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He loved her now more than ever. Being able to meet his son for the first time just completed his life. The only slight shadow that hovered over his happiness was whether he was cut out to be a father. It was all so very alien to him that he felt that he would much rather face an alley full of angry cut-throats than a two foot tyrant.
Tahlia took one look at his face and wondered if he was going to find an excuse to leave. She shook her head and walked toward him.
“He isn’t going to bite you,” she assured him. “Come on. He is around here somewhere.”
“You are here,” Cecily cried as soon as Tahlia pushed open the door to the kitchen. Inside, Oscar was already seated beside the fire with his ale in his hand. “Are we glad to see you,” he declared fervently as he shook Connor’s hand.
“You took your time getting here,” Cecily remarked. “We both arrived hours ago.”
Tahlia smiled secretively at Connor. “We took a detour along the way.”
Connor scratched the back of his head. While Tahlia talked, Connor scanned the lower regions of the kitchen. He didn’t know quite what he expected, but it wasn’t the cherubic little boy who peeped out at him from beneath the kitchen table.
Tahlia is right. He looks just like me Connor mused in wonder as he knelt down on the floor and peeped back at the little boy.
The resultant giggle was high-pitched and accompanied by a grinning face which peeked out at him again.
“Hello,” Connor murmured softly.
Joseph peeped out again. At that moment he saw his mother.
“Mama!” The excited squeal shattered the peace before Tahlia even took a step toward him.
Connor watched Tahlia drop to the floor and open her arms, and promptly fall onto her bottom when the tiny tornado threw himself at her and wrapped her in a tight hug.
“Mama, mama, mama,” Joseph chanted over and over as he smacked sloppy kisses on her cheek.
His chubby arms were so tight around her neck that Tahlia struggled to breathe, but she didn’t care. Tears gathered on her lashes as she he
ld her son for the first time in what felt like a decade.
She, Connor, and her baby were all safe, and that was all that mattered. For the first time since she had left she began to relax.
Connor’s heart felt so full that he could barely breathe. He couldn’t tear his gaze away, and slid closer until he placed a hand on Tahlia’s back. Lost for words, he leaned as close to his son as he dared without scaring him, amazed that such a wonderful, tiny human being was his.
Joseph suddenly peered up at him, and gave Connor such a wide, beaming grin that he melted, and knew he was sunk – hook, line, and sinker, completely lost to his son.
Joseph patted his mummy’s cheek and pointed at Connor. “Who dat?”
“That’s daddy,” Tahlia whispered, too choked to say much more.
She threw a wobbly smile at Alice, whose audible gasp was loud as she stopped to stare at them in shock.
“Dada,” Joseph murmured as he studied Connor with a frown. “Dats Dada.”
Connor held a hand up to touch the little boy hair, or back, or any part of him his son would allow, but then Joseph captured his fingers and clung to them tightly with his chubby fist.
“Do I get a hug?” he asked shakily.
He laughed out loud when, to his stunned surprise, Joseph threw himself at him. Connor held him tightly, savouring the feel of the wonderful wriggling little boy in his arms. His son. His child.
“Thank you,” he mouthed to Tahlia over the boy’s head.
“Melly,” Joseph frowned. “You melly.”
“Smelly,” Tahlia corrected. “We have been a bit busy.”
“You tay now,” Joseph ordered Tahlia. He turned to Connor and looked at him. “You tay now.”
