Page 40 of Brokered Betrayals
“And I’ll soothe the baby,” Sawyer said. “We’ve got this.”
And they found a harmonious balance over the next ninety minutes. They ate a fabulous meal and fussed over the world’s most perfect baby girl as she mostly slept, reveling in the newfound happiness they’d found. Eventually, their company went home, the pets went to sleep, and Royce and Sawyer were alone with Darla.
“Let’s transfer her to the bassinet in our bedroom and see if we can get some rest,” Royce suggested. “We can worry about unpacking tomorrow.”
“Everyone has advised us to rest when she does,” Sawyer said. “I feel too amped up to sleep, but let’s try.”
Darla slept through the transfer and didn’t stir while they took turns showering and brushing their teeth. She slept through them turning down the bed, shutting off the lights, and slipping between the sheets. Royce spooned up behind Sawyer, wrapped his hand around his waist, and kissed the back of his neck.
Sawyer wiggled closer and said, “Good night, love.”
“Night.”
Royce closed his eyes and sighed with contentment. He was just about to fall asleep when Darla cried, Dolly barked, and Bones darted out from under the bed and fled the room like his tail was on fire. Sawyer shook with laughter, and Royce rolled onto his back, grinning in the dark like a lunatic. “Home sweet home,” he said.
Sawyer checked to make sure Darla was safely snug in her carrier. He slipped two fingers under the harness and decided for the third time in five minutes that she was perfectly secure. “Are you almost ready? I don’t want to be late for her first pediatrician appointment,” he called out.
Darla scrunched up her face at his slightly elevated voice, but she didn’t cry, Dolly didn’t bark, and Bones maintained his sentinel position on the arm of the sofa instead of running from the room.Whew!They were making progress. Their life had become chaotic, to say the least, since bringing Darla home from the hospital three days earlier, but Sawyer had never been happier.
“Hey,” Royce said as he rushed into the living room. “No one cried or barked. I think we’ve managed a full twenty-four hours of relative peace without our littlest love reacting to Dolly’s barkor setting it off.” Royce’s hair was still damp from his quick shower, and his sweatshirt was on backward. One sock was navy blue, and the other was black. The smudges of exhaustion under his eyes were a hue somewhere between the two and matched the set under Sawyer’s eyes. Parenting wasn’t for the weak. “And we won’t be late. The doctor’s office is only fifteen minutes away, and our appointment isn’t for another hour.”
“But there’s going to be paperwork to complete,” Sawyer said.
Royce shook his head. “I already completed the patient intake forms.”
“When?”
“About two o’clock this morning, when Lil Pumpkin didn’t want to go back to bed after her bottle. You’d crashed in the recliner, so I let you sleep. The doctor’s office had sent a text with a link to their patient portal. I uploaded photos of my driver’s license and insurance card, and I scanned our custody agreement for their records. Oh, and I set up her MyChart account too. The usernames and passwords for both are in our shared iPhone notes.”
Sawyer stared at his husband as if seeing him for the first time. “Wow, I’m impressed.”
“See,” Royce said. “I’ve got everything under control.”
Sawyer wiggled his index finger in Royce’s direction. “Your sweatshirt is on backward, and your socks don’t match.”
Royce stopped mid-stride and looked down at his torso. “Huh. Well, I have most things under control.” He pulled his arms free and repositioned his sweatshirt. Then he looked down at his feet. “These are close enough. No one will notice once I have shoes on.” That was true enough. Royce sat down beside him and reached for his shoes under the coffee table, where Darla’s car seat carrier rested. “She’s sure sleeping well now. I think she’s getting her days and nights mixed up.”
“That’s what the bags under our eyes say.”
“No joke. Gave myself a fright when I looked in the mirror to shave this morning. I might have to use those under-eye thingies you keep in the refrigerator when we get home,” Royce said.
“Oh yeah. I forgot about those. They have caffeine and vitamin C in them to brighten the skin under your eyes.”
Royce snorted. “Sounds more like an adult Fruit Roll-Up than a beauty product.”
Sawyer grimaced at the thought of trying to chew one of those things. Hard pass. “So, four or five under each eye should do the trick, right?”
“We might look more human and less zombie-like,” Royce replied.
“I’ve been researching ways to help newborns develop healthy circadian rhythms so we can try to get Lil Miss on a better sleep schedule. I figured I’d run it by Dr. Edwards first. Maybe all newborns sleep during the day and stay awake at night. Could be she figures this out for herself.”
“I’d rather get there sooner than later,” Royce said. “We expected broken sleep, but I still imagined us having some semblance of a normal routine. Can you imagine trying to go to work like this? Yikes.”
“No, I can’t.”
They were fortunate enough to have paid paternity leave for six weeks, and they both had weeks of accumulated sick pay and supplemental insurance that would kick in afterward. They’d been smart with their money and could enjoy three months off without financial worries. Other dads weren’t as lucky and had to return to work right away. Sawyer vowed not to take their blessings for granted, but that didn’t mean he wanted to keep Dracula’s hours either.
Royce ran his hand over Bones’ sleek back, but the cat didn’t tear his eyes away from Darla. Their big boy always positioned himself where he could watch over her without getting tooclose. They figured it was only a matter of time before he took up guard duties immediately next to the baby. Dolly was more circumspect and a little jealous of the newest addition, but they were certain she’d come around too. Royce scooped the dog up from the floor to cradle her against his chest and kissed the top of her head. He ran a finger over the pink hair bow that declared Dolly was a big sister. “This is new.”