I looked down at my poor guy and sighed, utterly exhausted. "Okay. I'll let you take a shift. But if he cries and you can't get him to stop fairly quickly, you come to wake me up. Promise?"
Alexander saluted me. "On my honor, ma'am."
After carefully nestling him into the arms of the man I was falling more deeply in love with every day, I went to my room and crashed.
I was jolted awake by a loud wailing noise, and it took me a moment to remember where I was.
"Shit," I muttered as I scrambled out of bed and ran for Alex's room.
When I got there, Roan was pacing the floor with a crying Alex in his arms.
"I tried everything," he said pleadingly. "Alexander just left, and I think the baby must hate me."
I took Alex from him and rocked him gently. "It's okay, Roan. He doesn't hate you. He's just hungry. He eats more and faster than any other baby. I didn't tell Alexander, so he couldn't have passed the information on to you."
I sat in the rocking chair and fed Alex while Roan hovered nearby. When he finished, I burped him, and he started fussing again.
"Why does he keep crying?" Roan asked. "I thought you said he was full."
"He is," I said. "But sometimes babies just get fussy." I was totally talking out of my butt. I had no idea what babies did.
Little Alexander let out an enormous poot. It sounded wet and was possibly one of the most disgusting sounds I'd ever heard, quickly followed by one of the most disgusting smells I'd ever smelled.
"On-the-job training," I said brightly, standing and putting Alex in Roan's arms. "Time for a diaper change."
Hey, he'd offered to help. I wasn't going to turn down the offer now.
"I can do that," he said, looking a little green around the gills.
"I know you can," I said encouragingly. "You're a natural."
He smiled down at the baby. "Here goes nothing." With trembling hands, Roan changed the stinky diaper. "This is so gross," he whispered. As he carefully wiped away all traces of the mess, he couldn't help but smile at the sleeping baby on the changing table.
He was so tiny and helpless, yet somehow he had already captured Roan's heart. What magic babies were.
"You're good," I said. "I'm going to take a shower and eat something." I paused for a moment. "Not in that order."
By the time I finished leftover pizza and a small salad for good measure, Alex was sound asleep in his crib with Roan curled up on the full-sized bed. It had already been in the room before I started converting it to a nursery, and I'd had them leave it, for this very reason. Sometimes we might want to sleep nearby.
Cheers to me for thinking ahead.
I took the opportunity to have along,hot shower. I washed my hair, shaved my legs, and even took the time to put on a little bit of makeup. I pulled on a pair of clean jeans and a cute top, and actually felt human again.
"Why are you all dressed up?" Roan asked when I walked into the room. He was sprawled on the bed, watching TV. The baby was still fast asleep in his crib with Doryu sitting in the rocking chair, staring at him.
"I felt like it," I said with a shrug. "Wanted to feel human. Where's Alexander?"
"He said we should try to start calling him Zander more. Alexander can be reserved for formal occasions," Roan said. "I agree. It'll get confusing having Alex and Alexander."
I shrugged. "Okay. Where's Zander?"
"He's putting together a core council meeting. He wants us all there, so you need to approve one of the women from the village to nanny for Little Alex."
Roan turned off the TV and grinned at me. "Zander was going to choose himself, but he's an idiot sometimes. I warned him to let you have final approval."
Chuckling, I winked at Roan. "You are a smart man."
"Their dossiers," Doryu said, holding out a folder. He barely glanced away from baby Alex. "He sleeps a lot."
