Chapter 10 Babies and Assassins
Chapter ten
Babies and Assassins
Jo
After the crazy family dinner, I make my way back to Dylan’s. I manage to fall asleep for a little while, but soon enough, I’m wide-awake again. Next time I go to the store, I need to find something that will help me sleep through the night.
I get out of bed and attempt to unpack some of my stuff, but I quickly stop so that I don’t make too much noise. It’s late, and I don’t want to wake anyone up.
Instead, I lay back down and turn on a game on my phone.
It’s a dumb little farming game that I thought was ridiculous at first, but now, I take it more seriously than I probably should.
I can’t help it. My ADHD makes it hard to focus on any one thing for very long, but this game is something that holds my interest for a while.
It’s cozy enough in here that I can stay out of my own head.
That’s always a perk. I swear my downfall will be due to my own self-sabotaging thoughts.
After a little while, I get up to go grab something to drink. In the middle of the night, my mouth gets as dry as the Sahara.
Before I get to the kitchen, I jump about a foot in the air when I’m startled by Leah sitting in the living room.
“Fuck!” I squeal.
Leah tries to stifle her giggle. “Sorry. Sadie woke up, so we’re hanging out and trying not to wake up Luna. She’s a nightmare without her beauty sleep.”
“Aren’t we all?” I joke as I sit down on the opposite end of the couch.
“What are you doing up?” She asks.
“Eh, I don’t get a ton of sleep–not all at once anyway.”
She smiles. “I know the feeling, but mine is more kid-related. I used to sleep like a freaking baby. Now? Not so much.”
“Where’s my brother?” I ask. “Shouldn’t he be doing some of this?”
“He usually does, but he said he had to go take care of something.”
“What the fuck does that mean?” I snicker.
“I don’t know, but I’m sure he’ll fill me in later. I know Dylan, and I trust him.”
While I know she’s right, I don’t like him keeping secrets.
Leah lets out a loud yawn, and I can see how tired she is.
“Why don’t you go get some sleep?” I ask. “I’ll sit with Sadie.”
“You don’t have to do that,” she begins, but I stop her.
“Leah, part of the reason I’m here is to help out, so let me help.”
She looks down at her baby while thinking. I figure I’ll have to do more convincing, but after another big yawn escapes her mouth, she reaches to hand me the baby.
I take little Sadie in my arms while Leah stands up. “Thanks, Jo.”
“No thanks needed.”
With a small smile, she turns to head to her bedroom. “If you need anything, just bring her in.”
“Okay,” I agree. “But I’m sure we’ll be alright.”
When she’s gone, I look down at Sadie. “We'll be alright, won’t we?”
I take a moment to just stare at her. She’s really fucking cute. All of my siblings make adorable children. I hate that I haven’t been around as much to be there for them.
When my sister, Michelle, got pregnant with Eve when she was seventeen, I was only about ten. Since I was still a kid, and Michelle lived at home with Eve, I got to watch my niece grow up quite a bit. I loved all the time I got to spend with her.
Hopefully, I get that time with all my other nieces and nephews now that I’m home. I don’t know that I’d call myself good with kids. I think it’s more a matter of kids wanting to be around me because I basically still act like one of them. I don’t know if I’ll ever fully grow up.
Sadie is so chill in my arms, but she also shows no signs of being the least bit tired.
That’s okay. I’ll hang out all night with her if it means my sister-in-law can catch up on some sleep.
I reach over to grab the remote to turn something on. I flip through a streaming service for a movie that will keep my interest.
Finally, I settle on John Wick. Babies like that right? How could Sadie not love Keanu?
The movie plays, and Sadie and I both watch with wide-eyed wonder. We are about half an hour in when my brother comes walking through the front door.
He looks from me to the baby and then to the TV. “Are you teaching my daughter to be an assassin?”
“Yeah. Teaching her how to kick your ass when she’s older.”
“Why does that not surprise me?”
“So, where have you been?”
“Does it matter?”
I glare at him. “Dylan, are you cheating on Leah?”
“What?” He snaps.
“I mean, I’m just asking! You disappeared, and no one knew where you were, and then, you’re home super late.”
He walks over to sit on the couch and wipes his face with his hand. “No, Jo. I’m not cheating on my wife. Fuck, have all these assholes you’ve dated left you this jaded?”
Well, that is a topic to be discussed with my imaginary therapist.
“We aren’t talking about me, Dylan.”
“Well, there’s your answer. I would never cheat on my wife. You know that.”
He’s right. I do know that. I have a feeling I know exactly where he was tonight.
“So, how’s Beau?” I ask.
It takes a moment for his eyes to find mine. “He’s a little fucked up at the moment.”
I knew it.
“Are you guys friends now?” The question comes out with more sass than I intend.
“We’ve been friends for a while, Jo. Look, I’m happy as hell that you’re back here, but I like Beau, and I’m not going to start being a dick to him.”
“I’m not asking you to.”
“Really? Because that’s what it feels like.”
Looking down at Sadie, I mumble, “I don’t care that you guys are friends.”
Truth be told, I wish I was friends with Beau again. We didn’t leave things on great terms, but I hoped we could leave it all in the past.
I guess Beau didn’t feel that way.
“Good,” Dylan says. “Because I sure as shit am not going to get stuck in the middle of you two. I’m not taking sides.”
Now, I feel the need to say something. “Dyl, you left family dinner, knowing you’d incur the wrath of our mother to go hang out with him. It feels like you’ve already picked a side.”
“One, I’m letting you live here. That should earn me a shit ton of points. And two, I wanted to give him a heads up that you were going to be working at the shop with us.”
“Why does he get a heads up?” In my head, I know I’m sounding unreasonable. Quite frankly, I sound like a bitch. I’m fully aware of that, but my mouth doesn’t quite know when to quit. I’m like a porcupine when I feel the least bit cornered.
My brother stares at me. “Don’t you wish you had a heads up before running into him at the market?”
He has a point. I hate it when my brother has a point.
“Yeah.” I nod. “Okay, I get it.”
We both sit quietly for a moment. The only sounds in the room are coos from Sadie.
I’m the next one to speak. “So, how is he doing?”
“He’ll be okay.” He takes a deep breath before continuing.
“Look, Jo, it just about killed Beau the first time that you left. Just because you may be ready to mend fences, that doesn’t mean that he is.
To make work easier, you two need to either play nice or stay the fuck away from each other. I’m guessing it’ll be the latter.”
“Yeah, that’s probably for the best.”
I put on a stiff upper lip, but the truth is it fucking sucks knowing Beau and I won’t have what we used to.
Dylan asks, “Do you want me to put Sadie to bed?”
“Nah, I’ll sit with her a while longer. Go cuddle your wife.”
We say our goodnights, and once he’s gone, I look down at Sadie. “Ready to get back to Mr. Reeves?”
I press play again on the movie, but as much as I try to pay attention, all I can do is get lost in memories.