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It was too short to spend my days wallowing in sorrow and despair. Sure, I could have a bad day every now and then, but more often than not, I chose to be happy.
Rhys made it easy.
Henry made it fun.
Banks made it worth it.
I parked, got out, and moved to get Rhys. Henry waited patiently while I lifted Rhys out of his car seat, and only after he was safe in my arms did my dog hop out. The weather had turned and was gorgeous enough to be outside, so we’d spent some time today at the park.
While Rhys was on the slides and swings, Henry kept a watchful eye over him.
Nothing had made me happier than seeing the way they got along. Rhys thought Henry was the best thing in the world, and Henry was as protective as ever over Rhys. It warmed my heart to see it.
“Come on, boy,” I urged Henry after closing Rhys’s door. We made it inside, and as I set Rhys down, so he could play while I popped dinner in the oven, I said, “Daddy’s going to be home soon.”
“Dad!” Rhys shouted back.
All I could do was laugh.
Once Rhys was occupied with his toys, I moved to the kitchen to get the oven turned on. When Rhys was down for his nap earlier today, I’d prepared everything for dinner, so now it was simply a matter of getting the oven up to temp and assembling the ingredients. Fortunately, Icould multi-task, because there was a clear view of Rhys from the kitchen. If there hadn’t been, I’d never have left him alone.
As it was, Rhys was crawling all over the place, and he frequently found ways to get himself into things he shouldn’t. We’d reached that stage where keeping him contained was mostly an impossibility.
Once I’d closed the door on the oven and set a timer, I made my way back into the living room with Rhys. We played for a while, Henry taking the time to rest and relax after an exciting day out.
Ultimately, we got around to working on Rhys’s new favorite thing—standing. He’d been pulling himself up a lot and getting to his feet, but it didn’t last long, and he often would fall to his bottom.
Just as we heard the door open, an indication Banks had returned home from work, I spun Rhys around in my arms. He was standing up in front of me, my hands under his arms as he tried to steady himself.
The moment Banks came into view, he saw us on the floor, crouched down, and asked his son, “What are you doing?”
Rhys decided it was time. He lifted one foot up and stepped forward. I loosened my hold, but kept both hands underneath his outstretched arms. He lifted his other foot, Banks’s eyes widening at what was turning out to be an unexpected, exciting, and monumental milestone.
As Rhys took another step, moving farther out of my reach, I bit my lip and tensed my body. Rhys continued forward, his upper body making him sway a bit and propelling him forward faster than it seemed his legs could carry him. He seemed to understand what he needed to do to make it to his dad, but he just wasn’t fast enough. Rhystook about two and a half more steps before Banks had to reach out and catch him.
Scooping his son up in his protective arms, Banks stood and tossed Rhys slightly in the air before catching him and pulling him close to kiss him. “Walking, little man? Are you kidding me? You just took your first real steps.”
Rhys’s squeals of laughter filled the air as Banks focused his attention on me, smiling like I’d never seen before.
“He did it,” I bubbled.
Banks shifted Rhys into one arm, held his other out to me, and said, “Come here.”
I went, immediately tucking my body close to his, as he leaned down to press a sweet kiss to my lips.
“Two of the best things to come home to,” he murmured. “Rhys’s first steps and kisses from you. I think I’ve got it made.”
I grinned at him and added, “And dinner should be done any minute now, so don’t forget that.”
As soon as I got the words out, the timer started going off.
Banks smiled back at me. “Three of the best things to come home to.”
“Yeah, well, it was the least I could do, considering how wonderful my morning was, thanks to you.”
He cocked an eyebrow. “Two orgasms and breakfast. I’d say you made out alright.”
Henry’s head butted into our legs. Apparently, he’d rested enough to get up and greet Banks. Releasing his hold on me, Banks bent down and gave Henry a few scratches on the head.
