Chapter 25
Chapter Twenty Five
Josie
Six Months Postpartum
My feet drag as we walk through the door, it’s late. The kids are tired and they’re starting to show it. Hayes is beginning to cry in my arms, so I abandon my bag at the front door. Half haphazardly I kick my boots off and head towards Hayes’s room.
“Loh, honey, can you go get your pajamas on for momma while I put Hayes to bed?” I tiredly ask my oldest.
“But momma!” He whines, and I hear the little stomp of his foot.
“I’m not even that tired. It’s not fair.
I want to play with my building blocks!” I hear the sniffle and I have to take a deep breath.
Nothing will get done if I react frustrated to him right now.
When he’s tired he fights me at every turn.
“Shiloh, I know you don’t feel tired, but it’s late.” I’m rocking Hayes in my arm who is growing more agitated by the second. “Go get in your jammies and you can have quiet play in your room until I come to tuck you in.”
“No!” he shouts. “I don’t want to!” He throws himself on the ground and begins screaming. Which startles Hayes and he begins crying too. I’m honestly on the verge of tears myself. I just want to get these guys to bed, so I can go too. Being away is nice, but I miss the familiarity that is my home.
Monty comes through the door with the rest of the bags and sees the chaos that has ensued. His eyes bounce between Shiloh, Hayes and then they hit mine and understanding shines in his face. He can read me like a book, so he drops the bags and heads toward Shiloh.
“Woah buddy, uncool.” He crouches down so he’s close to him, “Can you tell Daddy what’s going on?”
“momma told me to get in my jammies, but I’m not tired. I wanna play wif my blocks!” He takes a shuttering breath and glares daggers in my direction. I know he’s six now and that he doesn’t mean it, but the look still hurts my heart.
Hayes has taken his crying up a notch, and I try to sooth him but he’s not having any of it.
“Go put him to bed, babe. I’ll make sure he gets in his pajamas.” Monty tells me, and I don’t hesitate before I spin and head to Hayes’s bedroom.
Twenty minutes later, I’m tip-toeing out of Hayes's room and closing the door. As soon as I got him in his room and started our bedtime routine, he was content and passed out in a matter of minutes.
Leaning against his door, I close my eyes and take a couple of deep breaths. The silence of the house washes over me, and I slowly make my way over to Shiloh’s room.
As I grow closer, I hear the soft sound of Shiloh’s white noise machine.
His bedroom light shines into the hallway, letting me know that he’s still up.
My hand glides across the door as I push it open slowly.
There are some coloring pages on his floor, and clothes thrown across the room.
We’ve been home for less than an hour and he’s already destroyed his room.
Continuing my scan of the room, my heart nearly explodes when I register the sight before me.
In Shiloh’s small twin bed are my husband and son, cuddled up together with a book hanging from Monty’s fingers.
Shiloh’s head rests between his arm and chest, mouth open as his chest rises and falls with each slumbered breath.
I want to wake Monty to get him out of there, because his body will pay for it in the morning. I just can’t bring myself to do it. So I slowly back out of the doorway and shut the light off on my way out.
I do a quick sweep of the house, ensuring the doors are locked. Leaving the bags exactly where they were thrown, they can be dealt with in the morning. I walk over to the coffee pot and get it set up and ready for the morning, so all we have to do is hit the power button for it to start brewing.
My eyes are heavy with the need to sleep by the time I crawl into bed. Not bothering with pajamas myself, I grab one of Monty’s shirts from the clean pile on top of our dresser and throw it on.
A heavy sigh leaves my body at the sweet cold sheets.
Stretching my body to take up as much space as possible.
Sleep pulls me closer to fruition, but a tingling in the back of my head makes it impossible to allow it to succeed.
Reaching over to my nightstand, I grab my phone that I tossed there when I was undressing and pull up my text messages.
I click on the notification to start a new message, and I create a group chat for the three of us. Not sure how to start it I just go with my gut.
Josie: I hope you are all settled in over there.
I stare at my screen and wait for a response but shaking my head I realize how silly that is. It’s late. She probably passed out, but I couldn’t help the need to check on her. Just as I reach to place my phone on my nightstand it vibrates in my hand. When I look, it’s her name across the screen.
