The Fall - Book 2

250. 'Happy-flappies'?

OCTOBER 31, 2020 — THE BARNES HOUSE — BUCKY

I wake to the sound of Réa's quiet singing. Opening my eyes, I see her standing by the floor-to-ceiling window, gazing at Conall as she sings.

"Rains will pour down
Waves will crash around
But you will be safe in my arms
Castles they might crumble
And dreams may not come true
But you are never all alone
Because I will always
Always love you"

As I watch my wife holding our son close and listen to her singing to him with so much love and adoration in her voice, emotions swell within me, vibrant and incandescent.

'Thank you,' I silently offer up to the Divine, the words somehow both everything and not enough.

I know that I've done the work to make this life mine; to be able to even have this life. I know that. And the fact remains that, while it's my life, it's not just me who's created it. I have this wonderful, amazing, incredible life because of Réa...because of her willingness to choose me, in every single moment.

I slip from the bed, crossing the room and wrapping my arms around my wife's waist, my chest against her back and my chin resting on her shoulder. I brush a kiss over her cheek, and she turns her head and mirrors my gesture before returning her gaze to Conall. I look down at our son, taking in his ocean blue eyes...eyes that shine with an intelligence that, honestly, isn't too surprising, given that he's part Réa.

"Good morning, наша Маленькая Твинкл," I say, lightly stroking his cheek with the back of my right index finger. "And good morning, моя замечательная, великолепная жена," I whisper as I press another kiss to Réa's cheek.     (our Little Twinkle ... my remarkable, magnificent wife)

"Good morning," she replies, her head leaning against mine.

Our little trio stands together, watching the sunrise, and as Conall drifts off, I realise that I must have slept through his last feeding.

"Réa," I begin, but she quickly shakes her head.

"It's fine, Bucky. Really." She turns from the window, crossing the room and placing Conall into his bassinet, smiling softly at our son before returning her gaze to me. "I know you want to help; I know you want to make sure you're being a good partner, and a good father. I'm so very thankful for and appreciative of that; I truly am. And I know that, in order for you to, as you say, 'bring your A-game', you need to allow yourself to rest."

Before I can even open my mouth to say that she needs to rest, too, she continues. "Like I said during my introduction in Wakanda, and as I've been reminding you, while six to eight hours is best—and what I prefer—I can function with two hours of sleep. Plus, I fully intend to follow that 'sleep when the baby sleeps' advice."

She pauses, her eyes on mine, holding my gaze. "Also, he didn't want to eat. So all I did was change him, and hold him." A little grin tugs at the corners of her mouth. "That's the neat thing about being able to have a link with him...it's easy to figure out what he needs."

Her grin slowly fades, replaced with a gentle expression, full of understanding. "If your determination to wake up every single time Conall does isn't just about helping me...if it's about you wanting to spend time with our son...then I will always wake you up, and I apologise for not doing so this time."

'But I think there's more to it.'

Her unspoken words hang in the air; even without our link open, I can practically hear them in my mind.