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Jasmine pulled the covers up over her shoulders, her body sighing with relief as it sank into the mattress. The night felt unusually quiet, the absence of Amara's cries a sharp reminder that her newborn was tucked safely away with Janae for the night. It was the first time in weeks she had gone to bed without Amara in the bassinet beside her. She was grateful for the break but also felt a hollow ache in her chest, one that pulsed just beneath her ribs as she listened to the silence.
She closed her eyes and tried to steady her breathing, but she knew Aubrey was still awake. His voice drifted faintly from the nursery down the hall, soft and sing-song, the way he always spoke when he was winding Aaliyah down. Jasmine smiled into the pillow, her eyelids heavy, comforted by the sound.
A few minutes later, she heard the floor creak outside their bedroom door. Aubrey slipped in quietly, his tall frame moving with surprising gentleness as he shut the door behind him. He stripped his shirt off, tossing it onto the chair in the corner before crawling into bed. The mattress dipped beneath his weight and Jasmine automatically rolled toward him.
"Hey," he murmured, his voice low and warm.
"Hey," she whispered back.
He reached out, pulling her against his chest. She melted into him, pressing her face into the crook of his neck as his lips brushed the top of her head. His arm draped around her waist, holding her close, grounding her.
"How you doing, baby?" he asked softly.
Jasmine sighed, her fingers absentmindedly tracing the tattoos on his arm. "I'm good."
It was the truth, even if good felt complicated these days. Two under two was no joke. She had spent weeks trying to get Amara to latch, every attempt leaving her frustrated and in tears until finally she accepted that it was not going to happen. Bottle feeding had become their rhythm. Jas pumped as much as she could, but it never felt like enough, so formula filled the gaps. It was not the picture-perfect version she had once imagined, but it worked. And in some strange way, she was proud of them for finding their balance.
"Feels like we're finally figuring it out," she added, her voice muffled against his chest.
Aubrey smiled, kissing her hair again. "We always figure it out."
She tilted her head up to look at him, his eyes half-lidded with sleep but still studying her carefully. That was one of the things about him, he always looked at her like he was checking her heartbeat through her eyes, like he could see through whatever mask she tried to put on.
"Let's go out to dinner tomorrow night," he said suddenly, his voice a little brighter than before. "Like we did when Aaliyah was a newborn."
Jasmine stiffened. "No."
The word slipped out sharper than she intended. She saw his brows pull together, the hint of confusion flickering across his face.
