Chapter 7 - What He Told His MotherWeston arrived the following evening looking furious. "My mother called me," he said when I opened the door. "She wanted to visit you and the boys. I had to tell her you weren't home."

"And?"

"She asked why."

"What did you tell her?"

"The truth, apparently."

That surprised me.

"She asked whether I had been helping you since you broke your arm."

"And?"

"I told her you stay home with the boys while I work all day."

I waited.

He rubbed the back of his neck. "Then she asked why you had to leave your own house just to find someone willing to help you."

"What did you say?"

"Nothing."

"Why?"

His jaw tightened. "Because I knew how it sounded."

Before I could respond, Rhett began crying. Weston automatically looked toward me. "Hope?"

I didn't move. "You've got him."

"I don't know what he wants."

"Neither do I yet."

"You usually know."

"I usually figure it out."

He hesitated before finally lifting Rhett. The crying got louder. "See?" Weston said nervously. "I'm making it worse."

"You've been holding him for ten seconds."

"What do I do?"

A hundred instructions immediately came to mind — check his diaper, try rocking him, hold him upright, walk slowly. But instead of taking control, I said, "Start paying attention."

Weston began pacing too quickly. Rhett cried harder. He slowed his steps. A minute later, the crying softened.

"He's stopping," Weston whispered.

"Yeah."

He looked down at our son. "You make this look easy."

"You told me I do nothing all day."

"I know."

"Why?"

He swallowed. "Because every time I came home, you already knew what they needed, and I didn't."

"You could have learned."

"I know."

"Then why didn't you?"

His voice dropped. "Because I felt useless. Every time you asked me to do something, it reminded me that I didn't know how."

"So you wanted me to stop asking."

He nodded. Rhett curled his tiny fist into Weston's shirt.

"Feeling scared doesn't excuse what you said to me."

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"I know."

For months, I had wanted to see Weston holding one of our sons like that. Now he finally was. But I also knew one moment wasn't enough.