Robert nodded once. “Welcome to parenthood. Life doesn’t pause because you’re uncomfortable.”
“You can’t control my house.”
Robert folded his arms calmly.
“I helped buy this house. Watch me.”
For the first time since Maisie was born, someone stood up for me without asking me to justify my exhaustion first.
Robert handed the baby to Gerald.
“You wanted control,” he said. “Start there.”
That first night destroyed him.
By morning, Gerald looked exhausted. His shirt was inside out, the diaper station was a disaster, and he stared at the coffee machine like he’d never seen it before.
“How do you do this every day?” he finally asked me quietly.
I didn’t answer.
By the second night, he stopped complaining.
By the third, he stopped talking about money altogether.
And on the fourth night, I woke up hearing Maisie cry through the baby monitor.
Instinctively, I started to get up.
Then I heard Gerald’s footsteps crossing the nursery floor.
“Hey, sweetheart,” he whispered softly as he picked her up. “I’ve got you.”
A pause.
