26. Lachlan
Lachlan
“We’re back!” Birdie announced as she walked into the house. Violet and Jessie filed in behind her, and then—finally—Lainey came in. She was carrying a small white box, smiling as her eyes found me.
“Perfect timing.” Beau wrapped his arm around Birdie, pulling her into his side.
“Where’s our berry girl?” Birdie asked.
“Down for her nap. Dad’s upstairs with her and Connor,” I answered. “They were great big helpers today.”
“Glad to hear it.”
“Hawk and Beckett?” Jessie asked.
“He took Beckett back to your place about twenty minutes ago.”
“Perfect. I’ll head back there, then. Thanks for lunch, Lach. See you guys at family dinner!”
I’d lost sight of Lainey, so while there was still a decent roar of chatter in the living room, I pivoted, making my way into the kitchen.
Lainey was at the sink, her hands bracing the counter.
For a second, I thought she was looking out the window, but as I stepped closer, I realized her eyes were squeezed shut.
“Trouble? You okay?”
“Oh! God, you scared me.” She swatted the air in front of her face as she turned to me. “I’m fine. Just wanted to put something in the fridge.”
“Something?”
She crossed her arms. “I’ll tell you what it is after you tell me why you made sure I was out of the house until this afternoon.”
I felt my goddamn face heat. “I…uh, well I don’t think it’s something I can tell you. It’s kinda something you need to see. Follow me?”
“Hey! There they are! Did you tell her what we were up to?” Dad asked as we walked toward the stairs.
“He said I need to see it,” Lainey replied, her voice thick with skepticism.
“Alright, well, enjoy…Lach let me know if you need me to come down and help with anything else. I’m happy to. Otherwise, I’m gonna clear out. Parents, your sleeping children are now your responsibilities again.”
“Thanks, Danny.” Birdie laughed.
“Thanks, Dad,” I said at the same time. “I appreciate the help.”
“It was fun. Haven’t hung out with my boys like that in a long time. So, thank you for giving us a reason to, Lainey.”
“Apparently I’m chopped liver,” Hayes muttered.
“You were missed, but you had the most important job of all.” Dad slapped Hayes on the back.
“I have no idea what I did…but you’re welcome?” Lainey laughed, her hand nudging me up the stairs. “Let’s go. The anticipation is killing me.”
I shouldn’t be in front of her. What if she fell? The image of Lainey laying at the bottom of the steps flashed in my mind, and my stomach pitched. I should definitely be behind her so I can help if she slips.
“Go around me. Head down to your room.”
Her brows pulled together. “You’re not trying to look at my ass, are you?”
“No.” I chuckled, a little of the tightness in my shoulder leaving with each step we took. But it took more willpower than I would admit to keep my eyes trained on the stair treads in front of me.
“What…Where did all this come from?” Lainey’s eyes were wide as she stood outside her room.
“Go in,” I encouraged. “Look everything over. If there is something that you don’t like, we can figure out a fix.”
“Are you kidding me?! This bassinet is beautiful. Where did you…?”
“Colt and Violet are letting us borrow it. They used it for Connor when he was a newborn.”
“That’s so nice of them.” She moved to the far corner of the room where the glider I’d ordered was set up. I’d had it delivered to Hayes’s house a few days ago, when I first started coordinating this day. “This is beautiful, too. With the decals on the walls.”
I looked at the planets and stars we’d stuck all around that corner.
Ma would have been better at knowing how to space them, but she’d insisted on going into town to feed the girls while they were out and about.
Said she would stall them, too, if necessary.
The whole Ford family had conspired to make this space baby ready, and I was so grateful for that.
Lainey sat in the glider, her hands running over her belly. “I really like the space theme.”
“It was on brand for the little space invader. Figured he’d feel comforted by a reminder of his cosmic origins when he finally becomes an Earthling.”
“It was so nice of your family to lend all this to me. I was worried about being ready, and it was just really overwhelming.”
“I know.”
“Thank you, Lach.”
“Well, I’m not totally done. Hawk brought a bunch of Beckett’s clothes over, and I got them sorted into the drawers, here, but you can arrange them however makes sense.
Birdie told me the best diapers and wipes to get.
” I walked over and opened the closet door.
“So there are a couple of boxes here in the closet, and I didn’t want the little guy to only have hand-me-downs, so I ordered a few outfits that we’ll need to wash, but Jessie showed me the kind of detergent to get.
Oh, and the little cart next to you has a bunch of stuff that Jess said she needed for breast feeding, and I made sure to get bottles and the formula Colt and Vi told Beau and Birdie about.
I guess Connor and Juniper both did well on it, but we can try others if the little guy’s tummy doesn’t like it, and you decide you don’t want to nurse. ”
Lainey stared at me, the glider stilling. Her eyes sparkled, and then her head fell into her hands.
“What’s wrong? Why are you crying?! If you hate it, we can return it all. I didn’t mean to make you upset or overstep.”
“Stop.” Her body shook as she breathed in past the tears. “This is the kindest thing anyone has ever done for me. I was frozen with fear and I couldn’t decide…I don’t…I don’t know how to say thank you. All I got you was chocolate p-pie!”
Lainey dissolved into her sobs, her hands reaching up to cover her face again. I moved around the room, sitting on the edge of the bed, my hand landing on her knee. “Hey, I happen to love chocolate pie!”
