Read Online A Baby for Easter by Noelle Adams - Free Book Online Page B

gave Cara her bath, but instead of
relaxing her it seemed to enrage her. She flailed dramatically as Alice tried
to put her pajamas on and screamed when she tried to rock her.
    Groaning in discouragement, Alice picked the baby up and
walked and bounced her around the house. She walked to the front windows and
paced up and down in front of them, looking out on the street for Micah’s car.
    He’d temporarily swapped cars with a friend of his, so he’d
have a backseat to put Cara’s car seat, so he’d be driving an SUV instead of
his truck.
    The Deacon’s meeting didn’t usually take so long. Maybe
something had come up.
    Cara screamed and screamed and screamed and screamed, until
Alice was almost in tears.
    “I don’t know what else to do, honey,” she murmured, a thick
edge in her voice. “I don’t know what you want.”
    Cara’s only response was more wails.
    She was about to try to feed her again, since the baby
hadn’t wanted her whole bottle earlier, when she saw car lights outside.
    She looked out and saw a car stopping in front of the house.
It was a blue mid-size sedan. Definitely not the SUV. But Micah was getting out
of it.
    Peering more closely, Alice saw who was in the driver’s
seat.
    Lydia Morgan. Gorgeous, red-haired, confident, always
successful Lydia Morgan.
    Alice had assumed the deacon’s meeting had run long, but
evidently it hadn’t. Micah must have been hanging out with Lydia
afterwards—having dinner or something.
    While Alice was here with his screaming daughter, cooking
him a casserole that he clearly didn’t need.
    Her already bad day seemed to reach its final culmination
with this knowledge. Alice was so upset she was almost shaking with it.
    How stupid could she be? Her rules were supposed to protect
her from things like this—planning out scenarios based on nothing but fantasy
and wishful thinking.
    Cara was still crying loudly, right in her ear, so Alice
walked her into her nursery and sat down on the chair, trying once more to rock
her, trying to not be so upset.
    Nothing had changed, really. This wasn’t a big deal. It just
confirmed what she’d already known.
    She’d never been anything but stupid with men. And trying to
start her new life hadn’t changed it.
    “Alice,” Micah called, coming in the side door as always.
“I’m home.”
    Alice couldn’t get her voice to work, but Cara was loud
enough to clue him in on their location.
    He appeared in the doorway. “Is she all right?”
    “Yeah. Just fussy.” Alice sounded too uneven, so she cleared
her throat. “How was the meeting?”
    “Fine.” Micah was peering at her closely. “What’s wrong?”
    “Nothing. Cara just hasn’t been in a good mood today.” She
had to speak up to be heard over the crying.
    Micah reached out for his daughter, and Alice released her,
getting up and running her hands over her hair in a futile attempt to settle
her emotions.
    Cara didn’t seem to be happier in his arms than in Alice’s,
since the screaming continued.
    “Is she hungry?”
    “I fed her. I tried everything. She’s just unhappy.”
    “Does she need to be changed?” He pulled the baby’s pajamas
and diapers out enough to check their condition.
    “I told you. I fed her. I changed her. I gave her a bath. I
tried her chair and her toys and her music and everything else. She’s just unhappy.”
    When her voice got a little shrill, Alice knew she needed to
stop talking, so she left the nursery and headed for the kitchen.
    To her annoyance, Micah followed her. “Was she really bad?”
    “She wasn’t bad. She’s just having a fussy day.” Alice had
forgotten about her neglected casserole, so she quickly grabbed the foil to
cover it.
    “That smells good,” Micah said, inspecting the dish, holding
Cara with one arm.
    Alice covered it before he could reach in to grab a pinch
with his fingers. She felt stupid about even making it now, since he’d probably
gotten something to eat with Lydia. “It will warm