Page 73 of Under My Skin

BRADEN

Wakingup with Dani in my arms was the best fucking thing in the world.

Funny how I used to absolutely dread the morning after and the awkwardness that would ensue. Turned out it wassofucking different with someone I cared about. Being able to open my eyes and see the woman I loved first thing in the morning felt like a little slice of heaven on earth.

Even though I’d just been lying here watching her sleep – feeling the rise and fall of her chest next to me as she used my shoulder for a pillow – for the past twenty minutes, I couldn’t bring myself to get up. Because that would have meant possibly waking her, and she’d only just gotten back to sleep about an hour and a half ago after waking up to take care of Isaac for the third time. She’d only let me get up to change his diaper once; every other time, she’d insisted on taking care of him herself.

Almost as if I’d woken my little dude up just by thinking about him, I heard crying over the monitor. And right on cue, Dani groaned as she opened her eyes.

“I’ve got him,” I murmured, kissing her forehead before gently moving her head to a pillow. “Go back to sleep, beautiful.”

“Mm-mm. Can’t,” she grumbled as she rolled over and sat up. “I have to make him a bottle. And Lina’s gonna be here soon.”

As much as I wanted to help her, to prove that I’d meant what I said about her not doing this alone anymore, I knew I couldn’t argue with her about it. She’d been caring for him overnight alone ever since he was born, and she needed time to get used to the idea of sharing that responsibility with me. But maybe we could compromise. Share the work.

Sitting up, I wrapped my arms around her and pressed a kiss to her shoulder. “Okay, you go mix up his formula and I’ll get him out of his crib. Deal?”

She let out the most adorable sleep-filled snort as she turned and gave me a peck on the lips. “Okay.”

Stealing one more kiss, I got out of bed and headed into the nursery, where I found a very grumpy Isaac, kicking his little legs and squirming around in his bassinet. I chuckled as I lifted him up…and immediately felt a wet onesie.

“Hey, bud,” I said softly as I took him to the changing table. “Let’s get you changed before I take you to your mama.”

I’d never been so grateful that I’d given up several Friday nights to Jameson babysitting his kids while they were still in diapers as I was now. It meant I wasn’t starting at zero when it came to caring for Isaac.

I made quick work out of changing his diaper and getting him into a fresh onesie, then carried him out into the kitchen, where I found Dani wearing my t-shirt from last night and a pair of leggings, grooving and singing along to the same song that had caught me by surprise last night while she put something that looked like a very small coffee percolator on the stove. And as I watched and listened, the lyrics hit home for me even more.

“What’s this song?” I asked. “It’s amazing.”

She looked up and flushed the most breathtaking shade of pink as she smiled at me. “Did I just hear you admit to liking a Taylor Swift song?”

I laughed. “I never said I didn’t like her. She’s not my favorite, but I don’thateher. But this song feels like it was written for us.”

“I thought that too. Even before you kissed me when it came on last night. The second you said your flight was awful, it made me think about that line in the first verse,” she chuckled. “It’s called ‘Snow on the Beach.’”

“You just got another one of my firsts, beautiful,” I teased as I shifted our son to one arm and pulled her in for a kiss. “I’ve never had a song with someone before.”

“If the tabloids are to be believed, you’ve never had someonetohave a song with,” she teased. “You’ve never really done the relationship thing, from what I hear.”

I groaned quietly. She was right.

“You’re right. I haven’t,” I sighed. “And if I’m being honest, I’m terrified I’m going to fuck this up with you because this is entirely new territory for me. But Icanpromise you those days are behind me. You’re my whole world now, Daniela Ramos. You and this little man.”

“I’m scared too,” she confessed. “I’ve only had two boyfriends before you, and those relationships only lasted a couple of months. Basically up until the point when they found out I wouldn’t sleep with them unless I really got to know them. This feels so different. So much bigger.”

“Because it is. Because it’s real. We’ll probably both make mistakes, but we can learn and grow from them together.” I took a deep breath. “We just need to be open and honest with each other. No more secrets. No more keeping things bottled up until we explode.”

“No more going to rage rooms instead of talking,” she snickered, standing on her toes to kiss me just as a beep sounded from an appliance on the counter. “Do you want to give him his bottle?”

“Hell yes,” I said with a grin as I looked down at Isaac. “You ready for breakfast, little man?”

He made the cutest little gurgling coo sound, and I chuckled as I took the warmed bottle from Dani and placed the rubber against his lips. Immediately opening his mouth, he latched on and started to drink.

A knock sounded on the door, and Dani rushed out of the kitchen to answer…while I thanked every known deity that I’d thought to grab my gym bag from my car last night and thrown on a pair of shorts and a t-shirt before we went to bed. I hadn’t been expecting Lina quite this early, but I guessed Dani had probably just kept her on the same schedule they’d established while she was still in school. Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays had been early days for her then.

I followed her out to the living room and sat on the couch, making myself comfortable as I made sure Isaac didn’t slurp his formula downtoofast and just marveled at the miracle of this life I’d helped create. I hated the circumstances surrounding how he’d come into this world and I wasn’t sure I’d ever really forgive myself for them, but if things had been different, I probably wouldn’t have met Dani. And that was too painful to even think about because I honestly didn’t know what I’d do without her now.

“Buenos días,” I heard Lina say as she came in, then her tone changed to one of surprise. “Braden. Hi.”

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