Even the Sun Sets in Paradise

Half an hour later, I was feeling slightly better and was therefore having cuddles with Brooklyn. Mel fell in love the moment she saw her.
“She’s so cute, now I want one,” she laughed.
“Just you wait till she’s keeping me up all night, costing me a fortune and needing her nappy changed constantly.”
“I wouldn’t even mind that,” Mel persisted.
“Great, you can do all that stuff for me then,” I joked.
“Nice try,” she smirked, shaking her head. There was a knock on the door and Auntie Julie came in, followed by the midwife.
“How are you feeling?” the midwife asked.
“A lot better now.”
“That’s good. Do you feel ready to go home?”
“Yeah,” I grinned, thrilled at the idea of showing Brooklyn her room. Mel held the baby while I gathered my things together and got checked over by the nurse once more. Upon being given the all clear, we were free to go home. Mel and Layton were insistent on coming home with us, not that I minded. I wasn’t sure I could face everyone coming over, but Mel and Layton were round so often they felt like part of the family. Since it was now lunchtime and everyone was starving, Julie began to prepare some food. I took the baby upstairs, desperately wanting to introduce her to her room, and to spend some time alone with her.
“This is your new room baby,” I told her as I held Brooklyn in one arm, pushing open the door with the other.
“You’ve got lots of adorable clothes, and here are some teddies. Do you like teddies?” I walked over to the window and pulled back the curtain. “Look out the window. You can see the sea from here. Isn’t it pretty? Here is your cot; it looks super comfy, doesn’t it?” I sat down in the old wooden rocking chair, resting Brooklyn on my chest and tracing patterns gently on her back. I could feel her breathing and it gave me butterflies. She was perfect.
“I love you so much baby. You’re only a few hours old but you’re already the best thing that’s ever happened to me. Mummy’s going to make sure you have the best life possible, okay? You’ve got an amazing daddy that loves you to the moon and back. Your cousin Ellis will always look out for you too. Those guys are crazy but they love you to bits. I know Cyrus and Rowan will too when they meet you. I personally think you have the best auntie and uncle in the world. They’ve paid the most towards your beautiful room. They’ve helped mummy in more ways than you’ll ever understand.”

I sat with Brooklyn for maybe another half an hour, talking to her softly until she fell asleep. It was soon after that Layton came in.
“Hey,” he smiled, his face lighting up when he saw how sweet Brooklyn looked fast asleep.
“Hello,” I said quietly, picking up Brooklyn and placing her down on her back in her cot. “She’s beautiful, isn’t she?”
“She takes after her mum,” he smirked, pulling me into an embrace that gave me butterflies once again.
“I can’t believe this is happening,” Layton admitted, “But I’m so happy it did.”
“Me too.” We were silent for a minute, wrapped safely in each other’s arms, possibly the only place I felt completely safe. I could see Brooklyn out the corner of my eye, and that only made me happier. A part of me wished Layton and I were still together, because then we really would be a proper family, but deep down, I knew it was for the best.
“Hey, I almost forgot,” he said, releasing me from his arms. He pressed a tiny velvet bag into my palm. I smiled, knowing what it was before I’d even opened it.
“You spoil me,” I told him, as I stared down at shining silver baby bottle charm for my bracelet.
“You’ve just given birth to my child, this is the least I can do Jenna,” he laughed, planting a soft kiss on my forehead, making me blush. I stared down at the ground, trying to hide it. I cursed myself for letting him have such an effect on me.

By about 5.30p.m, Layton and Mel had gone home. They were going to come back the next morning, but they thought it was best to let me have as decent a night’s sleep as I could, given the fact I had a new-born. Initially, I planned for the baby to sleep in my room, but I eventually changed my mind, deciding it would be more suitable for Brooklyn to sleep in her own room. Julie was adamant that she would cover half of the baby’s feeds and nappy changes during the night, since she didn’t want me falling too far behind on sleep. Having Brooklyn in her own room meant that when it was Julie’s turn, I wouldn’t get woken up, so I guess it was for the best. I went to bed soon after dinner because I was so tired. Julie agreed to take care of Brooklyn for that first night since I was still aching a lot. I was worried I would get protective over the baby and not want anyone else near her, but so far, that didn’t seem to be a problem. I wanted to spend as much time as I could with her, but if anything, I appreciated other people looking after her because it allowed me to get some sleep. At least with Julie, I could trust Brooklyn was in safe hands. I wasn’t sure how I felt about the thought of Brooklyn going to stay with her dad. Don’t get me wrong, Layton loved her as much as I did, but I always feared the worst. Hopefully, he wouldn’t be so stupid as to drink or get high when the baby was with him, but Layton was unpredictable to say the least; I wouldn’t put anything past him. For once though, I didn’t panic and overthink everything. My brain was too exhausted to process anything other than sleep.