More laughing.
Their younger brother Max had joined in too.
I stared at my daughter.
Four months earlier, my body had brought her into this world.
I had gained more than sixty-five pounds during pregnancy.
Much of it was still there.
My stomach was softer.
My face was rounder.
My old clothes didn’t fit.
I knew all of that.
I didn’t need Ryan’s brothers to tell me.
What hurt was realizing my husband had turned my exhaustion into entertainment.
Ryan barely helped with Emma.
I handled feedings.
Appointments.
Laundry.
Baths.
Bedtime.
Night waking.
Most of the housework.
Most of the cooking.
He still slept through the night unless Emma became so loud that pretending not to hear her was impossible.
I missed my old dresses.
I missed sleeping.
I missed feeling like a person before noon.
But I had never imagined Ryan was taking secret pictures of me and sending them to his brothers so they could laugh.