“I know! Your mom told me!”
I didn’t understand why that would make her cry. “So, you’re upset because you got me something I’d love?”
“It’s not enough. Nothing will ever be enough to say thank you for…all this. And it’s not just this…you’re excited for him to be here, and I haven’t felt that yet. I wasn’t allowed to…”
“God, Trouble. You can be excited if you want to be. Or, if things are too overwhelming, I’ll be excited for the both of us.”
“This is too much, though…”
“No. It’s just enough. I wanted to do this because being prepared and taking care of the people I care about makes my anxiety quiet. So, really, all this was incredibly selfish of me, and you’re helping me by saying it can stay, okay?”
“Okay.” She smiled, her face still wet from her tears.
Lainey sucked in sharply, her hand moving to her side.
She reached out, wrapping her fingers around my wrist, guiding my hand to the spot where hers had just been.
“He must be excited to come out and enjoy his space. He’s kicking me like he’s trying to jump start his space ship. ”
A thump landed against my hand. Then an even bigger one. Lainey groaned as something rolled under my palm. “That’s wild,” I said breathlessly.
“He’s a regular gymnast already. Would you ask Birdie to come up here?”
I got up from the bed, nodding. “You’re really okay with this?”
“It’s incredible.” Her eyelids fluttered shut. “I feel so relieved that it’s all just…done.”
“Good.” That was exactly how I’d hoped she’d feel.
I made my way downstairs, feeling like I was floating on a fucking cloud.
“Hey.” Birdie’s hand landed softly on my back. “How did she react?”
“Like a weight had been lifted off her shoulders.”
She sighed. “Perfect. You knew exactly how to help her, Lach. The two of you—”
“Are friends.”
“Right. Well, I know you probably want us to clear out of here, but I think I need to stay.”
“Why?” My mind immediately jumped to seeing the pain on Lainey’s face that she tried to hide in the kitchen. “She asked for you to go upstairs, but I didn’t think anything was wrong.”
“Lainey’s been acting differently today. Like…she doesn’t feel well, but she doesn’t want to say anything.”
I knew her emotional reaction earlier was more than just feeling like she owed me something. “You think the baby’s coming?”
Birdie bit her bottom lip. “I think she’s had some contractions…but they’ve been spaced out weird, so it could just be her body getting ready for the real show. Today, tomorrow, in two weeks. It’s hard to know. I kind of just want to stay for a little bit to see if being home helps…you know?”
“Yeah, yes. Stay. Holy fuck.” My hand landed on the back of my neck. “Should she even stay here? Maybe it’s better for her to be at your place. With the storm.”
“I’ll ask her.”
The girls spent the afternoon upstairs, rearranging things in a way that made sense to them. And after dinner, Lainey and Birdie had disappeared upstairs again. I’d heard some laughter, but mostly there were just a lot of footfalls on the ceiling while I got more Juniper time with Beau.
“Thanks for all that help, I feel…settled about everything now.” I heard Lainey say as she came down the stairs. Juniper was resting her head on Beau’s chest, and I knew we were all going to have to come to a conclusion here soon on the best course of action for Lainey and the baby.
“I’m so glad we could help. Beau and I got the whole ‘here’s a baby, take care of her now’ experience, and it’s just good to be prepared this close to your due date.”
“It’s not that close, thankfully.”
“Babies come when they’re ready…it’s hard to know when you get this far along.”
“Juniper looks like she’s ready for bed,” Lainey mentioned as she sat on the sofa. “It was really nice of you guys to stay for dinner, but don’t you want to get her home before the storm gets worse?”
My brother looked at Birdie, who looked back at Lainey, not hiding her concern.
“I do think it’s time to take Juniper home, but…”
“But what?” Lainey asked, sitting forward to adjust the pillow behind her back. I reached over, pulling it up like I’d seen her do a bunch of times before.
“Thanks.” Her smile gutted me, knowing what I was about to say to her.
“Lainey,” Birdie started to say, “I think you should come with us.”
“Why would I do that?” Lainey’s hand rested low on her bump. “I’ve still got to organize some of the stuff that Hawk and Jessie left for the baby.”
“I know, but you've been in pain today. And with the storm coming through—”
“I am not having the baby tonight. Is that why you insisted I pack a bag?” She laughed at the question. “No. No. Don’t worry. I’m perfectly fine.”
“I think you need to listen to your sister—”
Her eyes widened as she shifted her hips. “You don’t want me to stay here?”
“Of course I do. You should be where you feel safe, but if the baby comes…”
“This is where I feel safe.” She turned back to Birdie. “Lach and I both have phones and are perfectly capable of calling you—or an ambulance—if we need to.”
My mind hated the idea of Lainey being in labor and having to call for help. Because I wouldn’t be any help in that situation. I could already feel the panic buzzing low under my skin. “Trouble, I might not be the best person…if I get stuck in a compulsion…”
“That’s why I said we’ll call someone. That’s been the plan all along. First babies take a long time once labor starts, don’t they, Birdie?”
“They can, but—”
“Good. Go home. Rest. Stay safe from the storm. That’s exactly what I’m going to do, too. And we’ll laugh about this tomorrow when I’m still pregnant and almost as big as this house.”