Chapter 26
The baby was getting a lot more active. She was barely out of bed when the kicking ratcheted up another level. It had been going strong nearly an hour. “Baby, Mommy’s tired…so tired,” she whispered, walking across the hall into the dark nursery. She relaxed just being in there. “Can you calm down? Please? Go to sleep for Mommy.” She eased herself down into the rocking chair. The nightlight she’d bought a few days before lay on top of the dresser. She probably should have plugged it in, she thought as she sat there, her eyes drifting closed. She hugged her arms to her as she leaned back against the quilt on the chair, trying to get comfortable. The baby had never been like this before, almost as if he were having a temper tantrum, if she had to pinpoint a term for it. She rested a hand over where he was kicking most, hoping her touch would help calm him down. She just wanted a few peaceful hours of sleep, blissful, uninterrupted moments where she didn’t have to do anything but relax.
Josh knelt in front of her. He’d had that feeling she needed him, that tug in his chest that was his sensor lately where she was concerned. He pressed his lips together as he looked at her in the darkness. “He’s keeping you up, huh, Aves?” he asked softly. Thinking she’d hear him or at least the illusion of it helped keep him sane. His eyes roamed over her in his shirt. To him, she’d never looked better since this nightmare had begun, still a little tired, the hints of circles under her eyes, but that was because of the baby keeping her awake at night, wasn’t it? Not letting her get a full night’s sleep. He just hoped she’d managed to get some in before the baby arrived and turned her world upside down, just like his father had done.
Josh rested his hands above hers and slowly traced small circles with his thumbs. “Hey, little guy, you’re keeping your mommy awake. Right now she really needs her rest, so for Daddy, can you go to sleep?” His gaze moved up to her face, and he sighed sadly. “I’d do so much for you if I could. If I was able to, you wouldn’t be able to get rid of me. I’d be at your side twenty-four/seven. And when he got like this, I’d hold you and sing till you two fell asleep. I miss you in my arms so much, baby, I miss you against me.” By the time he looked up again, he found her sound asleep, a peaceful expression on her face. Maybe he had helped her. He got to his feet and pressed a soft kiss against her forehead before fading away.
***
Blake put the last of the groceries on the counter. She stood across the kitchen, rubbing the small of her back with one hand as she studied the receipt. She missed the look Blake gave her. “You okay over there?”
“Hmmm?” She glanced at him. “I’ll be fine, Blake. Normal twinge in my lower back. Doesn’t mean it doesn’t hurt, though.”
“Well, how about you go into the living room and sit down and relax while I put these things away?”
She glanced out the doorway to her living room then back to her friend. The offer was pretty hard to resist with Austin kicking up a storm. “I thought I’d go upstairs and change.”
He unpacked two cereal boxes and set them on the counter. “Go put your pajamas on and I’ll come up in a few minutes.”
“You sure?” I mean…” She bit her lip. “I can put the groceries away, there aren't that many.”
“Go!” he ordered, smiling at her. “Give me five to get all this put away then I’ll be there to rub your back.”
She hesitated a moment as she set the receipt down. “Okay,” she agreed at last. “But don’t rush, and if you can’t figure out where something goes, just leave it on the counter. I still need to redo the cupboards in here one of these days.” Another project on her never ending to-do list.
“Still want that backrub?” Blake asked as he found her stretched out on the bed in her pajamas, the television remote in her hand. Her dark hair was piled in a makeshift ballerina’s bun on top of her head. He set her backpack on the bedroom floor near the closet and went to shut the door to her bedroom.
She smiled tiredly. “You wouldn’t mind?”
“Hey, I offered, didn’t I?” he asked as he took a seat behind her on the bed. “Did you have fun on the boat the other day? We never really had a chance to talk after.”
She bowed her head as he worked on her shoulders. He saw her pick at her nail polish. “Yeah,” she said softly. “That’s not bad, is it?” she asked, glancing at him shyly.
Disbelief hit him that she could even ask such a question. “Honey, you know he’d want you to be happy. To have fun again. It’s been far too long since your smile reached your eyes.”
She looked bashful. “How do you know what he’d want?”
He let go of her shoulders and moved around in front of her, taking her hands in his. “How do I know that?” He squeezed her hands. “How about the fact that my brother, my best friend, loved you? He wouldn’t want you to live like this. If he was here, do you think he’d let you do that?” He shook his head, answering his own question. “He’d be the first one dragging you out of here. Taking you anywhere he could just to get you out of this house.” Blake let go of one of her hands and reached up to brush a loose strand of hair back off her face. “Trust me, Josh would feel horrible knowing you thought he’d be upset if you were happy, that you had fun. What will you do with Austin, huh? This little one’s going to deserve to have fun, especially with these really goofy uncles of his. And his mama’s going to have to join in, you know.”
She smiled sheepishly. “I know, I’m just being stupid.”
“No, you’re not, you’re—”
“What am I then?”
“Hormonal,” he teased, laughing harder when she glared at him. “Relax, I’m just teasing, honey.”
“Funny, so funny.”
“That’s me, the funny one.” He grinned at her. “You ready for some lunch now? I can whip up a pretty wicked barbecue chicken and some salad.”
“Aren’t you forgetting something?”
His eyes narrowed as he tried to think. “What?”
“My back rub?”