Free Easy to Love You by Megan Smith

to pull out the scissors. She did it so gently that Ryder didn’t even stir. She smiled at us all when she was done and then left the room.
    Ryder woke up a little while later, right as my mom came in to visit. I was glad Mom was here; despite having Coop and Jaylinn at the house, I still wanted my mom there too. The three of us didn’t know anything about taking care of a newborn. After Mrs. Cahill was done feeding him his bottle we got him changed into his going home outfit that Hailey had packed.
    I sat next to CC on the bed and she started crying, I knew this was going to be hard on her, it was going to be hard on me too. “I love you baby, we will be back first thing in the morning.”
    She started crying harder and I heard someone behind me, who I assumed was Mrs. Cahill, sniffling too. I held her as tight as I could until she calmed down. I kissed both of her eyes and dried the tears from them. “This is hard on me too; I don’t want to leave you. This is going to be the last time, ever, that we have to spend the night apart. You’re mine baby. I love you.” I whispered in her ear as I held her.
    “I love you too. Can you leave me your phone so I can call you?” She asked in a shuddering breath.
    I reached into my pocket and pulled it out. “Hailey will be here shortly so you won’t be all alone, but if it makes you feel better, call the house and I’ll keep you on the phone all night.” I told her.
    She nodded and reached for me one more time. “I love you so much.”
    “Me too.” I took Ryder from Mrs. Cahill and bent over with him in my arms so CC could give him a kiss goodbye. That damn near broke my heart. When I first walked in this morning she wouldn’t even look at him and now she didn’t want him to go. God I love her strength, just one of the many perfect things about her.
    After the Cahill’s and Mom said goodbye, we all left. That’s when it really hit me that I was leaving her and being a dad all on my own. Could I fucking do this? I guess it’s time I grew a pair of balls. We got into the elevator and I set Ryder down in his car seat to cover him up before we stepped foot outside. Being October, the nights were pretty cool and I didn’t need him getting sick already. We stepped out of the elevator and were walking out when Mom stopped dead in front of me. Mr. Cahill cursed under his breath and his wife put her hand to her heart. I looked past my mom and saw the last person I thought I would ever see again.

 

    After everyone left, I quickly called Hailey and asked her to come and spend the night with me. She assured me that she would be there within fifteen minutes. I knew she had to work in the morning, but just her being here with me would make me feel so much better. I couldn’t express how much I wanted to be home with my boys.
    To my surprise, when Hailey showed up she’d brought Mason along with her. Hunter wasn’t kidding when he’d said those two were going to give him whiplash. One minute they wanted to kill each other, the next they were making out like horny teenagers. However, from the looks on their faces things weren’t any better.
    “Can you knock off your attitudes?” I asked the both of them. They grunted. This was going to be a hell of a night. Now I was thankful I’d asked for those sleeping pills.
    No one really talked for the rest of the night and I really didn’t want to hear what their problem was, so when Heidi, the night nurse, came in to check on me, I gladly took the sleeping pills. In no time at all, I was fast asleep.
    After Hailey and Mason left for work in the morning, I called the house to see when Hunter would be back up here, and to see how Ryder had coped with his first night in our house.
    “Everything ok?” Hunter said, sounding out of breath.
    “Everything is just fine. I’m waiting for the doctor to make his rounds so I can get the hell out of here. I need you to do everything you can to get me out of here. I’m to the point where