Chapter 39
Chapter Thirty-Nine
Kingscliff
As Kate pulled her car into the driveway, she admired the pink flowers adorning the crepe myrtle tree in their front garden.
The bright pink tree looked like an enormous balloon amidst the green lilly pillies with small white flowers that surrounded it.
She climbed out of the car and gathered her plastic shopping bags in both hands, then struggled inside.
A slow cooker bubbled on the bench, and a delicious smell emitted from it.
The dining table was set. Kate scanned the room, her eyes wide.
After putting away the groceries, she went looking for Alex and Noah. She found them in the den.
On the TV behind Alex, an episode of Everybody Loves Raymond played. Alex stood in front of Noah’s bouncer, dancing to the intro music, with a floppy elf hat on his head, its legs flapping around his face as he moved. Noah kicked his legs, his little hands curled into fists as he pumped them.
Alex looked up and saw her, smiling widely. “Do you see that? He loves it.”
“You’re so funny. He does love it. Where did you find an elf hat?”
He shrugged and slipped it off his head. “We forgot to put it away after Christmas. It was over in the corner behind the couch. I lost the remote…” He waved a hand. “It’s a long story. Anyway, I found the remote and the elf hat, and I swear Noah smiled when he saw it.”
“You made dinner?” She went to him and kissed him on the cheek. “It smells divine.”
“Stew,” he replied. “Nothing special, but I felt like it. I bought some fresh bread rolls from the bakery, too.”
“Yum. I can’t wait.”
He sat on the couch, and she snuggled up beside him, tucking her legs beneath herself. Noah seemed content where he was for the moment, and she was grateful for the chance to rest.
“He was crying, so I tried a few things. Anyway, the bouncer and watching me dance seemed to do the trick.”
“He’s not crying now,” Kate replied, squeezing Alex’s hand.
“Nope, he’s not. Hey, we should eat. Dinner’s ready. And this way, we can go to bed early.”
Kate stood to her feet and yawned. “Sounds perfect. I’m ready to go to bed now, but I guess we’ll have to wait until Noah wants to sleep.”
Alex carried Noah to the kitchen and set him down on his play mat. Kate sat at the bench while Alex poured her a large glass of red wine.
“I shouldn’t…” she complained.
“You’ve got plenty of milk pumped in the fridge. Enjoy yourself.”
“You make a very good point.”
He poured himself a glass, and they clinked them together. “Cheers,” Alex said.
“We made it through the first month. That’s something to celebrate.”
Alex nodded. “It’s been a rough month, but we got through it together.”
“How was school this week?”
“It was good. I’ve got some decent classes, and the kids are behaving pretty well so far. Of course, it’s only the beginning of the school year, so we’ll see how they go later on. But for now, I’m happy to be back. It was good to have a break, though. I needed it.”
He dished stew up into two bowls and then added hot bread rolls to a plate and carried everything into the dining room. Kate sat opposite him and blew on her stew to cool it.
“It looks good. I’m so hungry. And we haven’t had stew in ages.”
“It’s not exactly summer food, but I had a craving.”
“Always give into your cravings, please.” She teased. “Comfort food works at any time of the year.”
“Hey, I spoke to one of the other maths teachers at school yesterday, and she said the baby might be crying so much because of a food intolerance. You could try removing some things from your diet, like wheat or dairy. Maybe it’ll help.”
Kate considered his words. “It couldn’t hurt to try. Thanks. I hadn’t really considered that before.”
As they ate, Kate watched Alex’s face light up when he spoke of their son.
It warmed her heart to see him excited about his time with Noah, and she realised how worried she’d been that he hadn’t bonded as quickly as she had with Noah.
Leaving him with the baby several times now had given them both a chance to get to know each other, to form a connection that they both needed.
Love for both her boys washed over her, filling her heart with joy. They were going to be okay.