“I don't want to spook him.”
“He's tougher than he looks. He survived fourteen hours of labor and Mike cutting the cord wrong twice.”
“I did not cut it wrong twice,” Mike says, from somewhere behind me. I didn't hear him come in.
“That’s not what the nurse said.”
“Yeah, well, the nurse gave me the wrong scissors.”
“There's only—”
Ignoring their argument, I look down at Harris, who is deeply unbothered by all of this. He's just happily sleeping.
“You’re going to have a good life, kid,” I whisper.
“He is,” Mike confirms from beside Olivia. “That's partly because he's got a kick-ass godmother / aunt.”
“Oh, please. Do not give me any credit.”
“Look how well he's sleeping with you. You're a natural, Honey.”
I snort, turning away a little.
“We might have to hire you as the live-in nanny.”
“I think I should at least try to finish a degree before choosing to live in your home for the rest of my life.”
Mike huffs out a laugh. “Probably, but we pay well.”
Olivia grabs the blanket from the side and pulls it over herself. I still can’t believe my best friend is recovering so well after labor. “You could always defer,” she adds.
“You’re kidding, right? After all that time it took me to decide where I’m going? Not going to happen.”
“I’m just saying,” Olivia continues. “The spare room has a bed.”
And none of my potential. Honestly, thinking about how much time I spent there makes me sad now. I wasted months sitting around, feeling sorry for myself instead of changing my life and making it what I want.
“As much as I love this little boy, I can’t stay. I’ve got a seminar I haven’t prepared for. If I don’t go back, they’ll probably give my dorm room away and sell all my stuff,” I say, still unable to tear my gaze away from baby Harris. “I’m sorry, bud, but I’ll be back very soon. I promise.”
He answers me with a little shift before he falls back asleep again.
It’s crazy to think about how much life is waiting for him. The beautiful parts of it. The painful ones too.
One day, he’s going to fall in love. One day, someone’s going to break his heart. He’s going to spend years trying to figure out who he is before he finally grows into the person he’s meant to become.
Somehow, all of that is wrapped up inside this tiny little body sleeping against me.
He doesn't need to worry about that now, though. Right now, he's just Harris. Safe, untouched by a cruel world, with parents who love him more than anything.
I can’t take my eyes off him. With every micro expression he makes, I see either Mike or Olivia.
They've done this. They've made this perfect human being.
Tears prickle at the back of my eyes, and I’m feeling so many emotions in my chest that I can't process them.
“Honey?” Olivia’s voice is soft. “Are you okay?”
“I'm good,” I say, my voice hitching. “He's just so perfect.”
