Another Life (Book 3)

Chapter 8

The baby monitor jolts me from my sleep. I look over at Sierra and Grace to see if they're awake, too. Sierra is but Grace isn't. Steph isn't. I look back at Sierra, noting her tired look and even as she is standing, her eyes refuse to open. I sigh and roll out of bed. "Go back to bed."

Pivoting on her heels, she flops down on the bed without a second thought and I know she's already knocked out. I drag myself into the nursery. The soft glow of the purple nightlight greets me as I enter the room. From Jace's crib, I can see him squirming, and his wails are about to send me a migraine.

"Hi Bubba," I say as I go up to his crib. I'm amazed Jaylin is still sleeping in this chaos. I reach down and pick him up, snuggling him into my arms. "Hey, what's wrong? Do you have a stinky butt?" he calms down a little now that he's in my arms but I can see that he's still upset and gearing up for another round of screaming. His lips tremble as his shining eyes look up at me. I scuff, "Alright fine. I'll change the dirty diaper and feed you." I tell him going over to the changing table. "But no breast. I'm not that mom."

His diaper change is quick, giving him a bottle and burping takes the longest. An hour later, he is down again and I can crawl back into bed. I glance at the clock on the wall as I slide under the covers. Fifteen to five. Perfect. I should be able to get two hou—

The baby monitor goes off again, making me feel like pulling my hair out. I groan. "I got it." Sierra tells me, turning towards me. She climbs on top of me on her way off, kissing the side of my face before she slips to the ground. "Goodnight baby," she says as she leaves the room.

I just give her a thumbs up, burying my face in the pillow. When I wake up again it's to the feel of kisses against my face. I groan, opening my eyes to see Steph laughing down at me. She pecks my lips. "Good morning, sleeping beauty."

I frown as I look her over. She's fully dressed in an apricot plaid flannel and matching skirt. Her white top is tucked into her skirt, her hair polished and perfect with her face put on. That beautiful face. Then it registers. She's leaving. Already? My heart sinks and I pull myself up into a sitting position, noting the time on the clock. It's damn near mid-day. Why'd they let me sleep the entire morning?

I feel as if I'm going to have a stroke. "You're leaving."

She nods. "Soon. I wanted to come say goodbye."

My body suddenly isn't working correctly. My throat is doing that thing where it's closing in on itself and I can't breathe. My heart is beating too fast. I want more time. I want one more night. "I hate farewells."

She gives me a sad smile and takes my hand between hers. Her skin is smooth to the touch, soft. "Already pining I see."

"Not pining. Just..." I shrug. "I hate this part."

She nods in understanding and caresses the back of my hand. I can see the emotions on her face, feel them as if they are my own. Sadness, hope, excitement. She swallows painfully and blinks back a few tears. "You know, I've spent weeks thinking about this and deciding if it's the right thing to do by everyone, including myself. I knew it was going to be hard, but I didn't anticipate it would be this hard. After last night..." She pauses to take a deep breath, patting the corners of her eyes. "This feels borderline impossible."

"You don't have to do it–" I try again.

"I do. I must." She searches my eyes, my soul. A tear swells in her eyes as she lowers her head to my chest. "I love the way your heart beats," she breathes.

"Okay, weirdo," I chuckle, pushing her hair back and holding her against me. All I want is to slow time down and make this moment last longer. I hate farewells.