Over the next few minutes, Kiara showed Julian how to unwrap the little boy, then unfasten his sleeper.
“The nurse said to keep him covered as much as you can, or you might end up with him peeing all over you.”
Julian chuckled. “I’d rather that didn’t happen.”
She walked him through cleaning the baby, then putting the new diaper on him. Julian fastened the sleeper, not hesitating at all to do everything Kiara had shown him.
Through it all, TJ fussed, but Julian didn’t seem to be stressed by it.
“Do you need to use the bathroom or anything?” he asked.
“Yes, I’ll be right back.”
When she returned a couple of minutes later, Julian was standing with the baby in his arms, gently swaying. TJ had settled a little but was still fussing. Soft music played from the Bluetooth system, and Julian had turned on the gas fireplace that was opposite the large bed.
Kiara sat down in the rocker she’d chosen that had wide arms and was comfortable. It was the same as the one in the nursery. She’d gotten two of them, knowing she’d probably start off nursing in the bedroom since the baby wouldn’t be sleeping in the nursery right away.
Julian bent to put the baby in her arms, then stepped back. “Do you need anything? Water? Food?”
She glanced over and saw that she’d forgotten to bring her water bottle into the bedroom earlier. “I could use some water. I think my water bottle is in the kitchen.”
Julian left the room, and Kiara focused on getting the baby latched on. As he settled into nursing, Kiara let out a sigh and rested her head back. She had to admit it was nice to have Julian there helping her. And the ambiance he’d set with the music and the fireplace was soothing, enabling her to relax as TJ nursed.
After Julian returned with her water bottle, he settled on the bed, his back against the headboard and his phone in hand.
Midway through the feed, she maneuvered TJ into a position to burp him. She gave a small cheer, and Julian chuckled when the baby let out a burp that seemed too big for his small body.
Despite being exhausted, Kiara felt a sense of contentment. With Julian there, it felt like they were truly a family. She didn’t feel like she was alone in dealing with their new baby. It was more than she could ever have hoped for.
Over the next two weeks, Julian proved that that first night wasn’t an anomaly. Each night at bedtime, he’d join Kiara in her bedroom, and he’d keep an eye on the baby while she prepared for bed. He’d stepped up and taken an active role in caring for TJ.
During the day, Julian encouraged Kiara to nap at least once. He had food delivered from the main house, so she never had to cook a meal for them.
All in all, it meant that she didn’t have to do anything but care for TJ. She was able to just enjoy being a new mom, and she was very grateful for that since she knew that wasn’t the case for all new mothers.
And for those two weeks, Kiara put the thought that divorce was imminent now that TJ was born, out of her mind. The paternity test had proven that Julian was TJ’s father. She’d known that would be the result. But with legalities such as the divorce looming, she wanted to make sure that it was official who TJ’s father was.
Kiara knew she should broach the subject with Julian, just so she’d know when the divorce was coming, but she couldn’t do it. She found it much easier to imagine that Julian had decided that he wanted to stay married so that they could raise their son together, the way they’d cared for him together over the past two weeks.
Living in delusion might not be the best choice, but Kiara found that it was easier to keep her emotions under control if she imagined that Julian was there for her as much as he was for TJ.
Each time she settled with TJ in her arms to feed him, she prayed that that would be the outcome. Unfortunately, her faith struggled to be strong enough to believe it was actually possible.
CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
Julian pulled the UTV to a stop by the back door of the main house. He got out and went around to open Kiara’s door. After helping her out, he opened the rear door to unlatch TJ’s car seat.
Kiara held the door leading into the mudroom for him, allowing Julian to carry the car seat into the warmth of the house. Right away, they could smell the turkey that was on the menu for their Thanksgiving dinner.
“Where’s my grandson?” Duncan asked as he came into the mudroom.
Julian set the car seat down on one of the benches and carefully unbuckled him. He’d gotten more adept at handling the baby, but he still always erred on the side of caution.
“Here you go,” Julian said as he lifted TJ and turned toward his dad who eagerly took and cradled the baby in his arms.
“Hello there,” Duncan cooed in a way that made everyone present grin.
“You don’t get to hog him, Dad,” Annie announced from the doorway. “We all get a turn.”
