Childish

61

Cooper was quiet for most of the afternoon. When Naomi was in the kitchen helping Monica, Ty took over. He gave Cooper a bottle to keep him from waking me up. When Monica didn't need any help, Naomi relieved Ty and took Cooper. She played with him on the floor with the various toys we had packed along.

I wasn't used to having to share my things. Sure, they were baby toys but they were mine. They were mine long before Cooper was born. It was easy to share the toys since we already had a good bit but that didn't mean I liked it. I just tolerated it because I had no other option.

Monica disappeared into the kitchen to check on dinner just as someone knocked on the door.

Ty excused himself and went to see who was at the door.

Alex tucked the blanket around me and brushed the hair from my face. Seconds later, an all too familiar voice came from the doorway.

"I'm sure it's not too often that you get Lyla to sleep while Cooper's awake." Alex's mom spoke as she entered into view. She said her greetings to everyone in the room as she made her way over to the chair that sat further away from me.

"We're working on it. Cooper's been sleeping through the night more now." Alex said.

"Babies do cry so don't think that once this colic is over, you'll have peaceful nights."

"He's quieter than he used to be."

She waved her hand at him. "It won't get quieter until they're eighteen."

"They're good kids. We couldn't be happier." Naomi seemed to have noticed the tension between Alex and his mother and spoke up. It was easy for Alex to get mad over something being said about me and Cooper.

Emily pursed her lips and folded her hands in her lap. It was clear that a fight was about to ensue.

Ty walked in from the kitchen. "Ready to eat?"

Naomi picked up Cooper and took him to the playpen that was set up. As she worked to get him to sleep, Alex shook me just enough to wake me up.

I blinked a few times as I looked up at him.

"Dinner's ready."

I sat up and rubbed my eyes. I probably could have slept another hour or two if Alex hadn't woken me up when he did. I was so used to napping that I often needed to be woken up by someone or else I would just keep sleeping.

Alex stood and lifted me in his arms. He carried me into the kitchen where a high chair was waiting for me. I wasn't sure if it was at Monica's or if Alex and Naomi brought it. At least I had my own seat to sit in.

Alex sat me in the chair and buckled me in.

From where I was, I could see Naomi, Monica, and Emily. I was sandwiched between Ty and Alex. It wasn't the most ideal place at the table but it was far better than being near Emily.

I figured it was best if I kept my mouth shut. Emily seemed to have an agenda so I wasn't about to test her and find out what her problem was with me.

Naomi had a small bowl for me to eat out of. I was a bit bummed that I couldn't fill up a plate like everyone else. Thanksgiving was my favorite time of year to pig out and eat really good food. Having a tiny bowl to fit my food into didn't seem right.

She passed it down to Alex and he poured some gravy over the mashed potatoes and turkey. He set it down on the tray in front of me. I knew there was no sense in arguing so I just kept my mouth shut and was at least grateful for what I did have.

"Is that all you're giving her?" Emily asked, giving Naomi a look across the table.

I tightened my grip on the spoon I was holding. What was her problem? Did she not like Naomi? All of her comments seemed directed at Naomi, like she wanted Naomi to feel inferior.

"She's just a baby. She's not supposed to have much." Naomi was quick to defend both me and herself.

"She's not going to get any bigger if you don't feed her."

"Babies aren't supposed to be fed so much they explode, mom." Monica said as she took a bite of her stuffing.

"I raised the two of you and you're just fine."

"Standards on nutrition have changed since then. Naomi is doing just fine raising the kids." Monica gave Naomi a smile from across the table.

Emily scoffed at Monica's comment, causing a few sharp looks from around the table. "I don't know how someone with no experience with children was allowed to have a child without supervision. There should be rules in place to protect the child."

"Naomi has helped raised Lyla for almost a year now." Alex's body was tense beside me. From the way he gripped his fork, I could tell it was taking everything in him to not blow up on his mother.

Emily's sharp gaze turned to me and I felt like I was going to throw up. "Lyla is nothing more than a mistake."

I really felt like I was going to throw up.

It felt like there was a spotlight on me and everyone was staring at me. I felt like I needed to say something but there were no words coming up.

Before anything more could be said, Naomi was on her feet. She came over to me without a word and lifted me from my high chair. I didn't say anything either as she carried me from the room and to the bedroom.

Naomi wasn't the type to overly express herself. She kept a lot of her feelings tucked away and saved them for when she was alone. I hardly ever saw her angry or sad. Generally, she was a happy person.

But there were tears in her eyes. Emily's words clearly had an effect on her and she was taking it hard.

"You have no right saying those things to her. To either of us." I heard Alex say from the other room. It was clear he was going to tell his mom exactly how he felt.

"Everybody knows it, Alexander. There is a reason we run this town the way we do. You know Lyla isn't fit to live here. She doesn't fit in."

"Who are you to make that kind of assumption?"

"I'm trying to keep this town running as your father wanted it. Not this... excuse you call leadership."

"The way my father ran this town resulted in both my sister and my daughter getting shot. Are you really going to sit here and tell me that either of them were deserving of that? That anyone is deserving of that?"

"Don't you speak about your father that way. He was a good man who devoted his life to this town."

"Mom, I think you need to leave." Monica said. Her voice was level, unlike her brother and mother.

I heard chairs moving around and assumed someone was getting ready to leave the room. I wasn't exactly sure if it was Emily or Alex.

"Don't get attached to your experiments, Alex, and maybe you can be the mayor this town needs."