I can’t help the smile that forms on my face. It’s tired, but giddy as my eyes run across the screen at her response.
Evie: If by settled in you mean I tossed my suitcase at the door and belly flopped onto my bed then, yes. Very settled. ;)
A snort leaves me, fingers moving across the screen with my response at lightning speed.
Josie: We didn’t get far with the suitcases ourselves… As for getting into bed, I just managed to crawl into mine now.
Evie: How was it getting the boys down? I thought about coming over to help you out.
Josie: I would have told you to go back to the loft if you tried
Josie: Loh had a meltdown, but it was nipped in the bud quickly with Monty’s help. Hayes went down with barely any fight.
Evie: You know damn well if you told me to go back to the loft I would have come in and helped regardless.
Evie: I’m sorry Loh was giving you a rough time. Did he settle down okay?
Josie: Monty got him calmed down and when I went to go and check on them I found them passed out on Loh’s bed.
Evie: oh, that’s fucking adorable.
Josie: right? It melted my heart. So cute that I couldn’t bring myself to wake Monty up.
Evie: So you have the whole bed to yourself?
I feel the heat flicker up my body at the question, lip catching between my teeth. I contemplate how I should reply. My screen dims slightly, the warning sign it gives you before it times out and shuts off. Until my phone lights up again, but this time it’s a video call request.
Quickly adjusting myself on my side, I take a quick look over the preview video before hitting accept.
My heart skips as I take in her creamy complexion, the phone being the only light illuminating her face. Her hazel eyes are slits, noting the heaviness of exhaustion that mirrors my own.
“Hey.” She smiles softly, her eyes roam around her screen taking me in like I just did.
“Hey Sweets.” I respond, a small smile curving my lips, noting the way her cheeks flush with color at the nickname I gave her.
She may portray herself as sassy, taking no shit from no one, but I’ve seen her when her defenses are down.
In the afternoons when she’s asking Shiloh about his day at school, to the way she rocks and hums Hayes to sleep.
She has a sweet side too, and I love that I get to see that side of her.
“Sorry to switch to video – I just wanted to,” she pauses as she nibbles on her bottom lip. Like she’s deciding whether or not she wants to answer. I raise my eyebrow, encouraging her to go on.
“Just want to…” Leaving the sentence unfinished, hoping she will spit it out.
She blows out a breath, then the intensity of her eyes hit me hard when she says “I just wanted to see you. Monty too, but I know he’s passed out in Shiloh’s room.”
My smile breaks free, unable to hold it back. “Is that so?”
She rolls her eyes, the corner of her lip twitching like she’s trying, and failing, to hold in a smile. “Obviously.”
We sit in silence, I take the time to study her face.
Her hair is braided back, the tail of the braid rests over her shoulder, a few blonde strands fall from her head and frame her face.
The golden brown of her eyes swim with hints of green, making it the perfect hazel shade.
Much different compared to Monty’s chocolate brown.
A yawn escapes and takes over my body, throwing my hand over my mouth so I can shield the sight of my mouth opening wide to accommodate the intensity of it.
“Sorry,” I say, “That just came out of nowhere.”
A tired smile curves her lips, “It’s okay, I shouldn’t keep you.”
I go to protest, but another yawn hits me. Sighing, I agree with her. “You’re right, we both should go get some rest. I’ll see you in the morning?”
She doesn’t have to come over in the morning, but now that we have agreed to see where things go, I really don’t want to spend any time apart.
Even if I get to learn more about her while we are eating breakfast and hearing about Shiloh’s latest dreams. I would like to see her there with us, being included.
“Absolutely, I’ll head over as soon as I wake up.” She responds.
“Okay.”
“Sweet dreams, Evie.” Saying my goodnights, but not wanting to end the call just yet.
“They’ll be the sweetest now.” She responds, “Goodnight, Josie.”
Before I can register what she said the call has ended and my screen goes black.
Dropping my phone next to me on the mattress, I roll to my back and stare up at the ceiling.
A giddy feeling rolls through my body, and it’s something that I haven’t felt since I first met Monty.
I don’t know if that’s a sign, or if it’s just the idea of getting back into triad dating.
Whatever it is, I find myself lulling into sleep with a silly smile on my face, and hope in my chest. Knowing that the next couple months could change everything, for the better.