Beloved: A Henry Dawncraft Novel |boyxboy| Sequel to Lover for Pay

XIX - Difficult

Henry was busy cradling his infant son in his arms. He was in the living room with Dimitri at the moment, his videogame paused on the television as he tried to get the baby boy back to sleep. His husband was currently asleep in bed, having been the one up and down majority of the night whenever their son needed anything at all, so Daniel was a little more exhausted than his better half. For the time being, Henry had taken on full responsibility so his husband could get at least some sleep during the day.

As Henry swayed back and forth with his son against his bare chest, he watched the tiny boy's sleeping face, and thought it was insane just how much he could love someone more than absolutely anything in the entire world. In just a second, the moment Dimitri was brought into the world, he'd become both Henry and Daniel's purpose, and they couldn't be happier with the new addition to their home.

When it seemed Dimitri was in deep sleep now, Henry went ahead and laid back on the recliner he'd been seated in, allowing his son to continue sleeping on his chest while he lounged back and grabbed the controller to the gaming system. For several minutes, he remained unmoved while half his attention was on his son and the other half on the television screen. After an hour went by with nothing but the sound of mythical monsters and sword fighting filling the living room, Daniel appeared from the back hall with his cellphone in hand.

When the brunette looked up at his family, he covered his mouth before he could laugh too loud, a part of him forgetting for a moment that Dimitri wouldn't have been disturbed by any noise. Daniel had been talking on the phone with his mother for a while about her grandson, getting whatever advice he could from her about little mothering tactics to use when taking care of a newborn. He was still really tired from his long night of getting up from bed multiple times, but he didn't want to spend all day in bed either. With his cellphone in hand, he got a little closer before taking a picture. "New lockscreen wallpaper," he said, and then he took a seat on the end of the sofa closest to the recliner. "Are you hungry, Papa Bear?" he asked then, "Should I order us some food, or do you want me to cook?"

"Hmm," Henry thought, cursing under his breath when his in-game character was killed by an ice dragon. "I think I'm in the mood for some ramen."

"Ramen, it is, then," Daniel yawned, "Do we need anything from the store?"

"Yes, actually," Henry turned off the gaming console from the controller in his hand. When he set it aside, he gently held baby Dimitri against him before sitting up. "I was planning on going to get some groceries for us after you woke up, and if you don't mind, I also wanted to stop by London's and ask him about how his little reunion with Travis went."

"Why would I mind?" Daniel said with a subtle laugh, watching as Henry laid their son down on the sofa to bundle him in his blanket. When Dimitri was then set on his pillow, Daniel neared his husband to receive his morning kisses before heading into the kitchen.

After eating the steamy ramen prepared for him, Henry tried not to disturb his son and kissed him before offering one to his husband.

Deciding to talk to London about the interaction first, Henry started the Rover before driving off. A part of him still couldn't believe that Travis was out of prison. Of course, since the man hadn't been sentenced to death, it was only a matter of time until he was finally released, but Henry thought he had more time before that day came. Previously, Travis had been given fifteen years for nearly beating a man to death with his bare hands, but he must've proven himself worthy of early release.

When he arrived to London's house, he stalled the car in the drive and headed up to the door. After ringing the doorbell, it was answered by Dorian who was dressed in just a pair of black sweatpants, and his hair was a little damp as if he'd only recently gotten out of a shower. "Hey," Henry said, entering the house when his half-brother moved aside. "I'll admit I'm curious. How did the meeting with TJ go?"