by Nikki Paris
Soph and I put the kids to bed around 8:30 and meant to have at least a few hours to be together before Max woke up for his first night feeding. We turned on a movie, and I promptly passed out on the couch.
When I woke up, there was a blanket over me, the TV was off, and Sophie was gone. I glanced at my watch and saw that it was just a little past midnight and headed up the stairs. As I passed Max’s room, the door was cracked open, and I heard Soph singing. She stopped with a gasp and whispered, “Oh my god, hi, baby boy! Hello beautiful boy!”
I gently pushed the door open and saw her sitting in the rocking chair with our son cradled in her arms. The soft glow from Max’s nightlight made Sophie look like an angel as she smiled down at him. When she sensed me gazing at her, she looked up and grinned at me. “Babe, Max just smiled! And he is seriously going to be a heartbreaker.”
I grinned back at my beautiful wife. “Why is that?”
“Because he smiles just like you.”
I crossed the room and sank to my knees beside my wife and son. First, I pressed a kiss to Max’s tiny soft cheek, then Sophie’s. “Happy New Year, baby.” I caught Sophie’s chin with one finger and turned her mouth toward mine. I gave her a single soft kiss. “I’m sorry I passed out on you down there.”
Sophie smiled and kissed my nose. “I’m not worried about it. You’ve been working so hard for us lately. I’m not surprised that you’re exhausted.”
I ran my hands through her soft golden waves. “You work hard for us, too. You do so much for Mia and Max. I’m sure you could have used a nap even more than me.”
Sophie just shrugged and let out a soft laugh. “I’ll catch the next one.”
I left memory lane and headed back downstairs to the kitchen. Had I even given Sophie a chance to “catch the next one” in the last few years? There must have been times where I took care of everything for both kids while I let her sleep.
I winced in shame when I realized the only time I’d done that recently was when Soph had the flu. Shit. No wonder she was always so tired and uptight. I’d give her the entire morning to sleep tomorrow.
“Is he good?” Sophie leaned against the counter and smiled at me as I approached. She had her pants back on.
“Yep. All good.”
Sophie let out a sigh of relief. “I put my clothes back on because I didn’t know if he’d stay in his room. My brain isn’t functioning enough to answer a million questions about why my pants were off.” Sophie laughed and unbuttoned her jeans again. “Now, where were we?”
I pulled her into my arms and said, “Let’s save kitchen counter sex for the next time the kids have a sleepover with either of our parents.”
Sophie laughed. “That’s probably for the best.” She gave me a flirty smile, even though I could tell she was exhausted. “What should we do instead then?”
My baby was willing to sacrifice her sleep for me to make sure I felt wanted and important. She did that for everyone in our family all the damn time. Sophie was an angel. I just smiled and hugged her tighter. “I just want to hold you until you fall asleep, baby.”
“Yeah?” Sophie nuzzled under my chin and yawned. “That sounds amazing.”
I scooped her up in my arms, and she let out a little squeal. Then I carried her up the stairs and got her all cozy and tucked into bed. After that, I climbed into bed next to her and spooned her until she fell asleep.
I had every good thing a man could want, and I would never let it go.
Sophie
January 1st, I was awoken with a ground-pound body-slam before the sun was up. I groaned and covered my face with both hands as Max bounced up and down on my legs. “Momma, I want some cereal.”
I glanced at my phone to check the time. Wow. Max made it all the way to 6:30 am. His sharp little knees and elbows dug into my thighs and abdomen. “Ouch, buddy!” I winced.
And then Aiden’s arms were around Max, lifting him off my lap. “Come here, little man. Let momma sleep for a few more minutes. I’ll get you some cereal.”
My fucking knight in shining armor. “Thank you, baby,” I mumbled and pulled the comforter back up to my chin.
When I woke up again, it was 9 am, and light flooded the bedroom. Whoops. I didn’t mean to sleep that long. I climbed out of bed and wrapped myself in my warm fuzzy robe, then headed down the stairs. The sight that greeted me made my heart melt.
Aiden lay shirtless on the couch, with Max curled up on his chest, watching his favorite superhero show. Mia brushed Aiden’s hair and attached sparkly little flower clips all through it.
I burst out laughing. “Oh my god, I love you guys!” I walked into the living room and pressed kisses to all three of their foreheads. “I’m the luckiest girl in the world.”
“Why are you lucky, mommy?” Mia asked, attaching another clip to Aiden’s dark hair.
“Because I have the best family.”
Mia rolled her eyes and smiled. “Duh.”
“Did you sleep well?” Aiden smiled up at me. Oh my god, he had glitter in his beard. Oh my god, I loved the shit out of that man!
“Yeah, I feel amazing.” I sank onto the couch next to Aiden’s feet, and Max dove onto my lap. “I didn’t mean to sleep so long, though.”
“You’re good. We had tons of fun, right kids? We made pancakes and watched shows—"
“And made daddy look pretty!” Mia giggled, and I held up my hand to high-five our daughter.
“Daddy looks so pretty.” I patted Aiden’s leg with a smile.
We spent the day with our kids, literally doing nothing, and it was beautiful. We had no appointments or lessons to rush to and no lists of things to do. I had no photos to stage or phony blog posts to write, and Aiden promised not to touch work until he went back to his office tomorrow.
This was exactly the life I pictured building with Aiden when he slid a ring onto my finger fourteen years ago.
My phone dinged with a notification while Mia and I sat on the living room floor, doing a jigsaw puzzle. I pulled my phone from my back pocket and glanced at the reminder for our appointment with our marriage counselor next week.
I glanced over at Aiden and smiled, then started typing an email to Meredith.
“What are you doing, baby?” Aiden asked.
I smiled over at him. “I’m canceling our appointment with Meredith next week. I don’t think we need it anymore.”
Aiden let out a sigh of relief. “Thank god.”
“I’m also deleting my Pinterest app, at least for a little while. I need to heal from the pressure of trying to be perfect for so long.”
Aiden just grinned at me.
“You better get ready for more take-out and frozen dinners. And you know what else? I’m going to leave the dishes in the sink.”
Aiden gaped at me. “No, Soph. No way.”
I laughed out loud. “Only for one day. That’s all I can handle.”
Aiden reached out to rub my shoulder. “Baby steps.” He smirked at me, then patted his knee. “Come here, Soph.”
When I stood, Aiden pulled me onto his lap and pressed a quick kiss to my lips, right before Max yelled from the bathroom, “Wipe my bum!”
I smiled and slid off my husband’s lap. “I’m on it. Wish me luck.”
“Luck won’t save you with that kid. It was nice knowing you, Sophie.” He swatted my ass as I walked past him toward the bathroom.
I grinned at him over my shoulder, feeling unbelievably grateful for my chaotic imperfect life.
A Note From the Author:
Thanks for reading! If you enjoyed this little novella, be sure to check out my other full-length works all available on Amazon.
Follow me on Instagram @nikkiparisromance or check out my website https://www.nikkiparis.com to stay updated on my current works in progress.
- Nikki
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