Page 147 of I Replaced His Husband
Ray’s crib was attached to our bed so Kay could chestfeed him at night without getting up, and so we wouldn’t accidentally roll over on him. But, following my dad’s advice, Ray often ended up between us anyway. Somehow, we both slept more still that way, like our bodies were instinctively protecting him.
Dad had also given us another piece of advice, something very different from what most people would suggest to new parents.
He told us to try being intimate. At first, I was taken aback. Kay was still sore and swollen, barely able to sit comfortably. But Dad just smiled and said that, yes, the first moment might feel awkward or even painful for Kay, but if we stayed connected like that overnight, by morning he’d feel completely better… and Dad winked.
It sounded a little wild, honestly, but Kay was open to trying. He was exhausted from constantly shifting around, trying to find a position that didn’t hurt.
That first moment wasn’t exactly romantic, but Dad was right. It worked. We stayed connected all night, and by morning, Kay got up pain-free! Our Bond had healed the soreness.
Already the very next night, we slipped right back into our cozy, half-asleep sex routine, something we’d both so loved.
Not long after, my parents packed up. They’d passed on everything they thought we needed and had a charity concert coming up back in their town, so they said their goodbyes.
That left us on our own, well, mostly.
Adam and Marco were still with us, and they couldn’t get enough of little Ray. They helped with everything, lightening our load in a big way. With three extra pairs of hands around, Kay actually got to sleep, and those early weeks weren’t bad at all. Infact, we had no room to complain. Parenthood hadn’t hit us as hard as we expected.
What’s more, Kay didn’t go through the usual postpartum struggles. No mood swings, no breakdowns, no sense of drowning in the new routine or lack of sleep. Having our little ‘village’ around made all the difference. He could rest, adjust, and ease into it without feeling overwhelmed. Marco, Adam, and I took care of Ray while he recovered.
And Ray? He was one of those rare babies who could sleep for six hours straight without waking to feed. That made a huge difference in Kay’s recovery, and his mood.
All in all, I’d say that first month was a huge success.
???
When the second month began, everything started to shift, at least for me. For Kay, the world stayed the same, but mine was about to flip in a deeply unsettling way.
It started when Nathaniel asked me to resend a piece of code I’d sent him the week before, as I’d accidentally pasted it into the wrong email. While searching my inbox for the original message, I came across an old email from Detective Moor, the one that included the recording from the day of the attack.
I was alone in the room, so I clicked the attachment. I wasn’t sure why, but I played it again.
"Shooting at Adam's house."
Then the dispatcher: "Please repeat—"
Again: "Shooting at Adam Darnell’s house, three victims."
Suddenly, something clicked…
Something I hadn't noticed before. Strange it hadn’t occurred to me earlier. My eyes blinked rapidly as I shot up from my chair. Kay was in the living room feeding Ray, but his phonewas lying next to our bed. I grabbed it, turned it on, and wrote down John Sanders’ number.
I rushed outside, my hands a little shaky as I dialed.
"Hello?"
"This is Rain Nolan."
"Oh. Rain."
There was a pause. I’d never called him before, it probably felt a little weird for him.
"I wanted to talk to you about something strange. Kay, Adam, Marco, and I didn’t bring this up before because we didn’t want to make things awkward. But I think I need to ask now. Something’s bothering me," I said, sounding more desperate than I meant to.
"What are you talking about, son?"
"Do you remember the night Kay and I were attacked?"
"Of course. Why?"
