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“Do you wanna hold him?” Jessie asked Keely

“Yep Lemme pull a chair over first” She scooped Tucker up like a pro “He’s hefty Colt and India’s McKenna weighed in at seven pounds That one pounddifference”

“Tell me about it”

Keely kissed Tucker’s forehead “God I love the way babies smell And they’re so waronna ask when you and Jack are going to start a family,” Jessie said

“I know” Keely fussed with the blanket “Can I ask you so? On a scale of one to ten, how bad did it hurt to have these eight pounds squeezed out of your va-jay-jay?”

Jessie paused “A nine”

Tell did not want to hear this conversation but noas trapped

“Crap That’s what I thought See, AJ spews this ‘it’s a beautiful thing’ when she talks about giving birth, even when I saw her screa at Cord when she was in labor with Beau”

“Yikes”

“And that was her second baby”

“Well, it hurts like nothing I’ve ever felt I mean, I wanted to punch and scratch and screah all of this and he didn’t Yet the baby would still be half his How is that fair? At the very least he should have to suffer so hor to chop off Brandt’s hand or his dick if either so s autoether

“And now after the blessed event, not only is there no sex for six weeks, I’ve been warned thatNot to mention milk leaks everywhere And I have this extra pooch of skin on et rid of I’m pretty sure my hips or my ass won’t ever be the same pre-baby size”

Maybe they wouldn’t notice if he dropped to the floor and crawled out Knoo it? Two Different Things

“See?” Keely pointed out “Pregnancy sounds like a raw deal for women, doesn’t it?”

Jessie’s face softened “But look at him, Keely He’s so perfect He’s part me and part Brandt I just stare at his sweet little face and wonder if he’ll have my personality or his father’s, or maybe his own I wonder who he will look like”

“Hate to break it to you, but this boy already looks like a McKay He’s beautiful” Keely sniffled

Holy fk His cowgirl-tough cousin was…crying?

Jessie’s voice dropped to a soothing timbre Tell hadn’t heard fro scared of labor isn’t really what’s holding you back fro you?”

Keely wiped beneath her eyes “A little I love Jack like crazy I love our life together I never thought I’d be this happy What if having a baby screws that up? What if everything in our life beco parents? What if I lose myself in motherhood? We both knoon’t stop at one kid Plus, I don’t think I’m cut out to be a full-time, stay-at-home mom And I’m afraid that’s what Jack wants, because that’s e both had growing up”

“Have you talked to Jack about any of this?”

“No He’s —but I don’t think he’ll understand I can’t talk to AJ because she’s gloith pregnancy My le friends remind me I’m only thirty and there’s no rush toet on the ball so mine and Jack’s kids will be raised around cousins like I was I just feel that no one understands my fears, even when they sound stupid when I say them out loud”