AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Beau looks around and calls for her a few more times before accepting she’s in front of him. He starts crying, still whimpering her name. Hugging him to her, she hums his favorite song and rocks back and forth. The exhausted boy leans into her embrace, falling silent.
His gaze takes in the sight of me and the carrier, but his tired face shows no reaction. Rocking with his mama, he accepts the drink Rosemary hands him. I imagine his throat is sore from calling for Landry all morning.
Soon, Brooklyn and Beckett hurry from the back room to find out why their brother’s gone quiet.
“Mommy!” the little girl squeals and runs to Landry.
Beckett sees Landry and then me, lowers his chin to his chest, and starts crying. I rest the carrier next to the couch and pick up my little guy.
“Did you miss your mama?” I ask as he sobs.
Beckett takes a deep breath, ready to explain in his toddler babble how the world was absolutely ending, but now it might be okay, but he isn’t sure, and I really need to carry him around for a while until he feels secure.
Once Brooklyn says, “my mommy,” twenty times while gripping Landry, she notices the baby.
The girl steps closer, seeming wary as if the sleeping doll-like creature will attack.
An exhausted Blair shuffles down the hall. I doubt any of the kids rested well last night.
“Let’s move to the couch,” Landry tells Beau, who walks with her so she can rest on something softer.
Blair soaks in a few hugs while Brooklyn keeps eyeing the baby. Finally, the three-year-old crawls into Landry’s lap before jumping back, startled.
“Baby!” she cries, patting Landry’s deflated belly. “Where baby go?”
“That’s the baby,” Landry explains. “That’s Brigitte.”
“No,” Brooklyn says and looks at Beckett for help. “Put baby back.”
Landry doesn’t react to Brooklyn’s increasing panic. She only tugs her closer, so they can hug in the way the baby bump wouldn’t allow.
“See how much room my lap has now?” Landry asks Brooklyn. “You can get closer.”
Brooklyn takes a long minute to realize what’s happening before she straddles her mama’s lap and gets wrapped into a hug.
“No baby,” Brooklyn tells Beckett, who doesn’t get it.
The early chaos of our arrival settles into pouty clinginess. Beckett finally gets down and goes to his mama. He looks at her like she betrayed him. After some cuddling and more tears, he decides he likes the added lap space.
“You might need one of those sectional couches,” Rosemary suggests to me as the four kids crowd Landry. “So, they can all fit together.”
I admire my woman’s ability to calm the little ones as they start watching a sleep-inducing kids’ show. Beau doesn’t care about the TV. He leans against her side and looks at his block. Blair sits as close to her mama as she can despite Beckett and Brooklyn lounging on Landry’s lap.
I keep fearing what’ll happen when Brigitte wakes up and wants attention. Is that my job? I amnota competent choice for the task. I can’t pick her up without worrying I’ll smash her tiny body.
“Were all your babies born small?” I ask when I eye a slightly awake Brigitte.
“They got smaller as I went along.”
Frowning at how Landry endured years without pampering, I get agitated in a way that makes me want to crawl on her lap, too.
I have no idea how she’ll deal with the baby waking up. I nearly ask Rosemary to handle Brigitte, but Landry takes charge before I can.
“I need helpers for the baby,” she says and rubs each of their heads. “Who’s going to be my assistant?”
“I do it,” Brooklyn announces, sliding off and walking over to the baby. “I pick up.”
“She’s too big,” Landry explains after helping Beckett off her lap.
