Page 88 of Derecho

“LaLa!! LaLa!!” Beckett’s voice filtered over to me on the breeze. I looked across the field, squinting to see my sister chasing after my menace of a nephew. He was wild and wonderful, and I couldn’t wait to see him play with Reid in a few months.

“Hey, aren’t you supposed to walk with your mommy?” I asked as he stood on his tiptoes at my side a few minutes later. Jessie was still half a football field away, her hair streaming behind her as she marched toward us. I had a feeling I was about to witness an atomic parenting moment.

“I sorry. I…I want to see the baby! Baby Weed!”

“That’s right. It’s baby Reid. Okay…” I dropped my voice to a whisper as I tried not to chuckle at the way he said the baby’s name. “Be very quiet, because baby Reid is sleeping and his mommy needs lots of rest, so we have to make sure he stays sleeping.”

“Otay,” Beckett whispered back. “Hi, baby Weed. I’m Beckett! I broughted you a flower!” He lifted his little hand and opened his fingers, slowly revealing a crushed dandelion. “I pick-ted this with my mama!”

“That’s really nice, Beckett. I bet Reid will love picking them with you when he’s older.”

My nephew looked at me with his little brows drawn down together. “He can’t play now?”

“No. He’s still too little, but soon, I promise.”

“Otay.”

“Beckett!” Jessie called out, finally at the edge of my yard. “Do not just go running away from mommy like that!”

“I see LaLa! And baby Weed!”

“And you could have still come over to see them, just with mommy, okay?”

Beckett shrugged. “I get bubbles?” he asked, turning to me.

“Yeah, kiddo. That’s fine. They’re still on the porch. Go grab ‘em and come back over here.”

“I swear that kid is going to be the death of me.” Jessie laughed as she sank into the chair next to me. She held out her arms, smiling as she wiggled her fingers like a kid asking for something. And I knew exactly what she wanted.

“Here, he’s been sleeping this whole time, but he needs to stay asleep, for Lainey’s sake.”

“Those first few weeks are so tough. Is she getting enough sleep?”

“I don’t think she has been. But last night she agreed to let me help during the night, so I’m hoping it’s the start of her getting more rest.”

We sat in silence for a few minutes, laughing while we watched Beckett open the container of bubbles and pour half directly onto the ground. That had Reid wiggling around a little, but a few bounces and pats on his back, and my sister had him right back to sleep.

“Can I ask you something? About after you had Beckett?” I asked.

Jessie’s eyes tightened, but she smiled. “Of course you can.”

“Did you ever…I mean, I know you must have felt really emotional. And cried. With all the hormones and everything.”

“Oh, God yeah. And after everything that happened…” Her eyes shifted to the ground.

“With Dakota.”

“Yeah. I had a hard time.”

“But you still felt like you had a connection with Beckett, right? Like, you knew you were meant to be his mom, and that you loved him? And it got easier?”

Jessie nodded. “What’s going on?”

“Lainey’s struggling. I think everything just sort of broke apart for her when Reid arrived, and I’m not sure how to help her put the pieces back together. She was doing better until Greg showed up the other day and now it just seems like…she’s just feeling really disconnected from him, and I’m worried⁠—”

“What are you doing?!” Lainey’s shrill voice cut through our conversation as the door slammed against the frame. “Why is she holding Reid?! Are you crazy?! I trusted you!”

I stood, catching her before she got to Jessie. That was the wrong move. Lainey’s entire face went red as her breathing started picking up.