The room was completely dark when I woke up. I opened my eyes and, although I couldn't see anything, it didn't take me long to realize that I was alone in bed. I sat up and looked at the time: half past three in the morning. "Maybe he's in the bathroom." I said to myself as I lay back down.
About ten minutes passed, and he hadn't returned. I had to admit that I was starting to get antsy. Finally, I got out of bed, put on my slippers and a sweatshirt, and left the room. The hallway was completely dark "Alex?" I whispered. "Alex, are you there?"
There were a few seconds of silence until I heard the whisper of my husband's raspy voice. "Yes, I'm in Kiara's room."
I turned to the right until I reached the door to my daughter's room. I opened it, and couldn't help but smile. Alex was sitting on the small couch next to the crib, perfectly still. Meanwhile, the baby girl was sleeping peacefully, wrapping her father's index finger with her little hand through the bars of the crib.
I laughed softly as I approached him. "What are you doing here?"
"I woke up a while ago to go to the bathroom, and I thought I heard her crying. And since I was up, I wasn't going to wake you." He fixed his gaze on Kiara again and smiled. "I've been here for quite a while."
I smiled as I stood behind him, placing a hand on his chest. "Well, it looks like she's calm now. Come on, let's go back to bed."
He nodded slowly as he cautiously freed himself from Kiara's grip. A couple of minutes later, we were back in bed. My eyes closed as I felt his arm around my waist and heard relaxed breathing.
" Babe, are you awake?" he asked suddenly.
"Yes, is something wrong? Are you all right?" I asked, and even though he couldn't see me, with a worried look on my face.
"Yes, perfectly. It's just that earlier, while I was trying to get Kiara back to sleep I was thinking..." He paused, and the hold on my waist tightened. "I don't think I've ever thanked you."
I arched an eyebrow even though, again, he couldn't see it. "Thank me? Why would you have to thank me?"
"Why? Babe, you are, without exaggerating one bit, the best fucking thing that has ever
happened to me. When we met, I was a fuck-up. And you could have picked any guy you wanted, because any guy would have killed to be with you. And you chose to pick the tattooed fucker and all the shit I brought with me." His hand moved a strand of my hair aside to caress my cheek. "But you never made me feel like shit. You made me feel like the luckiest guy in the world to have you by my side, and I still feel that way. And you gave me a daughter, which is the most amazing thing that's ever happened to me. So yes, thank you for making me the happiest man in the world."
I felt my eyes start to fill with tears of emotion. "Oh, Alex..." I wrapped my arms around his neck, kissing him warmly. He pulled me even closer to him. A few seconds later, I pulled away from him and caressed his cheek. "Never in my wildest dreams did I ever dream of having such an amazing man like you by my side. I never thought you would ever notice me. But you married me and have become the father of my daughter. I really couldn't be happier."
I heard him chuckle low before he pulled me close to him again, kissing me affectionately. I lay on his chest and fell asleep feeling his hand rubbing my back and his lips kissing my forehead.
