I woke up to the sounds of my daughter screaming like her life depended on it. Happy birthday to me. Sophia wasn’t in bed, so I assumed she was in the bathroom. She still needed rest, so I was on baby duty again, which was perfectly fine by me. I made a bottle and fed my frustrated little angel, who finally opened her eyes wide enough for me to get a good look at them. I was so surprised to find they were the bluest of blue, just like Dad and Less. Genetics were funny like that sometimes, but I loved that she would have a physical reminder of her grandfather, even if she didn’t remember him when she got older.
Sophia joined me for breakfast shortly after I sat down.
“Happy birthday,” she shouted.
“Thank you. How are you feeling?”
“Sore.”
“You’re gonna rest today, right?” I said, more like a statement. I didn’t want to be a man who told women what to do, but we needed her to be whole. Ignoring her body and depriving it of what it needed was the fastest way to invite trouble we didn’t need.
“Yeah…as much as I can.”
“Good.”
I was glad to hear that. There was nothing quite like pain to remind us we weren’t invincible. Especially at our age.
“Is your mom planning anything for your birthday?”
“I hope not. I told her I didn’t want a party and she could come over for cake later.”
Just then, my message notification went off. It was Dub saying he, Maia, and Tambara had arrived in San Sequoia! He extended an official invitation, and I told him as soon as life settled a bit, we were on. This next chapter of my life was about to be so fun. I had my family, and my boy was finally close by. I couldn’t wait for whatever shenanigans we’d get into.
