Chapter 16: Nesting Hearts
294 Words
As my due date approached, our small apartment began to fill with soft blankets, tiny onesies, and pastel-painted dreams.
Damien insisted on assembling the crib himself, despite cursing at the instructions like they were written in code. I watched him, amused and touched, as he muttered through the final screw.
“There,” he said proudly. “Safe. Solid. Just like us.”
I laughed, wrapping my arms around his waist from behind. “You mean stubborn and crooked?”
He turned in my arms, pulling me close. “Maybe. But still standing.”
We spent that evening folding baby clothes and whispering names into the air like prayers.
Every drawer we filled, every plan we made, stitched us tighter together.
We weren’t just preparing for a baby.
We were building a life.
It began in the quiet hours before dawn—sharp, sudden pain, followed by the slow roll of panic and excitement.
Damien jolted awake at the sound of my breath hitching. “Is it time?” he asked, already reaching for the hospital bag we’d packed.
I nodded, gripping his hand. “It’s time.”
The ride to the hospital was a blur of speeding lights and deep, focused breathing. Damien never let go of me—not once. Not through the fear, not through the pain.
Hours passed in waves. Then came the push. The scream. The silence—until that first, beautiful cry shattered the air.
“It’s a girl,” the doctor said.
And in that moment, with our daughter cradled on my chest and Damien kissing my tear-streaked cheek, the world felt brand new.
“I’ve never loved anything more,” he whispered, voice thick.
I looked at him, then at her.
“Neither have I.”
- Writer
