Love This Life: Love's Great Adventure Series Book 2: Love's Great Adventure Series Book 2 (15 page)

“The gifts aren’t frivolous. We needed everything we received.”

Tess looked at Sebastian, raising her eyebrows.

“Well, we didn’t need the silver rattle from Tiffany, but I had to buy it.”

“You should have bought her a silver spoon,” Tess teased.

“I’ll lavish you both, if you let me,” Sebastian said in all honesty.

“In due time.” Tess winced as she arched her back and placed her hand behind her to rub the sore spot. Sebastian took over, giving her a massage to ease her aches and pains. “I hope this baby comes soon. I’m so uncomfortable.”

“It won’t be long now,” he reassured her.

“Thank you.”

He didn’t respond, he merely kissed the top of her head and continued rubbing her back.

On April 21, 1987, Martha Katherine Irons was born at 3:24 p.m., weighing in at seven pounds, two ounces. She was seventeen inches long. Proud papa Sebastian was beaming as he cradled the infant in his arms. He had never felt such satisfaction or overwhelming love. How he could have created such an exquisite human being, he could not fathom. “She’s beautiful, just like you,” he told Tess as she rested in the hospital bed.

“I’m exhausted. I need to sleep.”

The nurse walked over to Sebastian and took the baby. “We’ll bring her back in a few hours for her feeding.”

Sebastian pulled a chair up next to the bed and took Tess’ hand. “You get some rest. I’ll be right here with you.”

Tess squeezed his hand and then drifted off to sleep.

Kate walked into the room shortly thereafter. “How’s she doing?” she whispered.

“Good, she’s just tired.”

“When was the last time you ate?”

Sebastian tried to recall. “Maybe breakfast yesterday?”

“Okay, you know how Tess sleeps. Go get yourself something to eat. I’ll stay here with her.”

“Thank you,” he gratefully accepted.

Sebastian was in desperate need of coffee and anything to stop his grumbling stomach. He left the hospital and found a corner café, where he ordered up the biggest breakfast they had on the menu.

He ravenously tucked into the pancakes, eggs, and bacon. Sebastian had to ring Sigourney and tell her the good news. He could have hiked Uptown to deliver the news in person, but he didn't want to be away from the hospital for too long. Sebastian couldn’t wipe the silly grin from his face. He was a father. It was the best high he had ever experienced, and that was saying something considering the way he had lived his life in the past.

After he finished eating, he left a generous tip for the waitress and then stopped at the flower shop and picked a bouquet of pink roses for Tess. When he got back to the hospital, he headed for the maternity ward to peek in on Mattie. She was sound asleep, bundled in a blanket and wearing a pink hat on her head.

Tess was still sleeping when he returned to her room. He set the vase of flowers on the side table and stood behind Kate, who was seated next to the bed. The nurse came back in the room with Mattie, who was crying. The sound woke Tess from her sleep.

“Ready to try breastfeeding?” the nurse asked, handing the infant to Tess.

“No, I want to bottle feed.”

“Are you sure? It’s such a good way to bond with the baby. The health benefits are outstanding.”

Tess looked at Sebastian and he could read the anxiety in her eyes. “Give the baby to me and please bring a bottle. My wife doesn’t want to breastfeed.”

The nurse did as requested and quickly left the room to fetch a bottle.

Tess let out the breath she had been holding. “Thank you, Sebastian.”

Kate sat down on the corner of the bed next to her daughter. “If you want to bottle feed that’s perfectly acceptable. It might be a better solution since you’ll be going to class everyday and Sebastian will be home with Mattie.”

Tess slowly nodded her head in agreement, but didn’t say a word.

Tess watched Sebastian as he fed Mattie her bottle. The infant nuzzled into him, as if instinctively knowing he would protect her for the rest of her life. Tess wondered if that was where the term “wrapped around her little finger” came from. Sebastian was happy: smiling, cooing, and fussing over his baby daughter. Tess had never seen him so blissful, not even with her. Was it possible that he loved the baby more than he loved Tess?

Sebastian looked up at Tess. “Do you want to feed her?”

“No, you finish.”

“I brought you roses,” he said, motioning to the bedside table.

Tess looked over at them and smiled. “They’re so pretty. Thank you.”

