Safe & Sound//Sebastian Sallow

forty-one.

I woke up early the next morning and prepared for our day off errands. We needed to get furniture for Emery's room and a few toys to keep him occupied. I wanted him to pick out things he wanted, but I didn't want him to come to us without anything at all for him.

Sebastian was a bundle of nerves. He wanted so badly for his son to have a good time. As we were getting ready, he would tell me his ideas for what to get Emery and would ask my opinion on them.

"I definitely want to get him a toy broom. I had one when I was little and it was my absolute favorite," he told me.

"A toy broom? Isn't that a bit unsafe for a four-year-old?"

"Not at all. They barely float off the ground. And he'll be with us the whole time."

"As long as Lira is good with it, okay," I agreed. We continued to talk about toys and I found myself getting excited. It would be fun to have an excuse to play like a kid again.

Sebastian and I went to Diagon Alley to do our shopping. We stopped at the furniture store first so we could get the hard part out of the way. Sebastian was adamant about getting a bunk bed, saying he'd always wanted one for him and Anne growing up. It was endearing to see him want to go all out for Emery; he wanted to give his son what he'd never had as a child.

After looking at a few different displays, we finally found a bedroom set that Sebastian liked. I let him make the final decision, as it was his son we were shopping for. Once we'd paid and set up delivery for the next day, the fun part began. It was time to go to the toy store.

"I haven't been in here in years," Sebastian told me as we walked into the shop. He grinned as he looked around at all of the options. It was such a cute sight to see; my heart practically melted looking at him. I took his hand in mine and squeezed.

"You're adorable," I told him. He just blushed in response.

I'd never been to a toy store as big as the one we were in. They had items appropriate for all ages and some that I'd even like to have as an adult. Sebastian and I split up and looked around for what we wanted to get Emery. I tried to keep things light, reminding myself that we'd be taking him shopping to pick out what he wanted, but Sebastian seemed to forget that. When we met back up, I had a small basket filled with colored pencils and some figures. Sebastian, on the other hand, had his arms full of different toys, including the little broom he'd wanted to get. He looked so excited that I didn't have the heart to tell him to put anything back.

By the time we left, my stomach was grumbling. We put our purchases into my charmed bag and went to lunch at the Leaky Cauldron. It was fairly empty since most families were traveling for summer vacation, so we were able to get our meals quickly.

"I can't wait for Thursday," Sebastian said as we ate. "I keep picturing his face when he sees everything."

"I bet he'll be so excited. You've picked out some fun stuff for him."

"I hope he likes it...I hope he likes me," he said quietly.

"Of course he'll like you. He's going to love you. You're his dad."

"I know, but he's got Lira's husband with him full time and I'm just this new person to him."

"Don't be so hard on yourself. You saw how excited he looked when Lira told him that you're his dad. He understands who you are and when he sees how much you already love and care about him, he'll reciprocate. He seems like a smart little boy."

"I hope you're right. Thank you." He grabbed my hand from across the table and smiled at me.

After lunch, we went to the market and picked up some items for the kitchen. I didn't know what Emery liked, so I tried to think of a bunch of different options. I may have gone overboard with ingredients, but better safe than sorry. I'd just have to be sure to not waste anything.