What's Mine and Yours(104)

“Noelle has a baby now. With someone else.”

“That was quick.”

“We were going to have one, too, but she lost it. I didn’t tell you. I wanted to pretend it never happened.”

Jade attempted to shush him. She reached for him. He shook his head, pushed her away. He felt frightened, as if someone were watching them, as if an unseen danger—cyclonic, absolute—would swallow them up, if they weren’t careful.

“She needed me, and I left. What kind of man is that? What kind of man am I?”

Jade fell out of her chair, cast her arms around her son. He tried to break free of her, but she wouldn’t loosen her hold on him. He gave way to her arms. She held him to her breast, cradled him roughly.

“My boy,” she said. “My sweet boy.”





Acknowledgments



Thank you to the inimitable Kristyn Keene Benton. You are the fiercest champion, and I am so grateful for all your sharp shooting and care for my writing and my career. Thank you also to Cat Shook for the early reads and encouragement, and for always being there.

Thank you to the marvelous team at Grand Central for ushering this book into the world, especially Seema Mahanian. Thank you for pushing me and helping this novel to grow. I am so proud of what we did together.

Thank you to my brilliant ninth-inning readers who swept in with notes, wisdom, and clarity at the final hour: Crystal Hana Kim, Meghan Flaherty, and Thomas Sun. Crystal, I am grateful for your candor and generosity, your friendship and frankness. Thomas, your mind for story inspires me, and it’s useful that you’re usually right. Thank you for being honest, present, and such a dear friend. Meghan, you are my trusted companion in motherhood and in letters—no one knows how to work a sentence like you do. Thank you for encouraging me right up until the very end.

I wouldn’t have been able to finish this book without those who held my baby and who held me as I became a mother. Gracias a mi querida suegra Miyerladi Pérez por ayudarme tantas veces y por su ternura y sus brazos abiertos. Gracias a mis tías Mayra Ure?a y Ylonka Olivo por cuidar a mi ni?a y cuidarme a mí. No me siento sola porque las tengo a ustedes. Thank you to my dear friends who traveled to offer hands-on help for days at a time: Maddox Pennington, Madeline Johnson, and Frances Kelley. And special thanks to the mothers who went before me, especially Erin Branch and Meghan Flaherty, who shared in the journey so closely. Thank you to the many friends, unnamed here, who offered support and love.

Finally, thank you to my husband, Jonathan, for your unwavering belief in my writing, your ideas (solicited and otherwise), and your love. Thank you for whispering in my ear that I could do it. And thank you to my daughter, Esmeralda. You are amazing company, and I am so fortunate to be your mother. I love you so completely.





Discover Your Next Great Read


Get sneak peeks, book recommendations, and news about your favorite authors.

Tap here to learn more.





About the Author


Naima Coster is the author of Halsey Street, and a finalist for the 2018 Kirkus Prize for fiction. In 2020, she received the National Book Foundation’s “5 Under 35” honor. Naima’s stories and essays have appeared in the New York Times, Kweli, the Paris Review Daily, Catapult, The Rumpus, and elsewhere. She holds an MFA in creative writing from Columbia University, as well as degrees from Fordham University and Yale. She has taught writing for over a decade in community settings, youth programs, and universities. She lives in Brooklyn with her family.