Choices (Book Four)

Chapter 43

Lyla

We've been home from the hospital for a week now with Michael. To say Shawn and I are exhausted would be an understatement, but every time I hold my son in my arms it's all more than worth it. He sleeps in the bassinet next to the bed on my side every night. I'm up with him every two hours or so for feedings and the change of a diaper usually. Shawn has been amazing with taking on his fair share of the late night diaper changes and feedings since we are doing both bottle and breast-feeding.

It's been amazing to see Shawn become a dad. I knew he would be great at it, but watching it happen has exceeded any expectations I had. He is wrapped around Michael's tiny little finger already. It's been great to have him home with me and I am so thankful his work was able to approve him a month off of paternity leave for him to be home with us. Shawn takes Michael every night after dinner into the nursery and rocks him in the glider while he reads one of the twenty picture books he bought him about hockey. Sometimes I just stand in the doorway watching the two of them, knowing their bond will be unbreakable. Shawn is so patient and gentle with him I can just watch them interact all day long. And if I thought Shawn with a dog was irresistible, try Shawn with his newborn son tucked in his arm.

Shawn's dad, Bailey, and my mom are all coming over to the house today to meet Michael for the first time. We FaceTimed them from the hospital when he was first born. Shawn's dad got choked up when we shared his name with everyone. We knew we wanted to honour both our dads as they were such a huge part of our lives. When we decided on the name it just seemed to fit perfectly and now when I look down at Michael in my arms I can't imagine another name more fitting.

I check on the roast I have in the oven and it looks like it still needs another half hour or so until it's ready which will be perfect timing for when everyone gets here. I sent Shawn out to get groceries for tonight early this morning and requested he get a roast and whatever side accompaniments took little to no prep work. He succeeded when he returned with a ready made Caesar salad kit, a tray of scalloped potatoes that just needed to be reheated in the oven, and an apple pie for dessert. The roast was easy enough to throw in the oven an hour ago and just leave it to cook. Between the feeling of being rundown and still healing from the tearing I had during labor, I want to minimize any amount of extra work for us to maximize time we can spend with Michael.

I walk into the living room to find Shawn on the couch with Michael wrapped snuggly in a blanket in his arms. I'm behind him when I enter the room so he doesn't notice I'm here. The TV is on and tuned to the Blackhawks game. I listen to Shawn explain the game to Michael and talk through each play. I smile as I watch them together, Shawn's voice is soft yet filled with excitement as he shares his passion with our son. I hear the whistle blow from the TV and look to the screen to see a fight breaking out.

"Kick his ass," Shawn murmurs quietly from the couch.

"Hey," I chide him softly and watch him jump slightly on the couch startled by my interruption. "Watch your language," I tell him as I round the couch and take the seat next to them.

"Sorry, I didn't realize I was being spied on," he teases me playfully.

"I've always got one eye on you," I reply playfully as I smirk at him and he chuckles softly, Michael bouncing slightly in his arms.

I can see Michael more clearly now that I'm sitting beside them and realize he's awake as he peers up at his dad. As if on cue, Shawn looks down at him and starts to talk to him in some cute little baby voice I didn't know existed until a week ago.

"How's the hockey training going?" I ask him playfully and Shawn looks up at me again with a proud smile.

"He will be rippin' slap shots in no time," he says smugly.

"What if he wants to be a figure skater instead?" I ask him.

"Then he will be pulling triple axels out at the age of five," he answers quickly and I can't help but laugh.

"How do you know what a triple axel is?" I ask curiously and watch Shawn start to blush which only intrigues me more.

"I may have been put in figure skating by my mom when I was little," he admits quietly.

"What? How did I not know this? Are there pictures?" I rush out, hoping there is some photo that exists of little Shawn in leotards.

"I burnt all photographic evidence years ago," he teases as he sticks his tongue out at me.

"Damn," I whisper out in disappointment.

"Language mom," he taunts me and I roll my eyes at him to which he chuckles at.

"This is my new favourite fact about you," I say giddily. "I can't wait to ask your dad about it."

"He will tell you I wasn't cut out for it," Shawn says. "I ended up getting kicked out of the program for fighting a kid. So the next logical thing to do was put me in hockey and I fell in love with it. The rest is history."

"Ah, yes who could forget you ended up the captain of the Oakridge Lions," I tease him softly, even though we both know I'm incredibly proud of his accomplishments on the ice.

"With the hottest girlfriend in the entire school," he adds as he winks at me.

"That's right, I forgot about Erica, wonder how she's doing," I reply sarcastically and get an unamused look from Shawn as I let out a giggle. "Kidding," I add.

"Very funny," he responds. "I still remember that day I met you. You were so frazzled as you tried to collect all your papers from the floor. I thought I had never seen anyone more beautiful."

"Well I'm glad my clumsiness paid off for once," I tell him as I think back to that day in the office. "Could you imagine if I was super coordinated all the time? We may have never met."

"Impossible, I would have found you eventually," he says with confidence.

"You seem pretty sure of yourself there, sir," I tell him.

"We were always meant to be," he says matter-of-factly with a shrug of his shoulders.

Another whistle on the TV catches his attention as he turns to the screen to see that the Blackhawks just scored. He quietly celebrates with Michael in his arms and I smile as I look over at them. Shawn's words play over in my head. He has always been the more romantic one in our relationship so it doesn't surprise me to hear him say with so much certainty that we were always meant to be. I know it now too. After everything we have been through to where we are now, I can't imagine my life having gone down another path. This is where I am meant to me. With Shawn as my husband and our new beautiful son. It truly was inevitable.