Three Years Later
A loud cry came from the nurse’s arms. The plump woman smiled sweetly and said “Congratulations Mr. and Mrs. Thorne.” A chill ran up my spine. Three years after we were married and I still got excited over the fact that I was now Mrs. Caitlin Thorne. “It’s a boy,” the nurse finished, handing me a tight blue bundle.
I felt tears prick my eyelids as I took the baby into my arms. “A boy,” I whispered in disbelief. “A boy,” I repeated a little louder. I giggled despite myself. “A boy Max!” I half shouted. “Just like I said I wanted!” I laughed a little more and kissed the baby on his little nose. He let out another cry and I laughed again as tears of joy left trails on my sweaty cheeks.
Max pushed himself of the wall he was leaning on and knelt down next to the hospital bed. “Hey buddy,” he said quietly, reaching out to stroke our son’s face. I could hear the shake in his voice. “I’m your daddy.” I glanced over at him, smiling, and I was floored at his expression. He had a faint smile playing on his lips, like he couldn’t believe that he was a father now. His eyes were threatening to spill over and were filled with love and awe. I realized I hadn’t seen him with that look since our wedding day.
“Max,” I said quietly. “We’re parents now.” I grinned and Max looked away from the boy to look at me. “Yes we are,” he said happily. He stood up, caressing the side of my face gently so as to pull it to him. He planted a kiss on the top of my head. He let his lips rest there for a moment, and I shut my eyes and tried my best to document everything that I felt at this exact moment.
“I’m so proud of you, baby,” he murmured. I felt his lips move against my hair. “You did so good.”
I titled my head up, forcing his lips off me. “Thank you, but I couldn’t have done it without you,” I replied earnestly. That was completely true. Max had kept me as calm as someone can be while giving birth, talking me through the whole thing.
After a few minutes of staring in awed silence at our child Max asked, “Can I hold him?”
I grinned. “Of course.” I carefully passed the baby into Max’s arms. The boy stirred and started to cry, but Max got him to calm down and go back to sleep. That was Max, the peacemaker.
I didn’t mean to, but I fell asleep a few minutes later. When I woke up about a half hour later, I saw Max sitting in one of the visitor’s chairs. He was singing softly, rocking the baby.
I didn’t say anything and was able to watch the two of them for a few minutes. The baby was awake now. I could see his little tiny hands reaching out for his dad, and Max obliged, taking one of the baby’s hands in his own.
That child is the luckiest one in the world I thought to myself. There was never any doubt in my mind that Max would make a good dad, but this was the icing on the cake. Max wouldn’t just be a good dad; he’d be the best dad.
“Hey,” I said quietly. Max’s head snapped up to look at me and he smiled. “Hey. Do you want to see him?”
I shook my head. “I like watching you. What were you singing?”
