The Family Origin

Chapter Thirty-Two: MAISIE POV

 After giving birth, I struggled to recover from my exhaustion. At night, I only managed to get a few hours of sleep before I woke to Briar's crying and screaming. My heart would pound, and I would hurry to the crib. At first, Miles would get out of bed with me to check on our baby. He was also so tired from being outside all day, so I made him stay in bed while I attended to Briar. She usually woke up because she was hungry, so it was pointless for Miles to be awake too.

Thankfully, I remembered most of Clara's advice. She used to talk about how she took care of her babies when we would spend the day cooking and cleaning, and I wished I had paid more attention. Only certain tips had stayed in my mind. When Briar had difficulty feeding, I would massage my breast like Clara had taught me. There were so many questions on my mind, but there was no one to ask. Not having Clara in the home was even more difficult when only I was inside during the day. My anxiety and worries overtook my tired body and mind as I tried to take care of Briar. I refused to let her out of my sight. If I could see my baby, I knew she was safe.

Joseph would sometimes give me a break during the evenings. He loved holding Briar and would spend a couple of hours rocking her in the rocking chair. It gave me an hour or two in the evening to sleep without having to scramble out of bed when I heard Briar crying.

Miles usually woke me when Joseph was done holding Briar, but this day was different. When my eyes fluttered open, the sun was already setting and the house was quiet. I dug the heel of my palm into my eyes to force myself to wake up as I pushed myself so I was sitting. Miles was standing by the window. He leaned his shoulder against the wall, but Briar was in his arms. She always looked so tiny when he held her. He did not react to me moving on the bed. His attention was focused on the farm, and his brows were furrowed.

"Miles," I said.

He did not move. I yawned and ran my fingers through my hair, which had mostly fallen out of my braid.

"Miles," I tried again.

He stood like a statue, his attention remained focused on the farm. His face was stuck in an unreadable expression. Even Briar's small noises as she moved her arms did not catch his attention.

"What is wrong?" I asked.

"Nothing is wrong," he said.

"Then why are you staring out the window?"

Miles did not answer. His lips pressed into a tight line, but it was not a scowl. I would have preferred a scowl or any other sign of emotion. I was capable of better understanding his anger than his emotionless stare. What was going on inside his mind?

"What is out there?" I asked.

He often stood by the window but refused to answer any of my questions. I had not expected him to answer, but he spoke.

"Outsiders," he said.

I raised a brow and hoped he would explain more. He remained silent. I pushed myself to the edge of the bed and swung my legs over the side.

"What about the outsiders?" I asked.

"Maisie." His voice had a sharp edge, like a warning. I curled my fingers into the blanket underneath me. "Stop asking me so many questions."

"I am only asking so many because you are answering none of them," I said.

"You do not need to know because I do not need you to worry," he said. "I need you to trust me."

I chewed on my lip as I watched him continue to stare out the window. Briar was fussing more in his arms, but he was stuck in his trance as he looked at the farm. I pushed myself off the bed and dragged my feet toward them. I placed my hand on his arm, and I could feel his muscles were tense. I grazed the back of my knuckle across Briar's cheek to comfort her and stop her fussing.

"Do you trust me?" he asked.

"I do," I said. I ran my fingers across Briar's thin hair, which was dark like her father's. "I know you will keep us safe."

Miles let out a deep breath. His gaze finally lowered from the farm so that he could look down at Briar. His muscles relaxed, and I rested my head against his arm.

"I would do anything I needed to," he said. He was silent for a moment as he stared at our daughter. Her fussing had stopped as she stared up at him with her large eyes. "Anything."

I ran my hand down Miles's arm and across his back. His attention was no longer fixated on the farm, so I did not want to speak. A faint smile was on his lips, and it made my heart flutter to see him happy. It was subtle, but I could see the anxiety slowly melt away.

Seeing my family happy was what I needed. I was now a wife and mother, but my family was still at risk of falling apart.

My head was resting on his arm, and my eyes were so heavy. Exhaustion overtook my body, and I nearly fell asleep while standing. When Miles moved, I yawned and lifted my head. He turned and placed Briar into my arms. He brushed my hair away from my face before pressing his lips against the top of my head. I closed my eyes, and warmth spread throughout my body.

The moment of bliss was short-lived when I heard a loud bang. Miles pulled back and furrowed his brows as he looked at the bedroom door. The banging continued in short bursts, and I recognized it as someone knocking on the door downstairs. I curled Briar tighter into my body as the banging grew louder and in a quicker pace.

"Who is that?" I asked.

Miles did not answer as he stormed into the hallway. Without thinking, my feet moved forward. Miles's wide strides were faster than I could keep up with as I followed. I froze when I heard a man screaming.

"What the hell is your problem?" a man screamed.

"Vince, what are you doing at my home?" Joseph asked.

"What were you doing at my home? Why were you talking to Edith?"

Miles rushed down the stairs, but I was unable to move. Fear coarsed through my veins as I listened to the man's screams. The sound was similar to how the intruder screamed at Clara and me on that terrible day. There was so much hatred and cruelty in his voice.

I squeezed my eyes shut and softly muttered prayers.

No one else in this family could get hurt again. My heart would not be able to handle losing someone else I loved.