She smiled. “No, I gave you the good stuff.”
He juggled a cooing Caden and took a bite of ice cream. “I have two more portfolios for you to go through before the end of the week. We’re going to have to find some serious tax write-offs. How would you feel about an anonymous donation to the center?”
“I think that’s a great idea. Do you want me to take him so you can eat?”
He shuffled his baby boy up onto his naked chest. “Nope, he’s fine where he is. The fight’s coming on. Penelope!” The very pregnant dog waddled into the front room. “Sorry, girl, but the fight’s getting ready to start. She has a vet appointment in the morning. I’ll take her before I go to the gym. Lie down.” Penelope turned a few times in the bed Sean had put next to the couch, trying to find a comfortable position to get her swollen belly into. Once satisfied, she laid her head down and started chewing on a leftover bone.
Sean had insisted the poor dog have a vet appointment every other week during her pregnancy. Penelope had gotten so used to it she didn’t even need the leash anymore to get her to go into the office. “She’s going to pop any day.”
“I know,” Sean said. “I’ve got everything ready. The vet said she’d be on call from here on out.”
Abigail smiled, watching Sean’s muscular arms hold their son. The few sympathy pounds he’d gained during her pregnancy were long gone, while she still struggled to lose the last ten she’d packed on. He didn’t seem to mind. He’d insisted on going to her postpartum follow-up visit. After learning she was doing fine, he quizzed the doctor about when was the soonest they could make love.
Caden started to fuss. “He’s probably wet,” she said and rested the bowl of ice cream on the coffee table, careful not to knock over Sean’s Lego structure. He’d moved from Star Wars to Pirates of the Caribbean, and the ship he was building for Caden’s nursery covered the whole table. “I’ll go change him.”
Abigail took her son from his dad’s chest, but not before Sean had a chance to give him a kiss on the head. “Bring him back, and I’ll get him to sleep.”
She knew he would. He could always calm their baby when he was cranky and tired. As she walked down the hall, she overheard Sean talking to Penelope. She snuggled Caden, patting his back as they walked into the nursery. The bright blues and reds always cheered her up. Sean had decorated the room with a baseball theme once they’d seen the ultrasound.
“Oh, big guy, are you all wet?” She laid him on the changing table Sean had made and grabbed a fresh diaper. “It’s all right. Shh, you’re going to be dry in a second.”
After changing the dirty diaper, Abigail dressed him in a fresh sleeper. He was still fussy. She bounced him on her chest as she walked around the nursery, humming “Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star.” She stopped by the closet, where a box had been shoved into the corner. She knelt and scooted the lid over. A pink teddy bear rested on a small pile of neatly folded pink clothes.
Abigail picked up the little bear and took her crying son over to the rocker. They sat down and began to rock. Back and forth, she shoved her toes against the rug to move them.
“My beautiful boy, you are one lucky little guy to have such a precious guardian angel watching over you.” Caden continued to whimper and fuss as she rocked. “Let’s go to Daddy.”
Abigail carried her son back into the living room, where Sean leaned back against the couch, watching the fight.
“Hand him over,” he said and set the bowl of ice cream in his lap.
She handed the crying baby over to Sean. He cradled his son in the safety of his arms. Abigail grabbed her bowl of ice cream and snuggled up on the couch next to her husband and son. The cries fell to whimpers, then eventually to gentle hiccups.
Sean raised his arm and leaned over to place a gentle kiss on her lips. “I love you, Mrs. Drennan.”
Abigail smiled and nestled into the safety of his embrace. “And I love you, Mr. Drennan.”
The End