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I put Jake in his crib, and Troy and I looked down at him.
“He’s perfect,” I said.
Troy nodded. “He’s going to be a big, strong guy. The first Larson of his generation.”
“But not the last."
“No,” Troy said and wrapped his arm around me. “Definitely not the last.”
Troy had been so against having kids when I’d met him, and when I’d fallen pregnant, I’d been sure he wouldn’t want anything to do with me and the baby.
Since he’d found out I was pregnant, everything had changed. Not only had he committed himself to being involved and supporting us, not only financially but emotionally, too, he wanted more. More kids, a bigger family, more laughter and happiness in his life.
“Can I make you a cup of coffee?” Troy asked.
I nodded. “I’d love that. Just let me get this sorted and I’ll join you.”
Troy kissed me on the lips before he left the nursery, and I turned on the baby monitor, angling it so that it faced Jake. It was a top-of-the-range monitor with a camera, so I wouldn’t only be able to hear Jake, but I’d be able to check in on him no matter where I was, too.
Not that I would do that so much, especially at first. I had a feeling I’d spend most of my time in the nursery with Jake in the early weeks. He was so small and so precious. I hadn’t known I could ever love someone this much.
Before I’d fallen pregnant, I hadn’t planned to have kids in my immediate future. Sure, the idea had been to eventually get there, but now that Jake was here and Troy and I were parents, I could almost not imagine a different life.
I leaned down and kissed Jake on his forehead. He was asleep again. I brushed my fingers along his little cheek, and the sparkle of my engagement ring caught my eye.
I smiled and studied my ring for a moment.
Troy and I had decided not to get married until Jake was born. He wanted us to have a big wedding, with a lot of guests, the big dress, and all the moving parts of a party that everyone would remember.
Moving in together had happened shortly after he’d asked me to marry him, though. Troy had wanted to be a part of my pregnancy journey, and he’d told me this was going to be my home, so there was no use waiting.
I’d agreed with him, and within two weeks, Troy had had a moving company pack up for me and bring all my things to him.
I still had the apartment. I’d bought it with the money my mom had left me in an account I’d only been able to access when I was twenty-one, and it was the one thing I felt I still had of hers. I’d decided to rent it out instead of selling it, and the money that it brought in went into a new account, one that Jake could access whenhewas twenty-one.
I took a deep breath and let out a contented sigh.
My phone buzzed in my pocket. It was on silent so that it wouldn’t wake Jake, and when I pulled it out, Rachel’s name flashed on the caller ID.
I left the nursery to answer, checking that the baby monitor was on before I did.
“I don’t want to impose on your first day home with Jake, so I’m not going to come over, but I’m dying of curiosity. How is everything? How are you coping? Do you need anything?”
I laughed. “I think I’m okay. I’m taking this one step at a time because it’s… scary.”
“It is,” Rachel agreed. “You’re going to be so great, though.”
Rachel had been with me when I’d gone into labor. She’d been the one to take me to the hospital. Troy had met us there, and Scott had been on duty at the time, too. The closest people in our lives had been there to meet baby Jake the moment he’d arrived in this world.
“I’m still learning,” I said. “But Troy is making it so much easier already.”
“He’s a great guy, Mack,” Rachel said. “You’re incredibly lucky.”
“I am.” I beamed. “And I know I can turn to you when I get stuck with something. I know I will, more than once. More than a dozen times, I’m sure.”
“You’ll learn as you go along,” Rachel reassured me. “You’ll grow along with him, and I’m always here. Benjamin keeps talking about kicking a ball with Jake. I keep having to remind him that it will be a few years still, but the kids are already asking when we get to babysit.”
I laughed. “I don’t think I’ll be able to leave him just yet.”