Kate stayed at the condo with Tess and Sebastian the first week after the baby was born. Mattie was born on a Monday and Tess was back at NYU by Wednesday. A part of Sebastian was happy to have her out of the house because he could spend some time with Kate and pick her brain. She was a pediatric nurse, after all, so maybe Kate could shed some light on why Tess was acting so distant.

“Kate, I’ve been reading up on postpartum blues. Do you think that’s what’s happening to Tess? I just thought that maybe once Mattie was born, she’d look into her eyes and fall in love, but it seems as if she couldn’t wait to get out of the house and away from us.”

“If it is the blues, it could last up to a few weeks. It’s not unusual for a woman to experience it, especially after the birth of her first child.”

“I understand her body is going through changes, but I don’t feel anxious and moody. I’ve never been happier and I’m now responsible for a family. Shouldn’t I be upset?”

“I think you’re so happy because deep down, this is what you always wanted—a family to love. I’m grateful that you and Tess ended up together. I couldn’t have asked for a better partner for her.” Kate sat down on the sofa and gazed out over the Hudson River. “Tess was anxious and lost when her dad died. Once she decided to throw herself into her schoolwork, she leveled out. I think we just need to give it some time.”

“There’s only a few more weeks left of school. What happens when the summer arrives and there’s no schoolwork to distract her? What happens when she has to face this head-on? She’s the strongest person I know, and seeing her suffer like this, I wish I knew what to do,” Sebastian admitted, frowning.

Kate looked at Sebastian, her brow creased with worry. “We’ll keep an eye on her together.”

Just then the baby began to cry. “I’ll get her,” Kate said, standing up from the couch.

Sebastian remained behind, so many thoughts running through his brain. He wasn’t a religious man, but he prayed that Tess would come around. It seemed unfathomable that their relationship could shift like this—Sebastian the strong personality who was responsible and nurturing, Tess the scatterbrain who was fleeing responsibility. They had completely changed roles, and it unnerved him. Sitting there worrying about it wasn’t going to change anything, so he stood up and walked over to the guest bedroom and peeked inside. Grandmom Kate was sitting on the rocking chair, whispering to Mattie. He couldn’t make out exactly what she was saying, but the smile on Kate’s face was priceless.

Tess sat in the NYU library and enjoyed the silence it gave her. There was no crying baby, no hovering mother or doting husband to interrupt her peace. They didn’t want her to go back to school so soon after the birth, but what else could she do? Exams were coming up next week and she needed to push to finish out the year with a respectful GPA. She’d already blown the 4.0 due to the extreme sickness and exhaustion during her pregnancy. She’d be damned if she wasn’t going to give it her all and see if she could salvage her grades. If Sebastian couldn’t understand that, then that was his problem, not hers. Right now Tess could only handle one thing, and that was school. The baby was in very capable hands and certainly didn’t need a basket-case mother to try and take care of her.

When Tess arrived home, Sebastian was making dinner and her mom was reading a magazine. “Hi,” she greeted as she entered the condo.

“Hello darling, how was your day?”

“Good. I was able to get a decent cram session in at the library. How was your day? Were you able to get any studying in?”

“No, not today.” He looked up from the stove and continued, “Don’t worry, I’ll be ready to take my exams next week. All I have to do is pass so I get the credits for the course.”

Tess wanted to argue, but decided against it. “Okay, as long as you get the credits. You might want to go back and get your degree someday.”

Sebastian smiled at his wife. “Agreed. Now both you ladies come sit, dinner is ready.”

They took their seats and Sebastian served up a meal of grilled chicken with a baked potatoes and broccoli. “Sebastian, you’ve become quite the cook,” Kate complimented.

“Thank you.”

“Mom, I’m so happy you were able to take the week off work and stay with us. I’m sorry I didn’t thank you earlier.”

“Well, you were a little busy having a baby, honey.”

“I hope you’re imparting tons of tips to Sebastian.”

“Sebastian is a natural.”

Tess laughed aloud. It seemed impossible that the wealthy bad boy she had met three years ago had left that image behind to become a committed, loving spouse and father.

“What’s so funny? Is it that hard to believe?” Sebastian interrupted.

“I’m amused because we seemed to have switched places. I expect you to give me a calendar with schedules and time tables.”

He cracked a smile. “I just might do that.”

