Free Surprise Dad by Daly Thompson Page A

been a harrowing experience.
    In the end, the kid had slept most of the trip, safe and sound in his car seat, which Mike thought could easily protect an astronaut during a launch, unaware of how much anxiety he was causing the man driving the car. He woke up once, making noises that did sound like the prelude to an all-out crying jag. In a panic, Mike had pulled into a rest area. One bottle and a clean diaper later, the upheaval had been resolved.
    But now that the car had stopped moving, Brian was showing signs of waking. What a terrifying thought.
    Mike should have gone across the river to Daniel’s house and asked—no, begged—Daniel and Lilah to rescue him. Pride had stopped him. Stupid, useless pride. He hadn’t wanted to look weak, look like thiswas something he couldn’t handle. He’d been handling his own life since he’d been a teenager. A baby wasn’t going to throw him for a loop. At least, he hoped not.
    Daniel and Lilah would be thrilled about Brian. Ian would give him that dark brooding look that said, “How in hell are you going to do this?”
    Maury didn’t know Mike was bringing home a baby. He was already worried about the changes franchising would bring about. How would he feel about Brian? Talk about a major change.
    Mike got out of the car and went around to the side door. When he opened it, Brian opened his eyes and took a look at his surroundings. Then he took a good look at Mike.
    His eyes were big and round, but he didn’t look scared. Not knowing what else to do, Mike waved at him. Brian started waving his arms, too, and making burbling noises. Mike figured he’d better take him inside. Sooner or later, he had to face the music. The whole town was going to go crazy when they learned what had happened—a highly abridged version of what had happened.
    He undid the many straps that held Brian in his car seat and picked him up. Brian settled immediately on Mike’s left hip.
    “Okay, Brian,” he said on the way to the door, “I don’t know how many times you’ve been out in public, but we have to talk about certain matters of etiquette. Smile at everybody. It’s good business. No crying. No, um, bodily fluids on anybody’s clothes. Got it?”
    Brian smiled at him. Even though he knew the baby didn’t understand what he was saying, it looked as if he intended to cooperate.
    When he reached the back door of the diner, he pulleda deep breath into his lungs for fortification, and then went inside. His heart sank when he saw a thin older man standing at the grill and realized it wasn’t Barney, but a stranger. Two more strangers were roaming around, too. But Maury was at the stove and Allie stood at the counter assembling salads. Looking at her, Mike’s knees seemed to melt.
    “Is the spaghetti about ready?” Allie was calling out to Maury, but when she turned toward Maury, she saw him.
    “Mike! Welcome—” then she saw Brian “—home,” she said on a gasp. She came directly to him—well, not to him but to Brian. “Who is this?” She gazed up at Mike, obviously stunned.
    No more stunned than he was.
    And no one had ever looked more stunned than Maury.
    They’d noticed, both of them, the uncanny resemblance of this baby to him. He had to distract them. “I should have called ahead, but things happened too fast,” he said, looking straight at Maury. “My friend, the one whose funeral I went to, well, he left me a little something in his will and this is the little something. Someone, I should say.” He tried to sound amused, but failed.
    “Oh, Mike,” Allie said, “he’s adorable.” Shocked or not, she seemed absolutely delighted that he’d brought home this human present from Boston. “What’s his name?”
    “Brian.”
    Maury still stood at the grill. He studied the baby for a moment, and then said to Mike, “He looks like you.”
    No point in trying to distract them now. It was onlya matter of time before everybody noticed. “Amazing, isn’t it? Well, my