“The cat,” he groaned as he grabbed the pillow by her side and laid it over her lap. She stared in silence as he placed the baby down on the pillow. Her son’s eyes were blinking up at her, his sweet face already turning to find her milk.
“I’m sorry. I don’t think I heard that right.” Jessie lowered one side of her nightgown and Bee promptly latched on to nurse. A hiss filled the air as his powerful suckle stole her breath. How hadno onewarned her breastfeeding would feel this way? A rumble of a contraction lingered low in her belly.
“You okay?”
Jessie opened her eyes and saw the concern etched on his tired face.
“I’d be better if you would tell me more about this cat situation.”
He looked down at Bee, smiling. “She and I came to an agreement.”
“The cat and you?—”
“I would get to practice my swaddling and rocking skills, and she would get some treats.”
“Hawk! She’s gained nearly five pounds since being with us! You’re going to get her in trouble!”
He chuckled. “She was scrawny to begin with. Now she looks happy. And it helped us bond.”
“I guess I can’t be too mad at that.”
As if on cue, a scratch and soft ‘meow’ came from the other side of their closed bedroom door.
“She probably wants a snack now, too. I’ll just go check that her water isn’t empty.” He picked up Jessie’s water bottle from the side of the bed, and suddenly her throat was as dry as the desert. “Drink the last of this and I’ll get you a refill while I’m down there.”
Jessie drank down the water greedily. “Thank you.”
“Don’t get out of bed until I’m back up here. Five minutes, okay?”
“Okay.”
“Alright, alright, I hear you. I know I fed you dinner, so don’t even try to get anything else from me. We’re friends, but I’m not going to stress your mom out by overfeeding you.”
Hawk had never been so exhausted, or so full of happiness, in his whole life. In a way, although the hours ticked by and they were heading into a new day, he never wanted that day to end. The day his son,his son,came into the world. Fuck. He ran his hand over his face. Hawk had never been one for tears, but Jessie’s strength, her determination and the raw power he saw pouring out of her during Bee’s birth, he just couldn’t hold back his emotions when he thought about it. Which apparently was going to be every minute of every day, becauseeach time he looked at the baby, or at Jess, or his own hands that had cut the umbilical cord that connected the two of them and made the baby his own independent little bumblebee, his eyes welled with tears.
Marla wound herself through his feet and then skittered down the stairs, her paws clomping louder than Hawk had thought was possible. He chuckled, the water bottle in one hand as he made his way to the kitchen.
His first stop was the fridge, where he filled Jessie’s water back up from the filtered jug. She had been drinking like crazy, which was great. Not a touch of nausea since she was in labor, and that was exactly the outcome the both of them had hoped for the entire pregnancy.
A bowl of fruit salad caught his eye. He pulled the dish out, setting it on the counter top and grabbing the note left on the top.
Congratulations on the safe arrival of your sweet baby BOY! We all cannot wait to meet him, but take your time resting up and settling into your new family of three! Hawk, send all the pictures, and make sure if Jessie needs anything, she knows we’re all here for her!
We love you both so much!
Lily, Sloane, Lacy, Mae and Emma… (Oh, and the guys too!)
PS… I left a few casseroles in the freezer and will be happy to drop off more once you eat through those! I know you’ll have Dolly feeding you well, too, but I can’t help myself. Give that baby some extra special cuddles from me - Lily.
Hawk smiled. And then he felt the deep, raw, unsettled emotions he’d been shoving down since he realized Jessie was in labor started to bubble up. A shaky breath fell out of hislungs as he twisted off the top to Jessie’s water bottle and began filling it from the ice cold jug in the fridge.
Once he had that taken care of, he ladled a large scoop of the salad into a wooden bowl. As soon as the salad was back in the fridge, Hawk heard the floor creak behind him. Before he could turn, everything went black.
Forty
“Ican’t believe you are real,” Jessie whispered as she ran her fingers over the baby’s head. He was so warm and squishy and had the most angelic features. His light hair was all Hawk, but Jessie thought she could see her lip shape in his. Gosh, she could nibble right on his perfectly round cheeks. Being a mom was already so crazy.
She sighed, her eyelids growing heavy. Hawk should have been back by now. What could be the holdup?
