Mate for you [a Kyle O'Reilly story]

24 Baby and balloons

Amy POV

"Okay my little man. Let's see how you like your home. Your daddy went to a lot of trouble with your nursery." I said to Payden as I gently stroked his cheek while sitting in the back of the car with him.

He was such a chill baby. He cooed almost the entire time he was awake. It was sweet and I could hardly believe he was ours. The drive home felt so surreal now that we had him with us in person. It probably wasn't long before he was roughhousing with his dad. Oh and with his uncles of course.

"We're here." Kyle said suddenly, pulling me out of the trance I was in while looking at the baby.

"Oh, I didn't even notice that. I guess I was a little distracted." I said as I lifted my gaze and saw that we were indeed already standing in front of our house.

Kyle got out and then opened my door to give me his hand. With his help I got out of the car. While I was getting my bag out of the trunk, Kyle carefully lifted his son out of the car.

Together we went inside and were greeted, as was to be expected, by Molly and Hank. It didn't take long for them to realize that we had someone very special with us. Curious, they both sniffed the baby carrier as they excitedly wagged their tails. Apparently they were as excited about our new family member as we were.

We enjoyed the time with the little man to the fullest. It was so nice to spend time alone with the newborn without a doctor or nurse or visitors constantly coming into the room. This way we could get to know Payden and his needs in privacy. All this was new for us and we had to get used to the little guy. And of course he had to get used to us as well. Although I was sure that it would all go quickly. Probably the time would pass much too fast. The time they were babies was actually so short. That's why I wanted to soak it up as best I could.

After nursing Payden and changing him into a fresh diaper, I cradled him gently in my arms. It didn't take long for his eyes to get heavy. I smiled as I looked into that tiny face. He was so cute.

"What do you think about taking Payden and the dogs for a walk? They could all use some fresh air. And I'd like to lay down for a bit until he gets hungry again," I suggested to my husband.

"I can do that. Do you need anything before we go?" he wanted to know.

"Nope, just a good amount of sleep." I laughed as I walked towards him with our son.

I reached over to give him a kiss before placing the baby in his arms.

"I love you. Take good care of you guys." I said softly.

"We love you, too. Get some rest. I've got everything under control." he replied with a sweet little smile on his lips.

My boys and the dogs were barely out the door when I started getting everyone ready for the surprise. I hoped I would get it all done before they came back. I had no idea how much time I had to get everything prepared before Payden was hungry again. So far the intervals had always varied.

Kyle POV

After a relaxing 2 hour walk we arrived back home. I looked at the baby and saw that he began to stir. Mostly this was a sign that he was hungry again. So it was good that the timing could not have been better.

I only hoped that Amy had managed to get some sleep. She had been very exhausted, even a blind man could see that. Even though she tried not to let it show. I was glad to see how happy she was to hold our little bundle in her arms. It was so much more beautiful than I could have imagined.

We went into the garage where I parked the stroller. I untied the dogs' leashes and then carefully lifted the baby up. Payden stretched and then opened his eyes. I smiled at him before giving him a kiss on the cheek. Then we went into the house. Immediately, my eyes fell on Amy. My wife was curled up on the couch, fast asleep.

I would have preferred not to wake her, but Payden was getting restless and unfortunately I didn't have proper body parts to satisfy his need for food. He began to cry. Immediately his mommy's eyes started to flutter and she looked at us tiredly.

"Hey...back already?" she asked as she sat up.

"Yeah, little buddy's hungry." said I, handing him to her.

"Let's get you fed then, shall we? My sweet angel. Daddy can't do that with his useless nipples." she laughed.

"I would if I could." I replied as I sat down next to her.

"As soon as my supply of breast milk is increased and I can pump, you can feed him too, Daddy." she said.

Payden drank eagerly and it wasn't long before he was full.

"Kyle, could you please get me a clean shirt? He spit up a little." said Amy as the baby burped.

I immediately made my way to the bedroom. But when I opened the door, I stopped abruptly. The ceiling of the room was filled with red balloons with little baskets attached to them. And the baskets were filled with roses.

"What the..." I breathed, unable to think any further.

"I wanted to surprise you. And this is the closest thing I've had to a real hot air balloon. If you know what I mean." said Amy softly behind me.

I turned to see her standing behind me with Payden in her arms. I knew immediately what she meant. The day I asked her to be my wife. I had blindfolded her and taken her with me in the basket of a hot air balloon. Everything had been perfect. I had even thought of flowers. Red roses. Just like these ones.

"Kyle... I know I haven't made it easy for you. But all I can do is keep thanking you for never giving up on me completely. Your love and trust mean the world to me. Thank you for convincing me that you know me better than I know myself.

Thank you for this gift... our son. I love you and Payden more than I can put into words. You are my mate. My soulmate. We've had our ups and downs, but we're still you and me. That's why I want to ask you to marry me.... a second time?" Amy said as tears sparkled in her eyes and she gently cradled our baby in her arms.

I took my family in my arms and pressed a long, loving kiss to Amy's lips. Payden cooed happily as he looked up at us. I was so happy and there was only one possible, one right answer.

"Yes, I do. I love you, Amy. You have no idea how much." I finally replied.