Page 38 of Let's Be Forever

My bleary eyes flutter open, and I’m treated to Sylas’s large figure. The room is barely lit, the bulbs illuminating the room just enough that I can make out where he’s sitting on the edge of the bed, holding a mug and plate.

I reach for my glasses on the nightstand as I sit up, but he picks them up before I do and hands them to me.

“Morning.” His smile is the first thing I notice. It’s a devastating crooked grin curled on his face. The flutters, even after a year of dating, burst in my stomach. They go wild as always, and I’ve come to the conclusion that they’ll never die.

“Morning.” I return the smile, albeit mine is a sleepier version.

I used to not wake up early unless it was necessary, but since I started dating Sylas, things have changed. When he was still at KYU, I’d sleep over at his place, but that meant I’d be awakened by his alarm whenever he had to get up early for practice. At first, I’d go back to sleep, but then I decided to stayawake to spend the extra minutes with him as it became harder finding the time to be together.

It wasn’t intentional, but one day we both woke up earlier than usual, and we drew the curtains back a little to let the sunlight peek through while we talked.

Eventually it became our thing, talking until we couldn’t lie in bed anymore. Bagels and coffee were introduced when he heard my stomach grumble one morning. I told him I’d be fine with coffee, but he was vehemently against that, claiming it wasn’t okay to drink coffee on an empty stomach.

So now we have those two things. It’s nothing extravagant, just jam or cream cheese. We’ve actually tried many different flavors, but the ones we enjoy the most are fig and guava.

Leaning forward, I give him a chaste kiss on the cheek and jump off the bed before he can grab me.

“Come back,” he whines, smacking my butt softly.

“I need to brush my teeth first.” I yawn, grabbing his T-shirt from where it’s haphazardly hanging from his dresser and tugging it over my head. “I hope you know you’re not getting this back.”

I really don’t need it. I have many of his shirts in my apartment, but I like how this one feels and how it smells like him.

“Good, it looks so much better on you anyway.” I don’t see it, but I feel his eyes roam over my body.

I grin, bending down to pick up the forgotten condom foil from last night. It doesn’t take me long to do what I need to do and settle in the bed next to him.

The curtains are open, giving us a small glimpse of outside. It’s still dark out, the sun slowly making its way to our corner of the world. Like usual, we drink our coffees, share our bagels, and talk about everything and anything until the rays make themselves known.

Hair and hands on my face stir me awake. I rub the sleep away; still, my vision is blurry, but I know who’s all over me.

“Mama,quiero ir baño.” Rosie sits on my chest, her face mere inches from mine, hands cupping my cheeks.

Sometimes she sleeps in her crib. Last night, she wanted to lie with me.

I stretch my limbs, reaching for my glasses. I put them on and smile at my little one.

I want nothing more than to just roll around in bed. I can’t remember the last time I actually did just that, but I know those days are over. Maybe once she’s in college. Or—I almost forgot—when she’s spending the night at Sylas’s home. We haven’t talked about how we’ll co-parent, but I imagine eventually he’ll want her to spend the night. It’s still too soon, but one day it’ll happen.

My chest grows heavy at the thought, but I shove the feeling away.

I’ll be going over to his condo to talk through the details because we didn’t get to when he came over a week ago. He spent most of his time playing with Rosie until she had to go down for bed. He wanted to help, but I had to draw the line at letting him in my bedroom.

I already felt overwhelmed having him in my home; I couldn’t let him in my room. It was too much, and my home isn’t too big. It’s actually no different than the apartment Jenny and I shared in New York.

I chuckle dryly because I realize not much has changed. Besides us having a baby together, I’m still very broke, and he’s still very rich.

“Muy bien,Rosie. Vamos al baño.”

During the day she doesn’t wear diapers, but at night she has to wear a Pull-Up. We’re still working on it, and I think we’re almost at a point when she won’t need them.

After I’ve taken her to the bathroom and we’ve brushed our teeth, we get ready for the day. Maya is up and has already made breakfast for the three of us. I keep telling her she doesn’t need to do that, but she insists it’s the least she can do. Not sure it balances out making her sleep on my not-so-comfortable couch, or having to share a single bathroom, or watching a toddler, but what do I know.

“Rosie, no juegues con la comida,” I warn her, taking the strawberries she’s trying to sneak into her pocket.

“You know what’s so good about being an aunt?” Maya drops on the chair next to her, taking one of her grubby red-stained hands and using a wet paper towel to clean it off.

I set them on her plate and pick up my fork. “What?”