“You don’t have to thank me, Son.Daisy’s family.I’d do the same for any of my kids.”
I take the lemonade that Wade slides in front of me and down the glass in one go, wishing it was whiskey.
Waylon fusses and starts up a little cry again.“You need to think about waking his mama.Babies can’t go longer than two hours without food.”
“They can’t?”
“Well, thank god you have us,” my sister says, coming in from the living room.She walks to the counter and takes a knife and cutting board and starts halving the lemons.Colt finds her the citrus juicer and he squeezes them.“If left to your own devices, Daisy might be waking to visit her baby in the hospital.”
“Um ...hi.What’s this about my baby being in the ER?”Her eyes roll over all my brothers, my sister, and mama too.“And not that it’s not nice to see you but ...what are y’all doin’ here?”
“This dumbass panicked.”Wade points his thumb in my direction, a cocky smile on his face.He’s enjoying this a little too much.
“Oh my god.So you called your entire family?”Daisy laughs as she turns her gaze on me.“Why didn’t you just come wake me up?I don’t even know how I got to the bedroom.I am so sorry.”
“It’s ...fine.We had it handled.”
“Oh my gosh, where are my manners?”Daisy shakes her head.“Can I get y’all anything to eat or drink?”
“No, honey,” Mama says, taking the baby from Cash and handing him to Daisy.She cradles that little boy in her arms like he’s the most precious thing in the entire world, because he is.Guilt slams into me, guilt for my selfishness, guilt for ghosting her, and guilt because even now watching her with her son, my feelings for her get the best of me.Why the hell didn’t I ever see this woman before her car broke down on the side of the road?
“I put on a pot roast.Biscuits are there on the counter,” Mama says, pointing toward the kitchen-towel covered basket.“We made those special at home, and Lemon fixed you another pitcher of sweet tea since my brood up and drank it all on you.”
“Oh, you didn’t have to do that.How long was I asleep for?”
“Not long enough, I’m guessing.”
“I don’t know what happened.I was just so tired.I came out of the shower and sat on the bed for a minute and then—”
“And then you were woken up by a house full of rowdy Winchesters.”
“Hey, I’m here too,” Colt says.
“Same,” Cash agrees.
“You two should really think about changing your name,” Wyatt claps them both on the shoulder.“Well, now that we can no longer point and laugh at West, I’m out.Miss Daisy, good to see you.”
“You too,” Daisy says, no less frazzled.
Wyatt stands too.“He’s my ride.See ya later, Daisy.You have a beautiful home.”
“Boy, what the hell you know about beautiful homes?”Wade says, grabbing Wyatt and roughhousing as they leave the kitchen.“Too much damn Fab Five for you.”
“Pfft.You could use a little zhuzhing in your life,” Wyatt says.“Have you seen the hellhole you call home?Cheeto dust and Coors Lite cans don’t equal decor.”
“As if I would ever drink Lite.”
“Again,” Daisy says, pulling my attention from my idiot brothers.“I’m really sorry.”
Mama takes Daisy’s hand.“You just brought a new life into the world, do not apologize for leaning on others to get a little shut eye.”
She shrugs one shoulder.“Plenty of women have babies on their own.”
“Plenty of women have help, Daisy-Mae.Don’t be too proud to ask for it.I wasn’t.”
Daisy’s eyes spark with tears and I feel for her.I’m worried calling everyone here just added to her stress.Is Mama coming on too strong?“But you had so many, and so close together.”
“And everyone from William to the ranch hands helped out.West, too, once he was old enough.”Mama chuckles.“Don’t let this one fool you”—she tilts her head in my direction— “he’s not as hopeless with babies as he thinks he is.He’s just forgotten how to do it, is all.”
