Daisy’s mouth drops open and she chuckles quietly.“You bastard.”
I take it one step further and hold my nose, feigning disgust—because I’d do anything to see her stress melt away and to make her smile just once more.
When her laughter dies away, Daisy has tears in her eyes.“Don’t leave me again, West.”
“Wouldn’t dream of it.You’ve got me.I swear.”
“Good.Because I don’t know how to do any of this without my friend by my side.I mean, who else is going to tell me I stink and not be afraid to hurt my feelings?”
“That’s me.Red River Canyon’s asshole extraordinaire and resident stink eradicator.”
“You forgot cake thief.”
“Oh, I never forget cake, and now, thanks to this conversation, I’m never going to look at cookies the same way again.”
Daisy finishes feeding and places a clean cloth on her shoulder before propping Waylon up to burp him.After patting his back for a few minutes, he lets out the kind of burp to rival Sunday dinners with my brothers.
“Holy shit, you need to bring him to supper at the ranch.Show the boys how it’s done.It’s hard to believe that can come out of someone so tiny.”
“That’s not all that came out,” Daisy says, angling her body so I can see the mess Waylon made on her shoulder.
“Still neater than Wade at the breakfast table.”I grin.“Go have a shower, baby mama.”
A little chews her bottom lip.“Are you sure?I can be quick.”
“Take your time.I got this.”
***
Famous.Last.Words.I do not have this.Daisy had been gone for hours.I’d rocked Waylon to sleep with no problems after she’d left, but an hour later, he’d woken—unable to soothe.I’d listened at her door and couldn’t hear the shower running, so I’d knocked quietly and let myself in.
Daisy had been passed out on her bed, a towel wrapped around her head and not a stitch of clothing on her body.She was exhausted, so I’d tried to be a gentleman, and covered her prone form with a soft blanket from the end of the bed.She hadn’t even stirred.I could have left the kid in his bassinette and seen myself out, but she needed the rest and I still felt like the world’s worst douche bag for being so caught up in the shit at the ranch and forgetting about them.
That was over an hour ago.Now, Waylon is fussing in my arms, turning his little baby neck as much as he can to root out lunch I can’t make, from a pair of boobs I don’t have.I check the fridge for breastmilk.There isn’t any.Damn it.I shove the binkie back in his mouth and he sucks angrily as if it owes him money.
I pull out my phone, set it on the kitchen counter, and keep rocking as I type one-handed to the family group chat.
Me: L.911.Daisy’s.
Waylon throws his chubby little arms around.I shush him, perhaps a little too vigorously, because he just cries harder.“Come on, buddy.Let’s let mama sleep just a little longer.”
Five minutes later, there’s a knock on Daisy’s front door, and I sprint to open it, baby in my arms and all, so whoever is on the other side doesn’t wake her.Wade and Wyatt stand on the porch.
“What the hell are you doing here?”
“I heard it was a five-alarm fire,” Wade says, pushing into the small entryway.
“Wade and I were catching a few afternoon drinks while we waited for the ranch order at the Hayseed.”
“I sent that text to Lemon.What the hell are you two gonna do?”
“Well, I guess that depends on the problem.”
While Wyatt is pushing inside and babbling in Waylon’s little face, my sister’s Ferrari pulls in the drive behind my truck.Lemon and Mamma climb out with grocery bags and hurry up the walk.And about thirty seconds behind her, Colt’s truck pulls in, with Cash riding shotgun.Shit.The whole family is here.Daisy is gonna kill me.
“What’s the matter?”Lemon asks.
“Is Daisy-Mae okay?”Mama asks, taking a now screaming Waylon from my hands and instantly soothing him.
