Lark (First & Forever 5)

A little while later, the pair said good night and went to their bedroom, and Dylan looked up from his list and said, “Logan said he bought a car seat. I should have asked if he got it secondhand, because that’s not as safe as a brand-new model. Do you think I should buy one just in case? And what about a stroller? He could probably use one of those, right?”

“I know you’re planning to go shopping for baby stuff first thing in the morning, but you should probably wait until Logan’s up and ask him these questions.”

Dylan put down his pen and nodded. “I will. I just want to think of as much as I can on my own, so he doesn’t feel too overwhelmed.”

I climbed onto his lap and kissed him before saying, “Thank you.”

“For what?”

“For being such a kind, loving man, and for taking care of not just me, but my brother and the baby, too, even though you just met them.”

He tried to shrug off the compliment. “It’s the least I can do.”

“It’s amazing. Just look at that list of things to buy for Owen. The first thing you wrote on it is ‘toys and a teddy bear.’ You have such a good heart and so much love to give, and I’m the luckiest man in the world for getting to be with you.”

He caressed my cheek as he told me, “That’s exactly how I feel about you.”

I wrapped my arms around him and rested my head on his shoulder. After a while, I said, “Logan’s going to need a lot of help raising that baby, and I hope I do okay. It’s not like I have much experience with this.”

“None of us do, but here’s what I know for sure—that little boy is going to grow up surrounded by love. That’s the most important thing. We’ll figure out everything else along the way.”

He was absolutely right, and it made me realize something. Just a few months ago, I might not have known how to give my brother and that baby what they really needed. But today, I did.

The difference was that now I truly understood what it meant to love and be loved unconditionally. Dylan had taught me that.

The End