The Baby on the Doorstep

By Sherron Elise

All Amaya wants for Christmas is her own bouncing bundle of joy. In the midst of a lengthy battle with infertility, Amaya awakens one winter morning to find an abandoned baby on her doorstep. Just when she thinks the baby is a hidden blessing and answer to her prayer, Amaya will discover that the child's true identity unveils many hidden secrets.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Sherron Elise
• Release date: Apr 26, 2022
• ISBN: 9798201031510

Sherron Elise

Sherron Elise is a proud native of Houston, Texas. An avid reader since childhood, her passion for getting lost within the pages of a book soon transformed into using her vivid imagination to create stories of her own. For more information about Sherron Elise you can visit her website at www.sherronelise.com and subscribe to her podcast, The College Christian Chat, available on Apple, Spotify, and other listening platforms.

Book preview

Chapter One

Nothing in the world rattled Amaya’s nerves more than tardiness. And this character flaw was even more nerve-racking when she was the culprit. A Monday morning in the last week of November found her bouncing from room-to-room in her spacious two-story home, searching for her car keys and purse. All the while she balanced her child care center materials underneath one arm, trying not to spill the piping hot mug of coffee she’d brewed on her Keurig.

Finally, after finding her elusive set of car keys and her Michael Kors handbag, she beat a hasty retreat towards her garage.

I guess this is what I get for oversleeping and missing my morning devotional time, Amaya thought with mirth. She always felt discombobulated whenever she didn’t jumpstart her morning with prayer, devotional readings from her Bible app, and listening to praise and worship music as she got dressed for the day.

Amaya backed her vehicle out of the garage but slammed on the brakes when she spotted a baby car seat on her front porch. From her window she could see an infant lying inside, nestled underneath a pink blanket with its feet kicking at the air. Amaya parked and practically jumped out of her SUV. Her soft brown eyes swept up and down the tree-lined street of her quiet neighborhood as her eyebrows furrowed together in bewilderment. Amaya walked to her porch, hearing the baby cooing. Peering into the car seat she laid eyes upon the cutest baby girl, drooling and playing with her fingers.

Now what parent had the audacity to leave their infant on her doorstep, in forty degree weather, no less? Amaya owned a thriving child care center and she wondered if this baby belonged to a potential client. If so, this was unacceptable! Child abandonment was definitely not a good way to solicit her services!

Sighing, Amaya picked up the car seat and strode back to her vehicle. Her heart couldn’t help but warm and melt when the baby began to coo and grin at her. Amaya guesstimated the baby to be about six months old.

Good morning there, pretty girl. Amaya cooed back at her. Who left you out here, huh? Where is your Mommy? She must be out of her mind to leave a precious little thing like you.

Amaya secured the car seat into the backseat of her silver BMW X1 and then drove to her child care center. She pulled into the parking lot of The Learning Tree shortly after 9 a.m. She’d initially started her daycare within her home seven years ago. God blessed her with her own facility after two years and her daycare had become a lucrative investment, with enrollment continuing to increase in record numbers each year.

Morning, boss lady, Angie Lopez, a pretty middle-aged Puerto Rican woman, said by way of her usual morning greeting.

Amaya smirked at Angie’s moniker and watched as her receptionist stared at the car seat Amaya tried to balance in her hands. She rushed from around the front desk to assist.

Who’s this? A new enrollee? Angie asked.

Girl, no. Someone just left this poor child outside on my doorstep this morning.

You’re kidding? I promise some of these mothers are so trifling. I told you the U.S. needs to implement a law that requires a license to become parents.

Amaya laughed. Yeah, I could see that new law going over very well.

I’m willing to bet you it was some young girl who no longer wants to be saddled down with the responsibility of motherhood.

Amaya could only shake her head, her eyes sad at the thought. Can you take her into the infant room while I call my contact at Child Protective Services? Hopefully they can send a rep over by this afternoon.

I hope they file charges whenever they track down the mother. Leaving this baby on a stranger’s doorstep is child endangerment. I don’t understand people sometimes. Angie continued to fuss. But she took the baby off Amaya’s hands and Amaya made her way into her office.

Amaya placed her things down and logged into her computer, seeing that she had dozens of emails. This came as no surprise since the email alert on her phone had been chiming every five minutes since she’d awakened. The blinking red light on her desk phone was also a good indication that she had just as many voicemail messages.

Amaya reminded herself that she had prayed and asked God to bless