Personal Chef

Chapter 96

I'd just finished my first week of full-time work. The adjustment was hard, but I was doing my best to stay positive. Millions of women worked full-time, so whining about it was ridiculous. I only had to pump twice a day, which was a relief. Cady was eating solids now, so the two bottles I brought home were plenty. Thankfully, she was always awake when I walked through the door, and I could spend an hour snuggling and playing with her before dinner.

"I'm home," I called out as I walked through the condo door.

Shawn greeted me dressed in his work-out clothes. I was working with a personal trainer three mornings a week and on those days, he hit the gym when I got home.

I'd lost weight. It had only been a month, but between the exercise and cutting back on sweets at the bistro, I was down ten pounds. I had more to lose, but it was a start. My goal was to be back in all my pre-maternity clothing by the time the weather got warm.

"I'm late to meet Josh for my training session. Cady is in the living room. Bye," he said as he rushed out the door.

No kiss?

I went into the living room and found my baby sitting up playing with her nesting cups.

"How's mama's sweet girl?" I asked as I sat down in front of her.

She smiled and reached her chubby arms out to me. I scooped her into lap and gave her a hundred kisses. At least someone was happy to see me.

Cadence Roux was a beautiful baby. She had brownish-red hair that covered her head in fine curls. Her eyes had transformed to the same honey brown color as her daddy's. Not only was she cute, she was also smart. Every parent probably thinks that about their baby, but she was ahead on all her milestones. She'd starting sitting last week, and when she was on her tummy, she'd started doing a pre-crawling motion. More than the physical things, Cady had such a brightness in her eyes and seemed to listen to us from the start. She absolutely loved being talked to and would respond with funny noises, as if she were talking. When Shawn played guitar or sang to her, she'd rock and bounce to the music. She was an absolute delight to have in our lives.

I nursed my daughter and then played with her for about an hour. After that, I put her in her high chair so that she could watch me cook.

Tonight I was making taco salad with ground turkey instead of beef. It was easy and healthy for me since I only added a little bit of Doritos to my bowl. Shawn's had more chips but no tomatoes. I got everything prepped and would assemble our salads after he got home. While I waited, I fed Cady some rice cereal mixed with squash.

Shawn walked in at his usual time.

"I'm going to take a quick shower," he said. "Dinner smells good. I'm starving after leg day."

He kissed Cady on the head as he walked past her.

I got our bowls of salad ready and put them on the table with our drinks. I wheeled the baby over so that she'd sit with us while we ate. Life was definitely easier now that we didn't have to hold her during dinner time. Shawn joined us at the table dressed in pajamas, his hair damp and tousled and his cheeks pink after a hot shower. He was truly beautiful.

"How was work?" he asked after eating several bites.

"It was okay. The day seems much longer than it used to before we had a baby."

"You know my thoughts on that," he said without looking at me.

Shawn didn't think I should be working full-time and had made that clear on several occasions. Part of it was that it took away from his time to write music since I wasn't home to relieve him midday anymore. His year off from his career did not include time off from creating, which I understood and supported.