"You're a good dad, already," Jessica whispers into my cheek. "You taught him a lot when he was still inside of me." She pats her stomach.
I stare at her beautiful body. She's next to our newborn son, resting on her side. Her body covered in a thin, pink t-shirt and matching panties. I couldn't get enough of her when she was pregnant. She told me she was expecting our son the day we got married here in Boston. It was a small ceremony. The only people at city hall with us were my parents, my sister, her husband and their two children.
"I'm really happy," I say the same words I've been telling her all day. "I can't imagine being happier than this."
"Me either." Her hand rests over mine on Aiden's forehead. "I didn't know that we'd make such a beautiful baby boy together."
"I knew," I tease. "He's parts of each of us."
"He has your hair." She jokes. "I bet he'll be just like you."
"He has your heart." I tap his tiny chest. "He'll be loving, giving and kind."
She smiles sweetly as she leans back to rest her head on the pillow. "I want him to be a good person like you are."
The words mean more than she realizes. "He will be a good person. We'll both show him how."
"You'll take him to your office when he's older?"
She's so proud of me. She tells me every day when I come home from my small office. I got a job working for the same firm I was at before I moved to New York. The place is familiar, the people are friendly and they appreciate everything I bring to the table. It's calm, it's quiet and the cases are exactly what I need. The pressure of all the Wall Street mergers and acquisitions that plagued me in New York is gone. I come home from work happy every night.
"I'll do that and you'll teach him how to cook."
"I would love to teach him that." She closes her eyes briefly. "When I'm done maternity leave, we'll figure out our schedules, right? You'll be here more and I'll work the later shift."
I love how she's worried about that now. She's on maternity leave for the next few months. "My mother and sister will help us too. They've already promised."
Watching Jessica spend time with my family has been one of the most enriching parts of our move back to Boston. She's embraced them all and they love her as family now. There's no distinction between her and I. My mother loves her as deeply as she loves me. It's what Jessica needs. It's helped her heal and feel whole again.
"I'm falling asleep." Her eyes pop open briefly. "Will you watch hi
m sleep while I take a nap?"
"I'll be right here beside both of you." I crawl into the bed next to my wife and son. "I'll be right beside you forever."
A Special Treat Just for You