She squinted at the clock—it was just after 1 a.m., and as she started to drift back to sleep, she realized it was Lucas who was wailing because he needed to be fed. She’d forgotten how hard it was to make that transition from hospital to home, where you aren’t just taking care of your baby, you’re caring for your entire family. And there’s no kind-eyed nurse to take your bundle to the nursery whenever you need a break. Jessie had been looking forward to the benefits of being ten years younger, but had conveniently forgotten how exhausting a newborn could be—how her bones would ache from lack of sleep, how her breasts would throb when they got too full. That even though her skin glowed and her metabolism was still working properly, she was just as exhausted as she’d been at fifty, maybe even more so. She rose to feed Lucas, rocking in the yellow chenille glider, calming her breathing to match Lucas’ as she lifted his mouth to her breast, closing her eyes and attempting to melt the past away.
