41. Theodore
Chapter Forty-One
THEODORE
This is the moment I’ve waited for since I knew I wanted to be a father. Tatum stretches on my chest while his worn-out mama sleeps off the exertion from labor. River insisted on having our son naturally. It was a long twelve hours, but she did it. I’m pretty sure we cried together when his little cries filled the room. After he was cleaned, weighed, and measured, River cuddled him while telling him how happy she was to meet him. The exhaustion took over after her breastfeeding lesson. River tried to fight it, but I assured her that he’ll still be here when she wakes up.
I feel so many emotions and levels of love that it’s hard to describe. I just know I’ll do anything to keep him safe. Soft black hair covers his head, but it’s too early to know what color his eyes will be for sure. I don’t give a damn what color they’ll be, as long as they’re healthy. I breathe in his little yawn and whisper how much I love him, when the only person rude enough to ignore our no visitor request eases his way into the room.
Andrea removes his coat, washes his hands, and then drapes a clean cloth over his shoulder. He extends his arms, silently asking me to hand over his nephew and we get stuck in a stare-down for a few minutes. Once I accept that he’s not leaving without at least a hug, I vow to be equally intrusive, then hand him over.
“Expect the same rudeness from me,” I tell him in case my look didn’t say it enough.
Andrea smiles, although he doesn’t answer me. The pride that lights up his blue eyes when he holds Tatum to him proves to me that my child will have all the love and support in the world.
“I could have won money had I made a bet that Andrea wasn’t going to listen,” River grumbles, half asleep. “At least put on the shirt and take a picture, asshole.”
She’s asleep again the moment the sentence is out of her mouth. Andrea chuckles at her lack of filter.
“What shirt?”
I hold up the Proud Uncle t-shirt she insisted we bring to the hospital. Andrea’s smile picks up several watts as he hands me my son long enough to don the shirt.
“Hell yeah,” he whispers to himself as he moves closer to the bed and drops a kiss on River’s forehead. “I’m going to let that asshole comment slide since you just gave me the best gift ever.”
River blows a raspberry and swats at the air in his direction without opening her eyes. “I should warn you that I have faith that she’d win this round, Andrea.”
He laughs as he takes my son away from me again and sniffs the top of his head. “The only way he could be even more perfect is if he looked like me.”
“I’d punch you in the dick if you weren’t holding my son.”
My threat should have more bite, but I love seeing my brother like this. He holds Tatum with such care, and the happiness on his face suggests that he’s never had a bad day in his life. I like seeing him happy.
“Yeah, yeah. Now take our picture so I can frame it and put it in the nursery.”
I take some pictures with River’s phone and send him the ones he picked. It’s still amusing that Tatum has three nurseries—four, if you count the one at my parents’ house. This is what I wanted, a big happy family. I would start planning the second child, but I’m sure River will stab me if I mentioned such a thing right now.
After a soft kiss to the top of his head, Andrea gives Tatum back to me.
“Okay, I can rest now that I’ve seen my nephew.”
Andrea gives me a side hug before he leaves. When I look down, Tatum is studying me with glassy eyes. I have no idea what he can’t or can see, but I give him the best smile I can manage as all the emotions swirl around me again. My son.
His little hand pops up, and I give him my pinky. Once he manages to get a good hold, he stares at our hands then looks back up at me right before his little face crumbles. His cry is the cutest thing I’ve ever heard, but it has his mother popping up in bed.
Her hair is wild, but I’ll keep it to myself. River pops out a boob before either one of us can speak.
“He might be hungry,” she mumbles as she reaches for him.
She’s instantly alert once he’s in her arms. “Hey, my papa,” she coos as they work on latching.
It’s only been a few hours, but I love seeing her in mama mode. If I already wasn’t irrevocably in love with her, this moment would have sealed it.
“River, don’t fight me, but…”
“If you even fix those sexy lips to mention another child, I’ll be a widow.”
Oh, her threat just made me hard. With a chuckle, I hold up my hands and sit back. She will be having another baby for me, but we don’t have to talk about it right now. Even with growing up in an affluent family who could buy anything they wanted, I’ve never believed in fairy tales, but this is how happily ever after should look. We’ll have our arguments and disagreements, but at the end of the day, we’ll decide to stay together and right for our marriage. Both of us.
There isn’t anything one-sided in our relationship and that is what I love about us.
“I’ll just stick with saying I love you, wife.”
River gives me a sweet smile before I drop a kiss on her lips then one on Tatum’s forehead. All of the drama from our past is just that, the past. The only things we need to worry about are loving each other, raising our son, and River passing the sommelier test.
My wife sighs and gives me a serious look. “Promise me something, Mr. Kelly?”
“Anything.”
“Promise me that we’ll always work it out and never let go.”
I take in my tired wife and feeding child. My family. The love tightening my chest is like none I’ve ever felt before.
“Not even death will keep me from you.”