When Danny comes through the back door, Angel barks happily and spins around in a circle, wagging her tail. She loves Danny but hasn’t seen much of him lately. None of us have seen him much since the baby was born. And Phillip and I haven’t wanted to intrude. Danny’s mom was here the first week, and Lori’s mom has been here ever since. We were thrilled when he called earlier to ask if he could come over for a beer and watch the fourth round of the draft.
“Aww, how’s my Angel?” Danny says, greeting the dog first and giving her a brown stick from a package.
“What’s that?” I ask him.
“It’s called a bully stick. Marcus was telling me he gives them to his dogs.” He hands me the rest of the package. “Says they have kept Madison from divorcing him because his dogs chew on these and not on her expensive shoes.”
We watch as Angel lays the stick on the ground, sniffs it, races around the couch, nudges it with her nose, picks it up, and flips the stick in the air. Then, she takes another lap around the couch, stick in her mouth.
“Should she be running with a stick?” I ask.
“It’s so big; I don’t think she could choke on it,” Danny says, laughing at the puppy, who has finally decided to nibble on the corner of it for a second.
She drops it at Danny’s feet, growls at it, and then takes off running in circles around the couch again.
“So, how’s Devaney doing?” Phillip asks as we all plop down on the sofa and flip on the TV.
“She cries a lot and is a lot more work than I ever imagined. But she’s precious.”
“Is there anything we can do to help? You look tired,” I say.
“No, Lori and her mother have it covered. They would really prefer I didn’t help. Her mom acts like I don’t know what I’m doing. I mean, technically, I don’t. But, if I don’t practice, how am I supposed to get better? Although her mother got mad at me because the trash in the kitchen was half-full, so I guess I’m supposed to help with that. It’s like she thinks I’m the hired hand instead of the dad.”
“Danny, you should talk to Lori if something is bothering you,” I suggest.
“You’re one to talk,” Phillip says to me.
I bug my eyes out at him.
“What?” Danny says, looking from me to Phillip.
“It’s nothing,” I say.
“It’s not nothing,” Phillip counters, turning toward Danny. “Was Lori surprised the kitchen was done when she got home?”
“Are you kidding me? She was thrilled. I don’t know how the designer pulled it off. Just the day before, she said it could be three more weeks.”
“Did she ask who made all the food? Or did she wonder how it all got done?”
“Uh, I assume the designer. My mom said she and your mom did the food.”
“Has Lori thanked anyone?”
“She was crying and hugging the designer, thanking her.”
“The designer had help,” Phillip says.
“Phillip, you promised.”
“Promised what? What aren’t you telling me?” Danny asks.
Phillip shakes his head at me and says to Danny, “Jadyn is the reason it got done. She said she didn’t want you to have to come home to that, so she called the contractor who is doing our office building and got him to get a crew together. They worked for thirty-six hours straight. Jadyn, the moms, and the designer worked another twelve hours after that getting the decor and food done.”
Danny slumps against the back of the couch and shakes his head. “Why didn’t you tell us?”
I run my hand through my hair, stalling.
“Because Jadyn did it for you, Danny. And for Lori even though she’d accused her of cheating. Even though she’s never apologized. And even though she’s barely spoken to her since. I just thought you should know.”
“I don’t want her to know,” I say, barely holding back tears.
“Why not?” Danny asks.
“Because.”
“She really hasn’t apologized?” Danny says, shocked.
I shake my head. “No.”
“But she said she texted you.”
I hand him my phone. Show him what she said, which is pretty much just that she wasn’t perfect and she was a stupid girl.
“After the way she treated me, the way she accused me, it just isn’t enough. All she’s done is make excuses for her behavior. But what I don’t think she realizes is that, with every accusation and point of her finger, she eroded away our friendship.”
Danny lowers his head. “I’m sorry, Jay. I haven’t told you that either.”
“You didn’t do anything, Danny. Did she apologize to you?”
He shakes his head. “Mostly, she just cried until I couldn’t stand it anymore and told her to stop.”
“Does that bother you? That she would automatically assume the worst?”
“Yeah, it does. She used to trust me. Now … I’m really hoping it was just pregnancy hormones combined with the bad dreams she’d been having. That she’ll get back to being herself. But, honestly, the things she said have stuck with me. So, why don’t you want her to know what you did?”
“Because I’m not over it, and I don’t want her to think I am. I want you to be happy, Danny, and I knew, if you both came home to a finished home, it would be one less thing for her to be stressed about and would make your life easier.”
“Are you and Lori doing okay now?” Phillip asks Danny.
“The birth experience definitely bonded us. But, since then, we haven’t really slept much. We’re tired and stressed. Nursing isn’t really going well. Devaney cries a lot. Lori is trying to keep her on a schedule. But I don’t know. It’s like we finally get her to sleep, and then Lori wakes her up, so she can nurse again.”
“She’s waking the baby up? Isn’t there some rule about letting a sleeping baby lie?”
“Yeah, but she read that babies need routine.”
“And we know Lori likes routine,” Phillip says. “Maybe it helps her feel in control.”
“How are you doing on a schedule?” I ask Danny.
“I can barely keep myself on a schedule. You really think I could do it for someone else?”
“Well, she’s your child, too,” Phillip says. “You have a say in how she’s raised. If you want to try something different, it’s okay for you to suggest it.”
Danny laughs. “Uh, no. It’s not. That’d be like committing mutiny. Thanks, but I think I’d rather go down with the ship.”
We turn our attention toward the TV when we hear Nick’s name being called in the draft.
“Dang,” Danny says. “I was hoping we’d get him.”
“His parents are probably thrilled though,” I say. “St. Louis is the closest NFL team to where they live.”
Angel stops throwing the stick around and plops down to nibble on it. I guess she’s decided it’s pretty good to chew on.
I take a moment to text Nick.
Me: Kicky Nicky! Congrats!!! You were the first kicker chosen in the draft! Go YOU! And go ST. LOUIS! I bet your parents are so thrilled. Heart you!
