Tobias wrung out his hands in front of him, as one does to a freshly washed piece of linen. He had been sweating bullets.
“May I… may I hold her?” he croaked, taking a hesitant step forward.
Harriet’s grip on Cathy tightened instinctively, her gaze flicking to Simon for reassurance. Simon gave her a small nod, silently urging her to trust him.
With clear reluctance, Harriet stepped forward and gently passed Cathy to Tobias, her movements careful and deliberate. She didn’t take her eyes off them for a second, her worry and protectiveness etched into every line of her face.
Then, Tobias finally took Catherine in his arms, his movements awkward and uncertain.
“Careful!” Harriet leapt toward him when it seemed like he would drop her for a moment but he regained his balanced quickly.
Catherine, unfazed by her new position, simply looked up at him with her bright eyes, her tiny hands reaching for his face.
Tobias’s expression softened, and for a brief moment, Simon saw something in his brother’s eyes that he hadn’t seen in years — genuine emotion.
Tobias stared down at the baby in his arms, mesmerized by her innocence and her pure joy. Catherine giggled and grabbed a lock of his hair, tugging on it with surprising strength for someone so small.
“Ow,” Tobias muttered, though there was no real pain in his voice. He glanced at Simon, a hint of a smile tugging at his lips. “She’s stronger than she looks.”
Simon found himself smiling back, though the feeling was bittersweet. “She is,” he agreed, his voice quiet. He watched as Tobias struggled to hold Cathy properly, his movements awkward and clumsy.
Without thinking, Simon stepped forward and adjusted Tobias’s grip, showing him how to support Cathy’s head and body.
“Here, like this,” he instructed, his tone almost fatherly. “You need to hold her more securely.”
As Simon guided Tobias’s hands, he couldn’t help but think back to when he had first held Catherine.
He had been just as uncertain, just as clumsy. But Harriet had been there to show him, to scold him even.
Funny how he was the one doing it for his brother now.
Harriet watched the interaction unfold with a mix of emotions swirling inside of her.
When Tobias has first walked into the room, Harriet’s first reaction had been that of horror. How else was she supposed to react to a father who had abandoned his child?
But then, it developed into a curiosity. She could not take her eyes off Simon and Tobias interacting with Catherine — the two men who, in different ways, were responsible for this child’s existence.
Simon’s gentle scolding of Tobias, the way he helped him hold Cathy properly, only made her heart ache more.
Simon would make a good father.
The thought came unbidden, and took Harriet by surprise. She had never thought of him in that way before, but now, it was as though the thought threatened to consume her.
It brought with it a rush of feelings that Harriet wasn’t sure she could handle.
She had never been one to dream of having a family, of being a mother. But now, with Catherine in her life, she couldn’t imagine a future without the little girl — and withoutSimon.
“There,” Simon said to his brother, both of them too busy with Catherine to notice the storm of emotion that was brewing inside Harriet, “I think you are getting the hang of it slowly.”
Harriet could not look away, and she could not ignore the cinching feeling in her chest. The yearning.
What if Tobias takes Catherine away?
She had always prided herself on her independence, on not needing anyone else to complete her life. But now, the thought of losing Catherine filled her with a deep, aching grief.
At the thought, tears began to well in her eyes and a lump formed in her throat.
Unable to bear it any longer, Harriet turned away, murmuring, “Excuse me,” before quickly leaving the room.
