about the possibility the child was his, he looked absolutely blindsided once the time came for him to take over. His paternity had been confirmed, and he'd even signed a declaration, but it seemed reality had just sunk in.

Eventually, Karen had to nudge him out of his stupor.

"So what happens now?" he asked the caseworker, blinking.

"You get to take her home! Make sure you've got the right car seat and all that, but she's all yours."

"Of course. Car seat."

Karen had a sinking feeling, watching him. While she'd already known he was clueless, it was clear the poor guy would need all the help he could get.

"Can someone teach me..." He stopped as if overwhelmed by all the things he needed to learn. He turned to her, a desperate, pleading look in his slate eyes.

"You know what? I'll go ahead and set that up," Karen said. "Bet you're pretty glad I prepared for this part, aren't you? And there you were, mocking me for bringing it along..."

"Karen, you're a godsend," he said intently, the intensity of his voice and his gaze making her entire being vibrate.

She quickly left to carry out the promised task.

* * *

When they pulled up at Brian's home, Karen said, "You need somewhere for her to sleep. Lucky for you, I'm well-prepared for this part—as prepared as possible, anyway. I have a bassinet and all sorts of other newborn stuff—clothes, toys, bathtub..."

"I can't ask you to do that. Listen, I have plenty of money, so I have no problem buying all new stuff."

"Yeah, but are you ready for major shopping right now? We might as well use what we have until you can make firmer decisions about what you want for her; you haven't had time to research anything. I'll go get my stuff and we can sort of take inventory from there, but the main things we need right now are diapers. And baby food since you won't be nursing," she said with a straight face.

"Right," he said, the corner of his mouth twitching with suppressed laughter. "But isn't breastfeeding supposed to be best for the baby? I heard one of my coworkers say something like that."

"Yes, it is. What you can do is pick up donated breast milk."

Brian's eyes widened. "Okay, I know it's all totally natural and whatnot, but that sounds really gross. Just... feed her milk from random people? Bleh."

Karen giggled. "You have so much to learn. I can help point you in the right direction or feel free to carry out your own research. Diapers, bath time—easy. What to feed her, sorting out a schedule, what type of plastics to avoid—a little harder."

Brian shook his head. "I owe you big time," he said. "In more ways than one."

She gave him a kind smile.

"Oh, do you need me to help you bring anything over?" he asked.

"No, I've got this. I'll make a few trips if I have to, but I'd rather sort through everything alone."

He gave her an understanding, sympathetic nod.

* * *

Karen stared at the boxes—containers of all sorts of things she hadn't looked at in a while. She'd never intended to throw any of them away, or even give them away; she'd planned to preserve the items for the next time she found herself with child.