Vogue | Tony Stark

SIXTY FIVE - ONE MORE

"Aren't you just the sweetest little thing in the world, hm?"

Esté felt like she was walking on clouds when she held her best friend's baby boy for the first time, feeling his heart beat in her arms and listening to his soft breaths, his tiny whimpers and restless yawns as he squirmed in her hands.

Katy had given birth just two weeks ago, however some complications after her birth meant that she and her son had to stay in hospital for an extra week, finally getting to go home as a family of three seven days later once they got the all clear.

Esté and Alicia were more than respectful of Katy and Steve's wishes to have the first few days alone to get used to things, though they couldn't help but be bursting with excitement to meet the newest addition to the wild family that they were now all a part of together.

It was a Friday night when Tony offered to take Steve out for some dinner and drinks with the other guys, partly wanting to offer his friend some respite from life with a newborn and also wanting to get the lowdown on what exactly he had to come in just a few weeks time himself.

Esté's third trimester had been a blessing. She was in good health and still working on what she could from the comfort of her own home, Tony being adamant that she needed to rest her body as soon as she hit thirty-six weeks. She was happy to agree and take a break from her busy schedule to get any last minute bits sorted for their new arrival, adding small pictures in wooden frames to the walls of the nursery and going back and forth over a long list of potential names.

It almost didn't seem real to the couple that they'd have a baby with them in around two weeks, but when Esté looked down into the small bassinet in Katy's living room and saw Dawson Rogers for the first time, it all became suddenly very real.

Somehow, Katy's ebony hair hadn't been passed on to her son, the boy being born with golden hair and bright blue eyes. According to his mother, he was a complete and utter dream, not crying unless he was hungry and sleeping peacefully most of the day and night, only waking up his parents once or twice in the early hours of the morning.

Esté didn't struggle to believe he was an angel, feeling tears pool in her eyes as she gently rocked him back and forth by the fireplace, in complete awe of the beautiful boy that fell into a quiet sleep once she'd picked him up.

"I'm so happy for you, Katy. He's gorgeous, absolutely perfect," Esté smiled at her friend who was sitting wrapped in a blanket on the couch.

The house was filled with congratulations cards and flowers, small gifts and teddy bears, laundry that hadn't been done yet and a stack of bottles that needed to be sterilised in the kitchen. It was chaotic to say the least, but Esté didn't feel anything but peaceful inside that home, four walls filled with so much love and happiness it didn't matter whether their clothes were clean or they hadn't cooked themselves a proper meal in a week.

"You can't even tell he's my kid, he looks just like Steve," she laughed and took a cup of hot cocoa from Alicia who brought a tray through from the kitchen.

Esté smiled down at the baby, "Yeah, there really are no prizes for guessing who his Daddy is."

Katy had been more than willing to share her experience on giving birth, though Esté was quick to decline the offer. As much as she wanted to be prepared, she knew that no two births that were ever the same, and so what happened to Katy would more than likely not happen to her, too.

She'd heard horror stories about labour and delivery as well as tales of not feeling any pain at all, and although Esté was forever the optimist, she wasn't naïve enough to believe that she would sail through it all with a smile on her face.