The Mommy Miracle Read Free Page A

well, that was fine and normal. It was one of the rightest sights in the world, a person tenderly holding a newborn child.
    â€œOh, you sweet, precious thing,” she crooned. “Thank you for not crying for your auntie, little darling.”
    She bent forward and planted a kiss on the silky hair, and took in those sweet scents again, close to tears. As she straightened again, she could smell onions frying, too, the aroma unusually intense and satisfying, as if she’d never smelled frying onions before. Sometimes her brain reacted this way, since coming out of the coma. It was as if all her senses had been reborn.
    And then suddenly they hit overload, like little Lucy hitting overload when she was due for her nap.
    â€œCan you have her, Maddy? My arms are getting tired.”
    â€œYou did great,” Maddy said, and too many people echoed the praise. Dev growled it half under his breath.
    But maybe they were right. She felt wiped. Dev leaned toward her. “Are you okay?”
    â€œNeed some lunch.”
    â€œJust that?”
    â€œWell, tired…”
    Baby Lucy yawned on her behalf, and Maddy murmured something about taking her upstairs.
    â€œTo Jodie’s room,” Mom said quickly. “Not in—”
    â€œNo, I know,” Maddy answered, already halfway inside.
    â€œBut I definitely need lunch,” Jodie admitted.
    â€œSit,” Dev ordered. “I’ll grab whatever you want.” There was a tiny beat of hesitation. “You did great with the baby.”
    â€œSo did you.”
    â€œUh, yeah.” A quick breath. “Hot dog with everything?”
    â€œPlease!” She managed the hot dog, covered in bright red ketchup and heaped with those delicious onions, managed replies to various questions from family members, and to a comment on the kids’ soccer game from Dev, managed probably another half hour of sitting there—Maddy had come back downstairs with the baby monitor in her hand—and then she just couldn’t hold it together, couldn’t pretend anymore, guest of honor or not, and Dev said, “You need to rest. Right now.”
    Mom didn’t quite get it. “Oh, but Devlin, it’s her party! We’ve barely started!”
    â€œTake a look at her.”
    Jodie tried to say, “I’m fine,” but it came out on a croak.
    â€œYou’re right, Devlin,” Mom said. “Jodie, let’s take you upstairs.”
    â€œBut Lucy’s asleep on her bed,” Maddy said.
    â€œCouch is okay,” Jodie replied. “Nice to hear everyone talking.” She joked, “I mean, it is my party.”
    â€œHere,” said Dev, the way he’d said it to Maddy over an hour ago, about baby Lucy. He helped her up and she leaned on him, and he smelled to her baby-new nose like pine woods and warm grain and sizzling steak. He didn’t pass her the walking frame, just said, “Don’t worry, I’ve got you,” and she found that he did. He was so much better than the frame, so much more solid and warm, with his chest shoring up her shoulder and his chin grazing her hair. Her heart wanted to stay this close to him for hours, but the rest of her body wouldn’t cooperate.
    They reached the couch and he plumped up thesilk-covered cushions, grabbed the unfinished hand-stitched quilt top her mother was working on, tucked it around her like a three-hundred thread-count cotton sheet and ordered, “Rest.”
    â€œI will.”
    â€œI’ll leave your frame here within reach, if you need to get up.”
    â€œThank you, Dev.” She’d already closed her eyes, so she wasn’t sure that he’d touched her. She thought he had, with the brush of his fingertips over her hair, but maybe it was just a drift of air from his movement. She didn’t want to open her eyes to find out, or to discover he’d gone. Touch or air, she could feel it to her bones.
    He must have gone. She