Meeting Artemis

Chapter 3 ~ Meeting Artemis

Once Nick settled next to Artemis, she began wailing. I bit my lip to keep myself from laughing as I noticed Nick's figure stiffen. I could tell he was nervous because he was never seen with babies unless it was family, but this was his own baby this time; he was terrified to ruin the moment.

Releasing a brief giggle, I walked over to them and sat on the opposite side of her. Placing her in my lap, I laid her on my chest, and rubbed her back in small circles, while patting her tiny bum. It always soothed her down when she is upset. As I rubbed, I glanced over to Nicholai, and watched as he admired Artemis in my arms, as if he was remembering a time far from here. His lips were lifted into a soft smile and his chin was resting in the palm of his hand. It made me smile just watching him stare at our child with so much love in his eyes already.

I look to see Artemis still awake, and an idea immediately comes to mind. "Do you want to hold her?" My question seemed to break Nick out of his imagination as he swiftly shifted his gaze to me.

"Are you sure? I mean I don't want to frighten her." I found this side of him rather cute. A multibillionaire nervous of hurting a child; who would have thought?

"Don't be silly Nick, and as long as I'm around she shouldn't panic." I tried to reassure him as I placed her in his awaiting arms. He wrapped his arms behind her back and they just stared. It was as if I was watching twins meet each other for the first time; which it technically was. Artemis's soft round eyes were identical to her father's more stern gaze.

Then he did the most unexpected.

He began making silly faces that had Artemis shaking from laughter. My heart soared at the sight and I just had to capture this moment. Therefore I took out my phone and took several shots of them as they were too busy laughing to notice. I knew this was a moment to remember since this was Nick's first time meeting Artemis; meeting his first child.

As I was about to make my presence known again, my phone began to ring. I went to step out so I would not interrupt their moment but it was already too late.

"Mommy," I turned to see her wiggling herself out of her fathers arms and walked her tiny self over to me. She clutched onto my left leg and lifted one arm up, indicating that she wanted me to pick her up. So I did.

"Baby I need you to stay with-," I glanced over to Nick to see him twiddling his thumbs while staring out of the windows. I knew he was waiting for me to finish, to hear what I was going to address him as. "-daddy."

Nick faced me with astonishment. I knew it was time for her to have her father in her life. I deprived her of him for two years and I'm glad it was not more.

"Daddy...," she looked over to her father and then back at me. I wanted to know what she was thinking as she began to slide down my figure; my little monkey. Once she reached the floor, she paddles herself over to Nick, who was waiting for her with caution. Then she reached him and surprised us both.

"Daddy," she said as she lifted both of her arms up silently asking him to pick her up. I was left speechless. Tears pricked my eyes as I watched Nick pick our child up, with his own tears strolling down his cheeks. Something must have altered in him, because he then stood and paced his way to me, with Artemis still in is arms as he head rested on his shoulder.

My eyebrows furrowed when he stopped in front of me and a massive grin appeared from his lips. Then he engulfed me in an abrupt hug, stealing my breath away from me. Pulling me from astonishment was the tears that I was beginning to feel on my shoulder. A lone tear escaped from me as I processed all the emotions I was feeling at once.

Bewilderment. Relief. Admiration. Guilt.

Love.

No. It couldn't be love. I am just seeing him after two years of no communication. My emotions are all over the place. Maybe seeing Artemis meet her father had something to do with that. I knew things were going to change after this, and I might not be ready but I am going to have to be. I know being separate parents is difficult, and there are going to be an abundance of complications along with misunderstandings, but it's all worth it, if my little girl gets to have both of her parents in her life.