Page 86 of Just Desserts

It was Isla who kept me steady, and grounded. Who handled every new twist parenting can throw at you with patience and understanding. The first few weeks, I was on the phone with the doctor every other day asking questions, getting talked down from assuming a rash or sneeze was an emergency.

As Riley got older, I would do anything to help her stop crying. Saying No to her was a hard adjustment for me. Rileywas generally well behaved but like any kid when she wanted something, she made sure you knew about it. It broke my heart to do it, but I was finally learning to stay strong.

My wife smiled at me indulgently as she walked over to give me a kiss and listen to Riley’s story. Not wanting her to get too far, I wrapped an arm around her so the three of us stood together, Isla’s head on my chest. Adjusting my stance, I wrapped my arm around Isla’s waist until my hand was resting on her stomach. She was just over 16 weeks pregnant with our baby boy.

This woman never ceased to amaze me. Every minute with her somehow multiplied my ability to love. I didn’t know my heart could feel this big, this full. Holding my entire family in my arms was a precious moment I would never take for granted. I couldn’t wait for our son to come into this world, to join our family and share all of this love and happiness.

Isla

I have a secret. My tough, strong husband is actually a big ol’ softy. Our pintsized daughter brought him to his knees and now he’s at her beck and call. It was adorable and I loved seeing them together. When Riley was born, it was the first time I had ever really seen Myles flustered.

He was so determined to do everything right, it almost overwhelmed him. It took a bit of time, but he finally began to understand that there’s no manual for parenthood and a lot of the time we’re figuring it out on the go. Our life together was something beautiful, and I was thankful every day for our growing family.

Growing being the key word. It was nearing the end of my second pregnancy and I felt like a whale. I couldn’t movewithout rolling my entire body to get enough momentum to propel me forward. Getting up and down sent twinges through muscles I didn’t even know existed before now and my son was some sort of soccer player the way he was kicking at my insides.

It was the middle of the night and I was hit with some cramps strong enough to wake me out of a deep sleep. Rolling out of bed without waking Myles, I waddled down stairs to make a cup of tea. While the kettle was brewing I attempted to stretch my achy back out using whatever furniture was within reach. Massaging my lower back I inhaled quickly as a sharper pain ran through me.

My due date wasn’t for another two weeks but something felt different. The whistle of the kettle broke me out of my frozen state and I managed to make myself a cup of tea right before another wave of pain washed through me. Gasping, I squeezed my eyes shut and tried to breath through the pain.

“Isla. Are you okay? Is it the baby?” Myles was somehow downstairs and at my side by the time my eyes opened.

“I’m not sure. It could just be Braxton Hicks.” I managed to get out as the pain tapered off a bit. Myles face was stoney and I watched as he grabbed his phone and hit the speed dial.

“Need you here asap, Isla might be going into labor.” He barked out before hanging up. I looked at him, my mouth open.

“Who did you call! It's 4am and we don’t even know if I’m going into… arghh.” I bent over and grabbed Myles as another cramp ripped through me. The pain was so overwhelming I felt like I couldn’t hear or see anything for a minute. When things finally came back into view, Myles and I were standing in a puddle of water.

Guiding me over to a chair, Myles gently deposited me down before calling 911. I watched numbly as he climbed the stairs two at a time and in what felt like a second he was back in front of me with towels and dry clothes. He had changed out of his pajamas and had grabbed the to-go bag he insisted on packing months ago.

“Who's gonna watch Riley!” I yelled out, breathing through the waves of pain that were coming steadily now.

“Sarah should be here any minute, here let me help you change.” Gently Myles pulled my wet clothes off of me before pulling a soft shirt over my head and my favorite pair of sweats. Red and Blue lights flashed as an ambulance pulled up and I couldn’t help the spike of anxiety that accompanied the sight.

“You’re doing great Isla, our boy is just excited to get here so I thought I’d order him a special ride. I love you so much, pretty girl, and I can’t wait to meet our son.” As he pressed a soft kiss to my mouth, there was a sound of a key in the door before Sarah came rushing in Wes hot on her heels. Then all of a sudden our house was swarmed by EMTs. In what felt like a blink of an eye I was on a gurney and ushered into the ambulance.

Cole Bennett made his way into the world barely an hour after we got to the hospital. Quick and easy seemed to be the mode Cole was in. He rarely cried, slept through the night and let his big sister squeeze and kiss him to her heart's content. At only a few months old, his head was covered in a crown of blonde-white fuzz and his slate eyes looked so serious in his small face. He inherited his fathers dimples though, making your heart melt when he smiled at you.

It was getting close to bedtime, my favorite part of the day. Riley loved to put her little brother to sleep, so the four of us would sit together and read a story before putting Cole to bed. Just like we did every night, Myles lifted Riley over the crib so she could kiss her brother good night.

“Night baby brother. Love you.” She attempted to whisper before Myles pulled her back into his arms.

“Do you want Mommy or Daddy to put you to bed tonight?” I asked Riley, knowing her answer.

“Daddy.” She replied, just like usual. I gave my girl a kiss then headed to our bedroom. Washing my face and putting pajamas on, it was nice to have this little sliver of alone time in the evening. It helped me appreciate all the sounds and activities that filled the house during the day.

Slipping under the covers, I waited impatiently for my husband. Stalking into the room, he locked the door behind him before stripping out of his clothes. Myles was as stunning as ever. Time had only made him more attractive, the salt and pepper throughout his hair made him look distinguished and yummy.

Finally alone together, we didn’t waste any time. His body slid over mine and I felt electrified by the skin on skin contact. Oh, how I loved this man and the life we’ve created together. Myles, he gave me everything he promised and more. He wasn’t just my love, he was my everything, and the world was ours for the taking.

Jonathan

Almost five years have passed since I left my old life. I had been back to visit my parents twice since then, once when my father was hospitalized and then finally I was invited for a smallholiday gathering the year after that. This would be the third time I've come back since that final visit to Isla’s bakery.

As planned, I moved across the country into the house I found online. Once settled, I eventually switched from renting to owning. I threw myself into fixing the house up, trying to use manual labor to work out all my frustrations with how my life turned out. I wasn't good at it but it kept me busy that first year before I was allowed to practice in the state.

Despite the distance, word had gotten out about my past indiscretions and none of the local firms were willing to hire me. It was a road block I was still humbled by, I wound up working as a public defender, teaching night classes on the side for extra cash. After a few years, I fell into a sort of humdrum existence.

I never talked about Isla, never allowed myself to remember the life we had, the one we could be living now. It didn't help that I was stopped short in my tracks whenever I caught sight of something that reminded me of her. It was so hard not to look her up, call her, find out how she was doing.

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