Page 147 of The Image of You

The flash went off again. And again. With a grin, I looked up from my laptop at my son, who had crawled over and was now using his chubby little finger to press the button on my camera I had left on the floor. Ally constantly told me not to leave things where Teddy could get them now that he was crawling, but I didn’t care. I loved watching him explore.

I shoved the laptop off my knees and held out my arms, grinning. “What are you up to, little man? You wanna take some pictures with Daddy? Show Mommy what we did all afternoon while she was out?”

He giggled and chortled away as he crawled toward my open arms. Scooping him up in my embrace, I nuzzled his downy head, breathing in his special scent. Ivory soap, baby shampoo, and little boy.

My little boy.

Theodore Oliver Kincaid was born eight months ago, completing my world. Ally and I had traveled some more, then bought a house we loved and settled into our life here. Our circle of friends was small but close. Emma and Alan were back in town, their daughter, Anna, almost a year old, and Ally saw lots of her best friend. Sean and his wife, Abby, were frequent visitors. And our closest friends, Peter and Edwina, lived near us, and we saw them almost daily. They were Teddy’s godparents and, for all intents and purposes, his grandparents. They doted on him. And us.

As I promised, I took Ally to Africa, where we spent almost a month. A short while after we came home, Edwina and Peter decided it was time to return to Canada when Edwina’s sister became ill. Peter flew back regularly, and the supplies I sent over still were well-used. The clinic was thriving, run by local doctors and those who volunteered weeks of their time after the article had come out in Sean’s magazine.

In Africa, Ally’s need to help overwhelmed her at times. When we came home, she threw herself into volunteering, raising awareness for suffering children everywhere. I supported her with anything she asked. Now that Edwina was back, the two of them made quite a team.

When Ally had told me she was pregnant, my life, which I didn’t think could get any better, expanded to contain joy I couldn’t even imagine. She did it in perfect Ally fashion, handing me a small book of pictures she had taken, telling me she had a new project. I was confused as I looked at them.

A picture of a bread roll. One of the oven in the kitchen. One of her pointing to the roll inside the oven. And finally, a selfie of her grinning and holding a positive pregnancy test.

A bun in the oven.

My clever girl.

Teddy squirmed and kicked his feet, his tiny fingers grabbing at the two rings I wore. Theo’s ring on my right hand, the heavy silver and black glinting in the light. My wedding ring was made of the same white and rose gold as Ally’s. Inside, she included the same words engraved into the thick metal, along with one more.

Always Forever Yours ~ Ally.

I never took it off. Teddy loved to pull at it, grinning and babbling when the light caught it as he yanked on it with his eager hands.

I stood, glancing at the clock. “It’s bottle time, isn’t it?”

He cooed and made his little grabby hand motions as I heated the bottle, sitting down in the living room to feed him. He gripped the side of the bottle, sucking away as he stared up at me, his eyes blue and similar to Ally’s. I ran my fingers through his hair, grinning at the mess of red curls on his head. He had my facial features, although his smile was more like my wife’s, and he had her dimples. He was long and lean—a large baby when he was born, weighing in at almost ten pounds. Ally had been huge while she carried him.

When he began to squirm and make his grizzly noises, I lifted him to my shoulder, patting his back. I was soon rewarded with one of his loud burps, and he spit up on my shoulder. I chuckled as my shirt became wet. I always forgot the damn cloth.

“Nice job, buddy,” I crooned, lifting him away. “Did you get the sofa again? Mommy will be thrilled.”

He beamed down at me, then spewed again. I glanced down at my shirt with a wry grin. Ally was right. I never learned. I held him with one arm and tugged the disgusting shirt over my head, tossing it to the floor. How something so fucking cute could make smells like he did was beyond me.

I grabbed a blanket and flung it over my chest then settled Teddy back down with his bottle. His eyes started to flutter, and I knew he’d be out soon. Our son loved to sleep, and when he did, he slept hard.

The nipple fell from his mouth, and I pulled it away, setting the bottle on the table. I was in no hurry to take him to his crib to lay him down, though. These moments were special. I loved being a dad, and I was surprised how good I was at it. I looked forward to watching him grow, teaching him about football and photography, and being with him. I never thought I would be a homebody, but he and Ally changed all that. The only traveling I was interested in now was when they were with me.

Today, we’d gone to the park and hung out with Peter. I got some great pictures to show Ally when she got home. She’d love them.

With another sigh, I turned and stretched out on the sofa, settling him close on my chest, keeping him safe in my arms. I’d lie here for a while, and then I’d put him down in his crib.

Just a little while.

Gentle fingers ran through my hair, while the voice I loved the most whispered my name close to my ear. “Adam.”

Blinking at the light, I squinted up at my wife.

“I love coming home and finding my boys having a snuggle.”

Teddy was still wrapped in my arms, his warm weight sunk into my chest. I smiled up at Ally. “We had a busy day.”

“Take lots of pictures for me?”

“Always.”