Us. Together. forever.

A small, mountainside town in Colorado. The morning light just peeked through our room. I opened my eyes to your lovely face. Still sleeping. As I tucked a loose strand of hair behind your ear, you slowly open your eyes and smile at me. I keep looking at you until you playfully push me away and sit up on the bed and stretch. We freshen up and head down to our café to have our breakfast. As I clean up the tables to open the café to our neighbors, you bring in fresh flowers from the garden to our flower shop that smell ethereal. The day moves on. You are in the shop selling flowers while I serve sandwiches and tea to our customers.

Suddenly, I hear a familiar voice calling me. There was a certain urgency in the voice. I head over to the shop to find you sitting on the ground beside the elderly neighbor who called me. You look at me with tension in your eyes. And despite fear filling my heart, I pick you up and place you in my truck. We rush to the nearest hospital. They take me into the examination room while they tell me to wait outside. An hour filled with dread passed by before the doctor called me to the room.

"There is nothing to worry." He said, "But there is something to celebrate." I was confused. But then, the doctor cleared all my confusion in the best way possible, "You're going to become a father." I was ecstatic. He took me to the room where they kept you. Your face told me that you still didn't know. The doctor motioned me to go and tell you as he left the room and closed the door on his way out. I went and sat down beside you. As I took your hand in mine, I saw your eyes. They were wet. You were always like this, overly worrying about every little thing. I got close to your ears and as I slowly whispered to you what the doctor had told me, I felt your hand tighten around mine. When I moved back, your face beamed with joy and you burst into tears of happiness. And while I enjoyed the beauty of you trying to juggle between tears and smiles, I felt a tear run down my cheek as well.

Later that night when we gathered our neighbors and FaceTimed our families for the announcement, amidst everyone congratulating and cheering and hugging, the joy was overwhelming. As the night went on and everything calmed down, both of us lay in bed wondering what to name the little one that was coming. It wasn't long before you were fast asleep. The day indeed was hectic for you. But I? I couldn't sleep. I stayed awake all night. Looking at you. Loving you. Caressing your soft face, ever so lightly, cautious not to wake up the soon-to-be mother.

The more I saw you, the more I realized how lucky I was to have you by me. And how I was falling in love with you, all over again.