No One But You

The doctor.

The friend.

The lover.

The mother.

My love.

So, maybe we haven’t made it down the aisle just yet—but, she’s given me something that was so much farther out of reach that I know with certainty that one day we will.

One day, I know, we will do things that we haven’t even dreamed of.

We’ll have lived through things that we can’t fathom. Good and not so good. And we’ll do it all together.

That thought makes me smile. When I’d told her I wanted everything with her, I didn’t quite realise the extent of that need. Until now.

Now that our son’s little head rests on her shoulder. So, so small that even her little hands can almost swallow it.

“Are you just going to stand there gawking at us?” She says as she turns towards me cradling a stripped down Alfie in her arms.

The sleeves of my shirt are rolled up all the way to her elbows. Our little boy’s milky skin a tad lighter than hers.

Even his size zero nappies seem to swallow him up.

He’s so tiny.

And his newborn whinge is so fragile. His light golden hair glints as it catches the light streaming into the nursery from behind me.

Quincy winces slightly as she sits in the rocker by the window. A satisfied smile on her face as she pops the lid off the small bottle and runs the teat across Alfie’s little lips. His little legs kick frantically until he manages to get enough suction to pull his feed into his mouth, and then he moans.

His quiet little moan echoes through me as he goes soft in his mother’s arms.

That sight gets me every time.

I know I should be sleeping so I can do the night feeds but watching them recharges my heart with so much warmth that every single one of my extremities begs to get closer and touch them.

I walk over to the cot and grab one of the little blankets hanging off the side. I can feel her eyes following me. Tracing every step. Her smile widens as I sit on the window ledge and lay the light cotton rectangle across both of them.

She’s the most stunning creature I’ve ever seen. Her cheeks are still slightly rounded from the last eight months and her generous breasts have plumped up even more. As if he can read my mind, Alfie burrows into them. One of his tiny hands burying itself in the warm crease as his little feet flex in bliss.

She’s always looked at me with nothing but love and want. But the way she’s looking at our son. The way her eyes are wide and bright even in the darkened room makes me a little bit jealous.

“I still love you, babe.” She smiles up at me. Her pregnancy plumped lips stretching with mirth.

I can’t help but run my thumbs over those luscious lips. “You’re so beautiful.”

“You keep saying.” Her eyes drop to our son as a soft, shy blush colours her fair skin.

“Always will, sweetheart.” I whisper as I touch my lips to her forehead.

“Are the girls ready for bed?”

“I said they could stay up a little bit longer tonight,” I tell her as two heads pop into the doorway.

She laughs lightly as she crooks her finger at them.

“Can we just give him another little kiss?” Molly asks as she strokes the side of Alfie’s face with her little finger.