Page 32 of When the Storm Breaks
Noah pushed his plate away. He’d left half his pancakes, swimming in syrup which told me Jude was slipping and had left Noah to his own devices. “I can’t eat anymore.”
“Is your bag packed?” I asked him, eating the strip of bacon from his plate and a lone strawberry in a pool of syrup. He nodded. “Go get it. And put on some jeans and a T-shirt.”
Not needing to be told twice, he jumped off the stool and ran out of the kitchen, eager to get away from the screaming baby.
When Noah was out of earshot, I turned to Jude. “Hand him over, you stubborn shit.”
“You think you can do better?” he scoffed.
When we were kids, everything was a competition. Some things never changed. “Can’t do much worse than what you’re doing.” He scowled at me. “You’re so tightly wound I’m scared you might snap. Let me give it a try.”
Reluctantly, Jude handed over Levi, and as if by magic, the baby stopped crying.
“How did you do that?” Jude asked incredulously.
Normally I’d fuck with him but not when it came to his parenting skills. As much as it pained me to admit it, Jude was a good dad and a good stepdad to my son. “He can feel how tense you are. Babies pick up on that shit.”
He raked a hand through his hair and blew out a frustrated breath. Growing up, everything had come so easily to Jude. He’d been raised in a loving family, had excelled at school and sports, and everything he’d touched had turned to gold. Until it all turned to shit after he returned from five years of active duty in the Marines.
Jude had always believed he could control everything in his life. But he’d been brought to his knees. I’d taken no joy in his defeat. We used to be tight. There’d been a time when I called him my best friend and brother. The only person I’d ever truly confided in and trusted. When I saw he was struggling, fucking everything up with Lila, I’d tried to help him. But he was so far gone there was only so much I could do. When he ran off and abandoned me and Lila without even so much as a phone call to let us know he was still alive and well, I washed my hands of him. Because fuck that. I saved his motherfucking life. I was there for him and for Lila when nobody else knew what to do to help.
“Were you like this with Noah?” he asked as I rocked Levi back and forth, gently rubbing his back to soothe him. The baby was wiped out, exhausted from screaming his head off.
Wish I could say I’d been able to do this every time Noah cried, but that hadn’t always been the case.
I shook my head. “I used to think Kate was magic. She was able to do the same thing with Noah when me or Lila couldn’t soothe him. Used to upset Lila. Made her feel like she was doing it all wrong. But she wasn’t. That’s just how it is with your own baby sometimes. You want to take away all their pain, but you can’t always do that.”
“He’s asleep,” he said quietly.
“Wore himself out crying.”
Jude ran his hand through his hair. “Thanks.”
I nodded, knowing it pained him to thank me for anything. “No problem. Where do you want him?”
Jude dragged the swing over and I set him inside, making sure his head was supported by the cushioned headrest. Jude turned the swing on and we both watched Levi sleeping as the swing gently rocked him, his face so peaceful and angelic you’d never know he’d been screaming like a lunatic only a short while ago.
“Maybe I can get some work done now.”
“How’s the storm chasing business?” I asked.
Years ago, Jude and his Marine buddy Tommy had started a veteran-led disaster relief non-profit. When Jude and Lila got back together two years ago, he cut back on his time in the field and focused on the leadership, training and fund-raising. Over the years, his organization had grown and now they had tens of thousands of volunteers across the country. It shouldn’t have been a surprise that my silver-tongued cousin had found himself in the limelight once again when he was called upon to give motivational speeches and had even been featured inTimemagazine for his innovative business plan and finding hope in the face of adversity. He was lauded as a hero and I guess that was the role he’d always played.
“Business is booming,” he joked. “There’s always a disaster somewhere.”
“Ain’t that the truth.”
He poured himself a cup of coffee and sat at the island facing me. “I hear you’ve got someone staying at the guesthouse.”
“Uh huh.”
“Talked to Ridge last night. He said you went over there for dinner.”
“You were checking up on Ridge?” It was an attempt to change the subject, but I was also curious.
“He’s family.” He took a sip of coffee. “Why wouldn’t I check up on him?” Like the answer was obvious.
“Was this before, during or after he went out and got shitfaced?”
