Taylor swore she'd never be ready to handle a baby. A few years ago she'd been barely able to manage her career, pulling the plane up from the nosedive at the last minute so she didn't crash into sharp rocks. Never mind the shit show that was her "dating life"
But after the hours of sweat and tears and pained moans, when all was said and done and the baby was placed in her arms, she felt, quite frankly, invincible. The little bundle of wrinkles screamed at her, displeased at being introduced to the real world, and she was laughing, sobbing, excitedly blubbering on. "Look, Joe, she's perfect, oh my gosh, she's perfect. I did that—we did that!" And he stroked her damp hair away from her face and kissed her all over, pressing a cool cloth to her forehead.
The baby really was perfect—a whole seven pounds ten ounces, with bright blue eyes and curly blonde hair. When she was washed and dried and brought back to Taylor to be fed, she was radiant, hands poking out of her swaddle, reaching for Taylor's fingers. She allowed herself to bask in the post-birth haze, just breathing in the scent of the new baby—her baby! Her baby! Caroline Maeve Swift. Care. Maeve. Ehm-vee. She chuckled to herself.
Guests made the rounds, the parents at the top of the list and other extended family to follow. Andrea burst into tears at the sight of Caroline, managing between sobs, "She looks like Taylor!" Scott interjected with "That's Joe's nose, though, look at it!" to which the whole room burst into raucous laughter, startling Caroline out of her sleep and into a wail. Taylor rocked and sang until she drifted off again.
"You look like you could use the sleep yourself, love," Joe said softly, when Caroline was swaddled and sleeping happily in her bassinet by the bed.
"Rude," Taylor muttered. Her eyes drifted half shut anyways. He reached out to cup her cheek, and she raised her hand to hold his against her face, kissing the very edge of his palm.
"You're so radiant, my love." He smiled. "If you can manage, get some sleep, and I'll keep an eye on Care, okay?"
She wanted to protest, but couldn't, her head listing forward into his hand even as she tried to speak. "Nice save, hot shot."
"That's right. Rest now," was all she made out before she drifted off.
All efforts to sleep more than two hours at a time proved futile, however, seeing as Caroline needed to be fed regularly and Taylor was worse for the wear because of it. Every chance he got, Joe would rock her back to sleep, snuggle her, anything, so Taylor could sleep. She still got plenty of baby time, that was for sure, but the need to sleep was chipping away at her seemingly effortless facade of perfection.
Once, he awoke to find the bed empty. He could hear Caroline squalling in her room, and even further, the sounds of Taylor shushing her and the creak of the floorboards as she walked back and forth. He tiptoed out of bed and pushed the door open a small crack, to find her pacing in her underwear and sleep shirt, Caroline nestled against her shoulder as comfortably as she could be while wailing her little lungs out.
Taylor finally noticed that he was there, acknowledging it by whispering over her shoulder. "Sorry I woke you up."
He shook his head. "Don't apologize. This is adorable."
"I think I'm going deaf," she whispered with a half smile. "She just won't settle, no matter what I do. Just extra fussy tonight, I guess." She offered a few more gentle back rubs, but Caroline was angry as ever. "I've checked her diaper, adjusted her pajamas, tried to see if she's too warm, but nothing's working."
In a few short strides, Joe was at her side. "Here, let me take a go," he said.
Taylor shook her head, yawning even as she did so. "No, it's okay, I got it—" yawn "—I got it."
"You sure?" he said, and Taylor went to nod, but yawned again before she could do so, eyes watering. "Actually," she whispered. "I think I'll take you up on that." She handed Caroline off before settling down on the couch to fold and put away the latest round of baby laundry.
"Hey you," Joe whispered. "You need to give your momma a break. How's she gonna sleep with you screaming? That's right!" he cooed. "How's she gonnna sleep with all this noise?"
After he'd managed to get Caroline to calm down and drift off, holding her against his chest, he was aware of just how quiet the house was, save for Caroline's and—he turned to find Taylor asleep on the loveseat in Caroline's room, curled up and completely asleep. He settled Caroline into her bassinet and said a silent prayer, backing away to scoop Taylor up into his arms, bridal style.
"Mmhh?" she muttered against his shoulder.
"Shhh, she's finally asleep," Joe whispered, kissing her forehead and tucking her into bed.
—-
Caroline did eventually settle into some semblance of a routine, much to Taylor and Joe's relief, and soon the nights of being awake every other hour were a thing of the past.
At some point in the evening, as Taylor stood in the shower, letting Joe scrub her back, that he dropped a question at random. "Do you think you'll want another one?"
"Another what?" she turned to face him, narrowly avoiding the stream of water from the shower head.
"Another kid," he said, kissing her.
"Yes," Taylor said, without a moment's hesitation. "I know it seems like I was really anxious about Caroline—well, not seemed, I was anxious but she's here now and the rhythm is getting there. I think I'd like to do it again."
"You were screaming so loudly," he chuckled, and she gave him a playful smirk.
"You push something the size of a football out of your nether regions and try not screaming about it."
She had him there, and he knew that, so he opted to return to washing her body, leaving worshipful kisses everywhere, rinsing the lather out of her hair and stepping out before her so he could hold her towel.
"Boy or girl?" she asked, drying her hair off with a second towel.
"Whatever we get, love, as long as I have you as well," he said, passing her the lotion. "Did you expect Caroline to be a girl?"
She frowned for a moment. "Yeah, I guess. I didn't really think about it though."
He kissed her. "Bet you weren't thinking about this."
Kisses turned to making out, Joe hoisting Taylor onto the counter, her legs wrapping around him on instinct and locking at the small of his back. It was messy, teeth and tongues and hands grasping at each other's bodies. Whimpers were turning into moans, and right as he was about to enter her—
Caroline wailed from the other room.
"The ultimate cock block," Joe muttered, and the two broke into peals of laughter.
