victoria

 

 

Bradley placed a small fruit bowl on the patio table in front of Victoria and gave her a kiss. “Here you go honey, I hope you like it. You need the energy.”

“Thanks, sweetie,” she said to him with a smile.

“Victoria, here’s some whipped cream for your fruit. Don’t be coy, you’ll like it!” called out Bradley’s mom, shoving a bottle of whipped cream into Victoria’s hand and ignoring her protests.

“Mind your manners, young lady. You can have it when Victoria’s done, ok?”

Bradley chuckled, looking around the table. His mom and sister had joined them for brunch, and since it was such a gorgeous day, they decided to have brunch outside on the patio of their Connecticut home. The patio overlooked the backyard, complete with beautiful green leafy trees and a rose garden on one side and an organic vegetable patch on the other. They’d bought the house one year after their wedding, and Victoria was in love with the house and discovered that she had a real knack for gardening.

“I’m really outnumbered by the ladies here,” Bradley said with a laugh, to no one in particular.

“Not for long,” said Victoria with a bright smile, holding up a baby monitor and pushing her chair back simultaneously.

“Need some help?” Bradley said, already moving towards the patio door.

“No, honey, it’s ok. Stay here with your mom and sister in case they need anything. Ok? I’ll be right out.” She gave him a warm smile as she slid the patio door open.

He had turned out to be an even better husband than she expected. Little Bruce was just three weeks old, and Bradley had already proved to her what an involved father and husband he was. When she gave birth, he took four weeks off work, which was unusual for male doctors.

He got up whenever the baby and Victoria did, and kept her company while she nursed the baby, giving her the nursing pillow and bringing her water and snacks. In the mornings, he’d wake up with the baby and give him a bottle of pumped milk so Victoria could get some extra sleep. Her heart warmed whenever she thought about how sweet and loving he was with the baby.

She was enjoying her maternity leave, and hadn’t decided yet when she’d go back to work. She was one of the firm’s star associates, so she had considerable clout when it came to negotiating her time off. She even considered not going back at all, and instead taking on consulting work that she could do from home. Right now, she didn’t want to stress out about that – she’d make the decision when the time came.

Bradley had done extremely well during his residency, and was an extremely busy and successful doctor. Her father was his biggest fan and sang his praises to everyone who asked about him or his daughter, and never brought up the fact that he used to be a stripper. Well, almost never. Sometimes, he’d tease Victoria when they were alone with a cheesy joke or two, but she just laughed it off.

Her steps quickened as she approached the baby’s nursery. His cries made her anxious, which she figured were only natural. It was all worth the stress when she finally saw his little face, with its button nose, big blue eyes, and full and long eyelashes. She reached down into the crib and picked him up ever so carefully. She was so paranoid about his head flopping back or otherwise not holding him properly. He quieted down as soon as he heard her voice.

“Hi, baby,” she cooed, snuggling him close to her and breathing in his scent.

She changed his diaper, which took longer than one would expect, because she couldn’t help but just stare at that innocent little face, her heart full of love and wonder. He was a product of their love, and the center of their lives. Her eyes got misty when she looked into those little eyes, which she knew couldn’t quite focus on her yet.

“You can hear me, though, can’t you, sweetie?” she said to him sweetly. He made a soft squeaking sound and turned his head towards her, and she could have sworn she saw his lips turning up at the corners. She set up to nurse him, but he didn’t want much, probably because she had already nursed him just an hour ago before he fell asleep for a nap.

She heard voices from downstairs as she burped him, softly tapping his back while he cuddled against her. They had probably all come inside, eager to see Bruce again as soon as possible, even though they had seen him just an hour ago, before his nap. She changed his outfit for the third time that day and headed towards the door.

“Can I hold him, please?” asked Emily, with wide eyes and a shy smile.

“Sure,” Victoria said. “Just make sure you support his head with a hand or your arm, ok, honey?”

She showed Emily how to hold him, and then gently laid Bruce in her arms. It still felt weird to hand him over to anyone other than Bradley, but she was working on getting used to it.

“Smile!” said Bradley with a grin, holding up his phone to take a picture.

Victoria quickly sat down beside Emily and hugged her around the shoulder, giving Bradley and his phone a wide and sparkly smile.

Bradley was as handsome as ever in a black t-shirt and jeans that hugged his backside. Even after three years, she couldn’t get enough of him and she knew he felt the same way. He never missed a chance to show her how much loved her and how beautiful he thought she was.

She stood up and followed him to the kitchen, and as soon as they were out of everyone’s line of sight, she wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him deeply.

When their lips parted, he looked into her eyes with a look that told her he was absolutely madly in love with her, and willing to do anything for her.

“Honey, have I told you yet today how much I love you? Seeing you with Bruce is so sweet…you’re the best mother. And I’m honored that you’re my wife.”

She couldn’t help it. She drew closer to him and gave him another deep kiss, a kiss that drew upon all her love and tenderness for this man, the man who had made all her dreams come true.

 

THE END