Total pages in book: 162
Estimated words: 154728 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 774(@200wpm)___ 619(@250wpm)___ 516(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 154728 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 774(@200wpm)___ 619(@250wpm)___ 516(@300wpm)
“They’re fine,” Nora said after following my gaze. “I know a lot of men are arguably useless at this stage, but I got a good one. A great one. And I’m taking an educated guess that you did too. Mabel could not be safer out there with two progressive, feminist, alpha, girl dads. So go.” She shooed me with her hands.
I didn’t do well with taking orders in my own kitchen, hadn’t in years. Yet the kind, soft-spoken baker managed to obtain my submission with no argument.
So I did go upstairs. No screaming into a pillow or long bath- both felt too dramatic and indulgent respectively. But I did enjoy a long shower, not a rushed one where I heard phantom baby cries and came out with one leg shaved and unrinsed conditioner in my hair because I was convinced Kane needed help.
Even though he never needed my help.
I shaved both legs. Rinsed out the conditioner. And when I got out, I still didn’t hear cries, so I added the indulgence of blow drying my hair and putting on three steps of skincare instead of slapping moisturizer on my face with a shaky hand.
By the time I came downstairs, in clean clothes and feeling a lot saner than I had in a while, a smell not dissimilar to Nora’s bakery was wafting through my house.
Still no baby cries.
And walking into my living room, it was no longer an obstacle course of baby products. Everything had been put away into the wicker chest I’d intended to use as storage but hadn’t had the time or energy to use yet. Especially when I was taking them out and putting them back three times daily, at least.
Ana was sitting cross legged with blocks and some books that I’d bought, thinking that they’d entertain a four month old, not realizing that they were for older children. Apparently, it even said so on the box. Nora, to my horror, was folding laundry.
“You don’t have to do that.” I rushed to take the basket from her.
“Sit,” she protested in that soft, commanding voice. Again, I responded to it without meaning to.
I sat beside her, my fingers twitching to take the laundry from her.
“Tea,” she said, waving a baby blanket to the now uncluttered and sparkling-clean coffee table. “I took a gamble when I made it, and I think it may be just the right temperature now. I don’t know about you, but I didn’t finish a hot drink for months after this one was born.” Nora nodded her head to the sweet girl playing peacefully.
I longed and dreaded Mabel getting to the age where she could sit alone, playing without me constantly entertaining her and ensuring that there was nothing she could choke on in the vicinity.
“You don’t have to do all of this,” I said, taking the tea then motioning to the room.
“Yes I do,” she replied. “It’s the duty of a woman who has gone through and survived the first few years and now has wisdom and free time and all of her hormones back under control. Well, kind of,” she snickered, rubbing her stomach. “But seriously. We women, we mothers owe it to each other to make sure we don’t do this alone. That we have help. My sisters-in-law did it for me. It’s a sacred, precious gift, and I consider it an honor to be able to pay it forward. You’ll be able to one day too.”
I sipped my tea and considered her words. I struggled to imagine a time when I’d be able to do something like this for someone else when I could barely shower and shave both legs while doing so.
“You will,” Nora reassured me, seeming to read my mind. “For now, enjoy the tea, and don’t feel like you have to force conversation with me. I’m quite happy here.” She patted her belly, still small but pronounced.
Nora was tranquil, quiet, not quite shy but definitely introverted. Her daughter seemed to be the same in a lot of ways. Until Kane and Rowan emerged from outside with Mabel, and she screamed, “Daddy!” like he’d been gone for months instead of an hour. He passed off Mabel to Kane expertly in time to catch the daughter who was sprinting toward him.
He twirled her in the air where she screamed in delight before nuzzling into his neck and whispering something in his ear.
I looked over to Kane, who was pressing gentle kisses on our daughter’s head, murmuring something to her.
“It’s enough to make your ovaries explode,” Nora stage whispered, gesturing to our men
I smiled and couldn’t disagree with her.
After that, we ate the best carrot cake I ever had, and I watched Nora, Rowan and Ana with disbelief at what awaited us. A little person. A family. Although we already were a family, I realized.