“Oh my god, how long have I been running?”

I took a moment to catch my breath as I stopped on the sidewalk, pulling gently on the stroller where Will rested to stop its momentum. I’d been trying for a few weeks to get my pre-baby body back, but up until that moment my workout regime consisted of half-assed crunches and a squat or two whenever I was up for it. I wasn’t completely out of shape, but at almost two months old, Will was giving my stamina a run for its money.

I grabbed my bottle of water from the built-in cup holder and trudged around to the front. Will was squinting from the mid-September sun beaming down towards his sweet little face. I crouched next to him and adjusted the zipper of his jacket as he let out a yawn.

“I know you’re tired, sweet boy,” I cooed. “Mama is, too. And hungry.”

At the mention of hunger, Will’s face twisted in discomfort. I looked ahead of us where our home was still six blocks away and sighed. Will started to get fussy, crying loudly and wailing his small arms up and down. I grunted as I hurried back behind the stroller and sprinted towards the house. We were both worn out, and I knew if I didn’t get us both home soon I was going to lose my shit as well.

“Ok, ok, we’re here,” I said, trying my hardest to calm Will down. His crying intensified, and I found myself yet again wishing there was such a thing as a baby translator.

“Come on,” I grunted, struggling to get the tires of the stroller over the threshold of the front door. “Alex!”

I heard the TV remote hit the hardwood floor, followed by a few audible curse words, and soon Alex was rushing through the corridor. He offered me an apologetic smile as he lifted the front tires of the stroller and pulled it into the house.

“How was your run?” he asked as he pushed Will into the kitchen.

I slammed and locked the door behind me. Ignoring his question, I hurriedly prepared Will’s bottle of pre-pumped breast milk. After pulling the bottle from the microwave and testing its temperature on my wrist, I shoved it in Alex’s direction.

“Can you please?” I begged.

He nodded and picked Will up from the stroller, adjusting him into his arms. I felt relief wash over me as silence fell upon us once he was eating.

“Don’t think I’ll ever get use to that noise,” Alex joked as he sat on one of the barstools.

I offered him a slanted smile and brushed some strands of hair behind my ear. The sink was full of dirty dishes that I’d been ignoring for a few days. It never ceased to amaze me how two adults and a baby could make such a mess. I started stacking dishes on the counter to collect some water when Alex cleared his throat to gain my attention.

“I thought we were just relaxing tonight, remember?” he asked, an eyebrow risen towards me.

“We can’t relax, babe,” I sighed. “We’re parents now. We don’t get to relax for another eighteen years.”

He scoffed. “Yeah right. I’m just saying, you’ve been driving me crazy driving yourself crazy. Just chill for a little while. I promise you, those dishes aren’t going anywhere.”

“That’s the problem,” I laughed as I began scrubbing a plate.

“Please, Whit? Take it easy for one night for me?”

I glanced back at him as I rinsed the suds off the plate. He was over exaggerating his sad eyes, which was unfortunately my kryptonite, and I shook my head as I turned the water off.

“Fine,” I huffed. “But that’s the first thing I’m doing in the morning.”

Alex smiled victoriously and turned his attention back to Will. The grumbling in my stomach reminded me that I was starving. As I walked to the fridge, I asked, “What do you want for dinner?”

“I already ordered pizza,” Alex replied.

My heart skipped a beat in my chest as I slowly turned to look at him. Mixed feelings of glee and betrayal pulsated through me. Alex knew I was trying to get my figure back, and pizza wasn’t going to help at all, but it sounded so delicious. “What kind of pizza?” I asked quietly.

“One double pepperoni deep dish, and one supreme with extra veggies.”

I shut the fridge door and turned to lean against it. “But no mushrooms, right?”

“No mushrooms,” Alex smiled. “I made sure to elaborate how important it is that no food grown in manure is anywhere near it, and promised a generous tip for the delivery guy if it was made right.”

I smiled nervously, my fingers fidgeting with the side hem of my leggings. Getting back in shape was becoming a lost cause, because I knew I was going to devour the food once it got there. I gently poked at my stomach and jumped when I heard Alex scoff.

“Would you stop that?” he asked, his face contorted in disgust.

I blushed a little before asking, “Stop what?”

He stood from the barstool and opened one of the drawers, pulling out a burp cloth and laying it across his shoulder. “Stop poking yourself or looking at yourself like there’s something wrong with you.”

My whole face was beet red as I barely whispered, “Well have you seen me lately?”

The blank expression on Alex’s face as he stared at me made my stomach drop to my feet.

“Every day,” he nodded. “And every day I think you’re the most beautiful woman that has ever existed. Stop tearing yourself down. I still love you, I still find you ridiculously attractive, and I’d still fuck the hell out of you any time you’d let me.”

My eyes grew wide with surprise at his words, and it took me a while before I could come up with any of my own. When I did I was barely able to stutter out, “Don’t talk like that in front of the baby.”

“But I’m serious,” he smiled smugly as he pat Will’s back to get him to burp. “I’d bend you over the counter and take you right here, right now.”

“Alex!” I hissed, but I couldn’t help but smile.

He winked and stood from the barstool. “I’m just saying, you’re still gorgeous. So, get over it.”

“If you say so,” I murmured.

“I do,” he nodded. “Now I want you to go take a long shower, get as comfy as possible, and I’m going to get Will ready for bed.”

It was becoming a regular occurrence that I would look at Alex and feel a surge of pride burst through me. He was every bit of the perfect father I knew he would be. I could be severely stubborn, being a slight control freak, but every time I let him take over caring for Will, it blew my mind how much he’d learned in just two short months. I never thought to ask before, but I always secretly wondered if he’d ever planned on having kids at all before I came along. If he didn’t, he sure came around, because I’ve never seen a man love a child as much as he did ours.

“I love you,” I whispered after kissing him.

His free hand wrapped around the back of my head, lightly massaging the base of my neck. “I love you, beautiful. Go get cleaned up.”

As I turned to walk towards the bedroom, I felt a sharp smack against my butt. I shrieked and turned back towards Alex, who was smiling mischievously. After a seductive wink, he turned towards Will’s bedroom and loudly whispered, “Still got it.”

Notes

Hi everyone! I hope you enjoyed the first chapter. I always write the worst first chapters ever, so stay with me! The rest shouldn't be as short or lackluster :)

*SHORT STORY TIME*
So my sister is pregnant with another boy, and we were discussing names. She told me they were either going to name him William (call him Will) or Thomas. So yeah there's that.