I’ve come to learn it’s the little things that matter. I always used to give Marcus grief over him wanting to spend so much time with Harper and his kids, but now I understand it. I crave it more than anything. More than hockey even.
These low-key days with Stevie and Caleb are everything.
“You are quiet,” Stevie tells me as I pull into the driveway and shut the engine off.
“Just thinking.”
“Yeah? What about?”
Unbuckling herself, she pauses as I lean across the console. Sunglasses hide her eyes. There’s an easy smile on her lips.
“You. Caleb. Today.”
“And?”
“I’m happy.”
She gives me a quick peck on the lips. “I am too.”
My heart swells at hearing that.
How did I get so lucky to find someone like Stevie? That our lives managed to combust at the exact same time and we crossed paths?
Getting out of the truck, I start to unload the bags from the back. Caleb is snoring softly. “If you want to put him to sleep in my room, we can unpack everything in his.”
Stevie nods, unhooking the car seat and carrying him inside.
I whistle as I head straight to Caleb’s room to start pulling everything out of bags. Half of the clothes in the closet go into tubs to be returned to Marcus and Harper. The others that he grew out of, I’ll donate.
The room aired out nicely after I had it painted a light blue. With new furniture delivered, I’m ready to make this room his.
“We really did some damage today, didn’t we?” Stevie asks, wrapping her arms around me.
“Did he go down okay?”
Pressing onto her toes, she kisses my cheek. “Didn’t make a peep.”
She grabs a bag and starts taking the hangers off and tossing the clothes into the laundry basket. Something else I learned. You always have to wash new baby things.
Who knew?
“Where do you want the pictures?”
Moving on from the clothes, Stevie holds up the new prints.
“Above the crib.”
We work together like we’ve been doing this our whole lives. I hang the new art while she arranges the books and blankets we bought.
Before I know it, cries can be heard from my room.
“I’ll go get him,” Stevie tells me.
“Thanks. I’ll do one last sweep to make sure everything is cleaned up.”
I don’t want any stray things going into his mouth.
I lean against the wall and slide down to the floor, surveying our hard work as Stevie walks in and takes a seat next to me. Caleb is still waking up from his nap.
