Waking up to Sylvia’s soft crying was the best way to wake up. She cooed and whined but wasn’t truly unhappy. Why would she be? She had two doting fathers who loved her unconditionally and would give her the moon if she’d asked for it. She just needed some snuggle time, which I happily gave her. Because I needed it just as badly.

Being away from my family for even a few days was too long. I didn’t think being away from Ash and Sylvia would be as hard as it was. But I underestimated my dependence on them already. I was completely and totally infatuated with both my daughter and my lover and I had a hard time relaxing or even fully breathing when I was a plane ride away from them. But that wouldn’t be a problem very often. I came home with a generous job offer in hand and a contract that allowed me to work at home full-time with the option of using video conferencing for the annual meetings if Ash wasn’t able to travel with me. It was the perfect scenario. Everything was perfect.

I took my time getting Sylvia dressed while Ash hopped out of bed and ran to the bathroom. I had a pot of coffee brewing and was trying to calm Sylvia with a pacifier when I heard the first heaving sound coming from the bathroom.

Sylvia wasn’t very happy about being forced to wait for her breakfast, but I could tell Ash was having a rough morning.

“You okay, babe?” I called through the bathroom door, desperately wanting to go in after him but not wanting to invade his privacy if he wanted it.

“I’m fine. I’ll be out in a min—” His words were cut off by another violent retching sound.

Privacy it is.

“Let me know if you need anything.” I backed out toward the kitchen, gently bouncing Sylvia on my shoulder while I pulled out a carton of eggs to make breakfast. I didn’t eat much the night before because I was so anxious to get home and I was starving. I dropped a few slices of bread in the toaster then attempted to crack eggs with one hand. I’d seen it done on a few cooking shows but it’s not as easy as they make it look. I had to toss four eggs full of broken shells before I gave up and went to check on Ash again.

He was curled up in bed with the pillow over his head. When he heard us enter, he lifted the corner to look at me. “I’m sick. I’m not sure if you should get any closer. I don’t want either of you to catch whatever the hell I’ve got.”

As if she understood what he was saying, Sylvia let out a loud wail. “Uh, that’s not really gonna work for someone.”

Ash tossed the pillow to the side then reached out for her. “Fine, but if she gets sick too, that’s on you.”

I handed over our daughter then crawled into the other side of the bed, resting my palm over Ash’s forehead as Sylvia finally settled down. “You don’t feel warm.”

He closed his eyes then leaned against my shoulder. “I must have eaten something bad...or maybe it’s just stress.”

“Stress?” I lifted up on one hand so I could look into Ash’s face. “About what?”

Ash’s eyes grew wide and he opened his mouth but nothing came out. I hadn’t seen him that upset since he stormed into my apartment to tell me off that night I met Sylvia.

“What, babe? Talk to me.” I brushed a few strands of hair from his temple, pleading with my eyes for him to open up to me. I wanted the kind of relationship where he could talk to me about anything. “I can’t help if you don’t tell me what’s on your mind.”

He let out a deep sigh and looked like he was about to open up to me. But then he gasped and slapped a hand over his mouth. “Take her,” he mumbled before shoving Sylvia into my arms as he slid off the bed and ran to the bathroom again.

My poor omega really was sick. The retching sounds started the second Ash’s knees hit the tile on the bathroom floor. This time, nothing came out of his empty stomach but painful noise. It was heartbreaking to hear Ash dry heaving. His pained grunts made me feel completely helpless. “Ash, maybe we should go to the doctor.” I put the baby in her crib then wet a towel to wipe down Ash’s sweaty forehead. “This could be serious.”

He leaned back against the bathroom wall then took a few deep breaths. “I’m feeling a little better. I think whatever needed to come out is out.”

“I hope so.” I helped him up and back into bed. “But you’re gonna rest today. If you’re up for pumping, I’ll take Sylvia to my mom’s so you can sleep.”

He contemplated my offer for all of one second before grabbing my arm and pulling me on top of him. “No way in hell are you leaving me again. I’m feeling better already. Give me a few minutes for my stomach to fully settle and then we’re spending the entire weekend together in this bed.”

* * *

When he said we were spending the entire weekend in bed, he wasn’t exaggerating. Except for changing Sylvia and preparing some simple meals, we didn’t get up at all. We watched a John Hughes marathon and ate junk food from the freezer. My favorite part was when Ash pointed out his favorite scenes of each movie since I’d never seen them before. I wasn’t ever a big movie watcher but with Ash reciting quotes and singing along to the soundtracks, it was my new favorite hobby. At least my favorite hobby while Sylvia was awake. When she was asleep, we had a completely different hobby that I liked a whole lot better.

On Monday morning, we were both reluctant to say goodbye to the little cocoon of each other that we’d created. I wanted to keep Ash locked up at home forever, but he had a job to get to. And I still had classes. I’d arranged to finish out the semester since there were just four weeks left, but only because I didn’t want to lose the credits if I decided to finish my degree in the future.

“If I can get out of my lab early, I’ll try to meet you at lunch.” I nibbled on Ash’s ear at the door as he tried to back away.

“Text me…” He pulled away and looked at his watch. “But I’m about to be late for my first class. Call me after you drop off Sylvia. ”

“I will, babe.” I blew him a kiss before he turned away. “I’ll call if I can sneak away. Love you.”