It All Started With A Baby

9

Blake woke up to a blaring alarm at four in the morning. One of Caiden's arms that were wrapped around her released her to pick up the phone and silence the alarm. Then he placed his arm back around her.

"Sorry about that, darlin," he said. His voice was husky with morning sleepiness and Blake shivered at the sound of it.

"Don't be sorry," she said back. Her eyes were still closed.

Caiden brought his lips to the shell of her ear and kissed it as his thumb ran across her cheek. "How did you sleep?"

"Very good," she answered. "You?"

"Very good." Blake smiled and moved her neck to kiss his arm.

Caiden unwrapped her arms from her and stood up from the bed. "I have to go take care of the animals before I leave," he said. He flicked a small lamp on, dimly lighting the room. "Do you want any help?" She asked.

Caiden shook his head while stretching his body, the dim light amplified the muscular crevices of his abdomen. "No, you go back to sleep, sweetheart. The baby monitor is right there," he pointed to a small white monitor on the bedside table beside her. "You can just go back to sleep until he wakes you up."

"Are you sure?" She asked.

He walked around the bed and bent at his waist, pressing his lips against her's. "Yes, go back to sleep."

Blake nodded her head and pulled the covers tighter around her. She heard Caiden walk into the bathroom and then her body fell back into sleep. She woke up about two hours later when she heard Wesley's cries over the baby monitor.

Getting out of the bed, she walked to Wesley's room to see him laying on his back, wailing into the air. His hands were clenched into little fists and his feet kicked around. Blake reached into the crib and picked him up, holding him against her chest. "I know baby, you're just hungry I bet," she said, running her hand down his back soothingly.

He cried and cried until Blake warmed a bottle up for him and popped it in his mouth. Immediately his tears stopped flowing and he drank his bottle happily.

"Yeah, isn't that better?"

Once Wesley finished his bottle, his eyes scanned the room like he was looking for his daddy. "Nope, he's not here Wes. I wish he was, too," she said. Blake flipped the TV on and watched reruns of her favorite childhood cartoons while she held Wesley in her arms.

A little while later, Blake heard a knock at the front door. Her anxiety spiked as she was out in literally the middle of nowhere. Her mind raced; she thought of all of the things that could happen to her or Wesley with no one around to help them. She timidly walked toward the door and stood on her tiptoes, jumping slightly, to peek through the glass panes at the top of the door. She saw a man and woman standing on the porch and they looked familiar, especially the man.

She decided they didn't look suspicious and opened the door. "Hi," she greeted. "Can I help you?"

"Oh hello!" The woman said. "You must be Blake! We are Caiden's parents," she said.

"Oh!" The tension in Blake's body dissipated. "I thought you looked sort of familiar," she said.

"Well yes, especially Noah here. He and Caiden sure do look alike!"

Blake nodded in confirmation. "Would you like to come in?" She asked, holding the door open.

"Well, we don't mind if we do," Noah said.

Blake shut the door behind them and turned around to face his parents. "Hi, Blake. I'm Noah," the man said, offering a formal introduction. He extended his hand and Blake grasped it in her own.