Baby's First Christmas
There wasn't going to be much under Drew and Rick's tree this Christmas.
But this year their six-week-old daughter was more than enough. In fact she was almost enough to make them they were supposed to be celebrating a holiday. Fatherhood was a joy both had wanted but until months ago—when Drew's sister had offered to carry Rick's child, believed wasn't in the cards. Seeing the baby girl be born was by far the most amazing experience of their lives.
Even topping their wedding day.
When Maddy Lincoln-Alister came into the world since he, Rick was the baby's biological father Rick insisted that his husband cut the newborn's umbilical cord. Drew hadn't argued. Holding their baby against their bare skin in a private room afterwards was beyond magical. How they had lived their lives without her even after just moments with her, they didn't know. Now six weeks after she was born, life without her seemed like light years ago.
"You like those lights, don't ya, pretty baby?" Rick was laying on the carpet with his daughter in the rec room. Maddy couldn't take her eyes off the Christmas tree. "Next year there'll a bunch of presents underneath there for you."
Her dads wouldn't known what to get Maddy; between what they had bought for her arrival and what their friends had given them they didn't know what was possible to get for her. For her first Christmas at all six weeks old, the tree seemed to be the thing Maddy liked most. And if "spoiling" her was giving her too many cuddles and kisses, barely putting down only a nap or diaper change or bath was wrong, they weren't going to be right.
From the doorway Drew smiled, watching the two people he loved the most in the entire world. Topher had told him that fatherhood would change his outlook on life the moment that his child took her first breath.
He was right.
Both Drew and Rick had burst into tears at that very moment. Neither thought they had that many tears in their bodies.
Maybe it was to get some relief because her mother and fiancé weren't hitting it off but Jordan and her mother Jorgina dropping to the Lincoln-Alister home on Christmas Eve. The woman seemed perfectly nice; she fussed over Maddy and didn't complain she wasn't dressed girly enough. She asked Rick about his upcoming job and asked Drew if he thought fatherhood was going to change how sick children affected him at work.
Then she did it; made a snide comment about TC.
"You both are such darlings. My daughter's intended is more rough around the edges than I would have chosen."
"TC is a great guy," Drew defended his friend, less verbally defensive than Jordan would be.
"I can assure you we're more 'rough around the edges' than you think," Rick said.
Both men were beginning to see why Jordan and TC weren't exactly enjoying her company.
Knowing Jordan, Drew was surprised that she hadn't already gone off on her mother if that were the way she was talking to TC.
"Maddy loves her uncle TC," Jordan said tensely, trying to sound light.
"Really? She has great parents but this sweetie had very limited experience to judge character, dear," Jorgina replied.
"If she's not at a hotel by tonight I'll be shocked," Rick said the two women left. "Are you sure it was Jordan in love with Scott, and not her mother? Wow."
Looking the ultimate picture of cuteness Maddy in a red sleeper with white reindeer had fallen asleep by the end of The Night Before Christmas.
"I wonder if this is her present to you?" Rick asked after they placed Maddy in the basinet. "Time for me to get you outta those boxer shorts."
"It'd better be good 'cause I like those shorts," Drew teased, despite being visibly ready to burst out of them.
"Sure. Looks like it, doctor," Rick said, taking his husband by the hand and leading him to the bed.
Their daughter was too young to know what was going on a few feet away. Sounds of ripping foil from condom wrappers and the opening of a tube of K-Y were quickly followed by pleasured groaning. The presents they had purchased laid wrapped and untouched in the closet. This is probably be the last time for years to come they could get away with this. When Maddy did wake up later Rick mused that it was a good thing Maddy was an infant or the notion of Santa Claus would've gone bust. The few presents they had managed to find—that she didn't already have were clearly in her view.
No one woke up till close to midnight.
"I don't hear anything on the roof," Rick said, to Maddy. "Maybe the big guy is running late because I know you were very good. I guess daddy and I had to be very good to get you, too." While Rick fed Maddy her bottle Drew decided to put the gifts under the tree.
"It just occurred to me that we wrapped gifts for her so we can unwrap them in a few hours," he said.
"And next year we'll probably have to do the same," his husband replied. "Maybe the year after that lil' miss can do it herself."
Drew smiled, leaned in and kissed Rick and then their daughter.
Claudia was going to be at the house early to put on the turkey. She warned the two not to touch it. It could be peanut butter and jelly breakfast after all if they didn't know when dinner was.
There were a lot of Christmas-theme photos of their little cherub around the house but none of Maddy with Santa Claus.
"We tried four times," Drew explained. "She wasn't having it."
END OF PART 1