“He’s beautiful, isn’t he?”
Hades was still quiet, absorbing the moment at his own pace. “Yeah…he is.”
“I know I should hand him over, but I don’t want to.”
He chuckled quietly before he placed his hand on Andrew’s stomach. Hades’s fingers were so large compared to our son’s small size. He could pick him up with a single hand so easily. “That’s okay. You’ve earned this.”
I kissed Andrew on the head one more time before I handed him over. “Andrew, this is your father.”
Like a natural, Hades took him like he’d done this a million times. He cradled his head and the rest of his body, and then brought him into his chest with a single arm. He rested back against the chair and made sure the blanket was wrapped tightly. Then he was quiet as he regarded our son, studying his face like it was the most interesting thing he’d ever seen. His other hand rested on his stomach so his thumb could feel our boy’s little heartbeat. Hades showed no emotion and kept everything beneath the surface, but a few thoughts escaped his eyes. There was so much love there, pure and whole love. He used to look at me that way from across the room when he was stuck in a conversation he didn’t want to be a part of. But now he looked at Andrew that way because I wasn’t the only person in his heart anymore.
I’d been replaced.
Hades continued to stare at Andrew with no signs of stopping. He took to his role so well, instantly looking like a father with no effort at all.
I wished every day could be like this…that Hades would come home from work and pick up our son out of the crib. I wished he were still my husband, the person I would grow old with.
The thought was so painful I couldn’t bear it. I wiped the thoughts from my brain and just concentrated on the scene in front of me. My heart rate gradually slowed as peace descended. Before I knew what happened, I drifted off to sleep.
I was only in the hospital for a day before I got to go home. My life was completely different the second Andrew was born, and there was really no way to prepare for that. Now my world revolved around this little person, and I had to navigate everything with that in mind.
I sat in the back seat with Andrew on the way home instead of sitting beside Hades. It was difficult to leave my son in the car seat when I thought my arms would be a safer place. He cried like all babies, but most of the time, he was asleep. He looked so cute when his eyes were closed like that.
When we returned to the house, Hades carried everything inside so I could take care of Andrew. My mom was just as infatuated with the baby as I was, but since she understood what it was like to be a new mom, she knew I needed this time for myself. We went to the third floor, and I showed him his room before we returned to the bedroom.
I’d already fed him and changed his diaper, so all he wanted to do was sleep.
That was fine with me.
I got into bed and laid him beside me so I could watch him sleep as I lay there.
Hades joined me and lay on the other side. “Now what?” His voice came out as a whisper so he didn’t wake Andrew.
“We take care of him.”
Hades continued to stare at him. “Looks like he’s doing okay on his own.”
“Babies sleep a lot. They need their rest so they can keep developing.”
“Like I said, I’ve taken a health class.”
I shot him a glare across the bed.
He gave a faint smile in return. He hadn’t slept much since we’d gone to the hospital because he took care of Andrew while I rested. But he didn’t seem tired now. He wanted to lie there with me and enjoy the little boy we’d made together.
“Should you invite Ash over?”
“Why?”
“Because this is his nephew…”
Hades shook his head. “He’ll turn him against me. I’m not gonna give him the opportunity so soon.”
I knew he was kidding, but I still gave him a glare.
“I’ll tell him. I just want us to enjoy him for a while, ya know?”
“Yeah…that’s probably a good idea.”
Hades turned on his side and placed his palms underneath Andrew’s feet. He gently touched his toes and heels as he admired his son’s peaceful expression. Hades spent his life dealing with criminals and living a fast life on the street. He was usually dressed in a tailored suit and shooting bullets full of power, but now he was just a father loving his son.
It was beautiful.
“I never want him to grow up. I want him to stay like this…forever.”