It was an idea he hadn’t contemplated. Maybe the way to approach motherhood was to put it in terms Tess could understand and get excited about. The epiphany appeared and Sebastian finally felt a glimmer of hope.

He was humming a little tune to himself and as he loaded the dishwasher after dinner. Tess and Kate were watching TV in the living room and he wanted to give them some alone time. He prepared Mattie’s bottle and then went to the bedroom to feed her.

As Mattie’s tiny hands latched onto the bottom of the bottle and she began to drink, Sebastian marveled at his small miracle. She had a cute button nose, just like her mum, and deep blue eyes like her dad. Brushing back the small tuft of brown hair that grew atop her head, he smiled. “I’m formulating a plan, Mattie. I’m enlisting Grandmom Kate to help. Mum will come around, I promise.”

The baby cooed in his arms. Tess would come to love this baby, he just needed to find the right trigger to get her emotionally involved, and he thought he just might have found it.

At the end of the week, Kate went back to Pennsylvania. Tess was attending classes, but Sebastian remained home with Mattie. All he had to do was read over the class notes and take his finals. He only needed to pass; he wasn't concerned with his GPA, like Tess. He was quite proficient with nappie changing and bottle feeding. Although he had no idea what Mattie’s cries meant, he was instinctively finding his way. He couldn’t wait to complete his few last exams this week, so he could be finished with school altogether. He had far more pressing issues to deal with than classes.

Mattie loved music, whether it was playing on the TV, coming from the radio, or Sebastian was singing to her. He was happy to introduce her to something he loved so much—although she didn’t understand a word of the lyrics.

He had just finished feeding Mattie her bottle and put her against his shoulder to burp her. After a few gentle taps on the back, the little girl belched and Sebastian felt something wet on his shoulder. “Oh, Mattie!” he exclaimed, and then silently cursed himself for forgetting to place a cloth over his shoulder.

Sebastian laid the infant in her playpen and stripped off his lightweight cashmere sweater. There was a knock at the front door. He walked over and opened the door to find Alice standing in the hallway. He stepped aside to allow her entrance.

“Are you okay?” she asked.

“Mattie just spit up on my cashmere,” Sebastian lamented.

Alice took the sweater from him, grimacing at the sour smell. “A little baby shampoo and a cold water soaking should do the trick.”

“Alice, you are an angel,” Sebastian said, leaning down to kiss her cheek.

Alice simply chuckled. “Just do me a favor: don’t wear anything that should be dry cleaned for the next two years—at least when you’re around the baby.”

“Okay—jeans and T-shirts. Tess will love that,” he muttered. Sebastian sat at the breakfast bar talking with Alice while she worked on getting the stain out of his sweater.

“You seem to handling fatherhood very well.”

“I’ve never been happier, Alice.”

“I can tell. Whatever happened to that petulant young man who showed up on the steps of Edgewood smoking cigarettes and demanding scotch?”

He chuckled. “That seems like a lifetime ago. I’m a changed man. Blame it on my girls.”

“I don’t think you give yourself enough credit. You changed yourself, Tess didn’t force you. You’re a good man, Sebastian.”

Sophomore year was over, and Tess ended up with a 3.8 GPA. She wasn’t thrilled with the results, but all things considered, she could have done much worse. Now she was faced with spending the next two and a half months with the baby while Sebastian worked at the gallery.

“So tomorrow is the big day,” he said as he cleared the dishes from the table.

“Don’t remind me. You called Alice in as my reinforcement, right?”

“Yes, I put her on notice. I’ll only be working for six hours.”

Tess shook her head in doubt, her eyes full of worry. Sebastian raced up to the loft and came back holding a piece of paper. He sat back down at the table next to Tess and began. “I have a schedule for you.”

Tess looked down at the spreadsheet, each hour giving meticulous notes. “What is a nappie?”

“A diaper,” Sebastian explained.

“Then why didn’t you just say diaper?”

“I thought you loved my British slang. I was hoping to make this fun for you.” Sebastian caressed the side of her face. “Admit it, you love lists and schedules.”

Although a part of her wanted to be annoyed, Tess was relieved. Maybe this is what she needed—structure and a plan. If she approached her classes this way and that always worked out for her, maybe applying the same technique to childrearing would work as well. Tess looked him in the eyes and smiled. “I do love it. If there is any way for me to become comfortable with caring for a baby, I guess this would be it.”