The Family Origin

Chapter Sixty: MAISIE POV

 I was barely conscious when Miles came into the bedroom. He was silent as he moved around the room, changing his clothes. My eyes were heavy with exhaustion, and my crying did not help. I had been drifting in and out of sleep since Joseph told me to rest.

Hours must have passed because the room was flooded with darkness when I rolled onto my back and opened my eyes. I groaned and stretched my arms over my head.

A noise came from downstairs. My brain was soggy with sleep, and I rubbed my temple as I tried to decipher the sound. It was a pounding, but not like the knocking from earlier. A few quick pounds echoed through the house, but a few minutes passed before it happened again.

I yawned as I pushed myself to the edge of the bed. I grabbed the alarm clock, and in the moonlight, I could see it was almost ten o'clock at night. How did I sleep so late?

I dragged my feet over to the crib. When I peered in, I could not see Jasper. I dragged my fingers across the crib, wondering if I had lost him in the darkness. There was nothing, and my heart pounded.

I rushed out of the room and down the staircase. In the kitchen, multiple oil lamps were on the counter to provide light. A new piece of glass was in the window. I froze and furrowed my brows as I watched Miles and Joseph work. They were installing metal bars into the window frame. Joseph looked over his shoulder at me, but Miles was focused on the work.

"What is this?" I asked.

"We are making the home more secure," Joseph said. "Nobody will be able to come in through the windows again."

I nodded as I ran my fingers through my hair. Having my only view of the outside blocked by the thick metal bars would be an annoyance, but I was glad Jasper would be safe. The man was so angry when he broke the window and tried to crawl into our home.

Jasper's small noises came from the corner of the kitchen, and I turned to see the small crib in the corner. I rushed over to see he was laying on his back and sucking on his fingers. He was smiling as drool rolled down his chin. I ran my fingers over his thin dark hair. Luckily, the noise did not seem to bother him.

I stayed leaning over the side of the crib as I grazed my fingers over his soft skin. Knowing that he was safe and happy caused the remaining anxiety about the intruder earlier to leave my body. My muscles were no longer tense, and the nauseating twist in my stomach disappeared. All of my attention was focused on my baby, so I jumped when a hand touched my lower back. I straightened and turned to see Miles was close behind me.

"Maisie, it is late," he said. "You should go upstairs."

"Are you coming with me?" I asked.

He shook his head. There was no indication of worry in his expression, but dark circles were forming under his eyes. He had to be exhausted. I pressed my palms against his chest and leaned in closer. His one hand rested on my hip, and he reached forward to brush a strand of my hair behind my ear.

"I need to make sure all of the windows are secure first," he said.

"All of them?" I asked.

"Only the windows down here. No one would be able to reach the windows upstairs."

"It cannot wait?"

"Maisie." A threatening edge was in his voice. "I do not need you questioning me. Go upstairs. Bring Jasper with you. I'll be there once we are finished."

I broke eye contact as I nodded and looked down at my feet. He kissed the top of my head and took a step back. I picked up Jasper and cradled him to my chest. Trying to convince him to get some rest was pointless. He was already stressed about the intruder today, and I did not want to make it any worse.