"Welcome home, Ally," Harry whispers to the sleeping newborn nestled in his arms.
I follow him into the house, setting the diaper bag on the ground and closing the door behind me. I take a deep breath and lean against the door, enjoying the momentary silence, because I know there won't be much with a baby in the house.
I follow Harry down the hallway and into the nursery. Harry cautiously places Ally in her crib, carefully removing his hands from behind her back as to not disturb her.
Harry places his hands on the side of the crib, staring lovingly down at her. "She's beautiful, isn't she?" he asks, his voice barely above a whisper. I smile, even though his back is turned to me and he can't see it.
Harry turns around to face me as a yawn escapes past my lips. His eyebrows knit together on his forehead as the corners of his mouth turn down slightly.
"You should get some rest," he offers quietly, and I nod.
I walk down to the end of the hallway and climb into our bed. I close my eyes and instantly fall asleep.
-
When I wake up a couple of hours later, the house is eerily quiet. I get out of bed and shuffle down the hallway back into the nursery, only to find it empty. I remain stationary and silent, listening for any noise in the house, but there is none. Had Harry taken Ally out of the house so I could sleep? I smile at the thought because that sounds like something he would do.
I continue to pad down the hallway and into the living room when one of the old wooden floorboards creaks under my feet. I hear a sudden breath and I look over toward the couch where a sleeping Harry lies, both of his hands nearly covering Ally's entire body on his chest.
I quickly - but quietly - make my way back into the bedroom to grab my phone off of the nightstand and back out into the hallway. I quietly approach Harry, close enough so he's in the frame of the camera, and snap the photo. I smile down at them sleeping peacefully, wishing it could stay like this forever.
Just then, Harry's eyes slowly flutter open, glancing down at the sleeping baby on his chest before he notices me standing over him.
"Hey," he says quietly, smiling lazily.
"I thought you left."
Harry shakes his head. "No. She was getting fussy so I took her out here so she wouldn't disturb you, and I guess I feel asleep," he says and glances down at Ally again, who's eyes are still closed. "Apparently she did, too."
"You can go finish your nap, if you'd like. You have been attached to her since we left the hospital."
"I can't help it," he says, smiling fondly at the both of us. "She's amazing. Being a dad is amazing. You're amazing. Everything is just-"
"Amazing," I finish for him and he nods with a smile.
Harry carefully sits up, trying to shift Ally around in his arms slowly, so she doesn't wake up. A few strained noises leave her mouth at the sudden movement, causing Harry to stop his movements. I walk over and sit down next to Harry and take Ally from his arms, only causing her to start crying.
"Shh," I whisper, bouncing her gently in my arms, but that only seems to make her cry louder.
"Here," Harry says, motioning for me to place Ally back into his arms.
Harry holds Ally close to his chest as he softly begins to hum. This seems to work in calming her down, since her crying has gotten noticeably quieter. Harry opens his mouth and I can hear him saying something, but it isn't until I heard the words that I realized he was singing.
Isn't she lovely
Isn't she wonderful
Isn't she precious
Less than one minute old
And I never thought through love we'd be
Making one as lovely as she
Isn't she lovely
Made from love
I smile at Harry, who's smiling down at Ally, who's resting quietly in his arms again. Harry glances over at me with the same look and puts an arm around me, pulling me closer to him. I lay my head on his shoulder and close my eyes with a smile painted across my face as Harry places a kiss to the top of my head.
-
I wake up to a muffled cry coming from the baby monitor.
I prop myself up on my elbow to find that I'm now laying in bed. I don't remember going to bed, or even falling asleep.
I'm pulled from my thoughts when another cry emanates from the baby monitor. I swing my legs over the edge of the bed, but I stop moving when I hear Harry rustle next to me. He places a hand on my shoulder before I can get up.
"I've got her. Go back to sleep," he says lowly, his voice thick with sleep. I want to tell him that he doesn't have to, but exhaustion is still weighing heavily on my body. I ignore the urge to fall back into bed and follow Harry into the nursery, rubbing the sleep from my eyes along the way.
Once my vision returns to normal, I see Harry sitting in the rocking chair, swaying back and forth with Ally in his arms. I step closer and smile when I hear him singing to her again. I return to where I was standing a second before, not wanting to interrupt this father-daughter moment.
I watch the two of them for the next few minutes, my smile never faltering, as I think about how lucky I am to have the both of them in my life.
