The second Kris walked in through the front door after a long a day in the studio he heard the sound of a newborn baby crying loudly, it's tiny yet powerful voice filled the whole house. Along with the persistent sound the infant was emanating, Kris could hear the hushing sounds of his husband trying to calm their baby down. He put on a worried face and headed toward the stairs in a jog. Even downstairs he could hear his daughter's shrilling screams from upstairs.
Once he had reached his daughter's dimly lit room -the only light in the room was a small lamp on the diaper changing table- he skidded to a stop in the doorway to see Adam holding their daughter to his bare chest, closing his eyes and bouncing very lightly on his toes in wide circles around the room. His strong freckled hand supported Ryleigh's head as he held her, whispering hushes into her tiny ear as she cried loudly. Her eyes crinkled at the sides and her mouth opened wide in a shrill cry. She wore a light pink onesie. Adam wore long black sleep pants and his hair was free of all product and was ruffled in soft tufts.
Kris stepped into the room.
"How long has she been crying?" Kris asked over Ryleigh's sobs.
Adam's eyes snapped opened as he realized his husband was in the room. "Almost an hour," he looked down as if shamed that he had allowed his baby to cry for so long.
Kris stepped closer and placed his hand on Ryleigh's tiny quivering back and rubbed calmingly, "Shh, baby, shhh," he leaned in to kiss the side of his daughter's head as she continued to sob. Adam looked down and his heart ached hearing his baby girl so sad, even though he knew that Ryeligh was most likely fighting sleep. He had previously heard from friends that babies did that. No matter how tired they were, they would resist sleep to the very end.
Ryleigh was a little less than two weeks old, so Kris and Adam had had their fair share of crying baby, but this was the first time that neither of them could calm her down. They spent another ten minutes rocking her, took turns holding her and lightly bouncing her in a dance, they even put on the music for the mobile hanging over her crib but none of it worked. Teeny little Ryleigh kept on crying.
Suddenly an idea popped into Kris' head. "Hold her. I'll be right back," he passed Ryleigh over to Adam who held her to his bare chest again as Kris ran from the room.
He came back with his guitar. "Sit down with her," Kris gestured to the rocking chair.
Adam took a seat in the white rocking chair and held Ryleigh close to him, he leaned back in it and allowed her head to rest on his bare chest, her left ear over his heart. But her eyes were still closed tight and her mouth still remained wide opened in a wail. Adam's right hand pet her newborn fine hairs as a way to try to soothe her.
Kris pulled Ryleigh's toy chest over to the left of the chair and took a seat, and pulled his guitar up onto his knees. Looking down at his baby daughter he began to strum beautiful soothing chords on his guitar. After ten seconds of strumming, Ryleigh's cries began to significantly become lighter, her tiny eyelids opened to look up at her daddy, into his light brown eyes as she allowed her screams to drop to mumbling sobs only emanating every few seconds.
"Baby, it's working," Adam lifted his head to look over to Kris who looked up to lock eyes with his husband with a smile on his lips before turning back to look at their daughter.
After joining eye contact with the Ryleigh for a few more seconds, continuing to strum, Kris began to sing.
Hush my love now don't you cry
Everything will be alright
Close your eyes and drift in dream
Rest in peaceful sleep
Ryleigh's sobbing mumbles stopped and she fell completely silent as she watched and listened to her daddy sing to her. Adam continued to pet her soft newborn hair, but he too was transfixed on Kris.
If there's one thing I hope I showed you
If there's one thing I hope I showed you
Hope I showed you
Just give love to all
Just give love to all
Just give love to all
Kris looked up to lock eyes with his husband as he strummed the acoustic guitar break in the song, giving him a look that silently said 'I love you'. Adam returned the gesture silently. When he reached the part where the lyrics continued, Kris looked down at Ryleigh again.
Oh my love... in my arms tight
Every day you give me life
As I drift off to your world
Rest in peaceful sleep
Ryleigh's tiny eyelids began to droop and even as hard as she tried to keep them opened they fell closed. The last thing she heard before she fell asleep was the sound of her daddy's voice, the strumming of the guitar and the beat of her papa's heart.
Kris continued and finished the song in a whisper looking down at the sleeping angel resting on his husband's chest.
I know there's one thing that you showed me
I know there's one thing that you showed me
That you showed me
Just give love to all
Just give love to all
Just give love to all
Kris looked up into Adam's eyes and stayed locked on them as he finished the song.
Let's give love to all
Let's give love to all
Just give love to all
Let's give love to all
Just give love to all
Let's give love to all
When he was done he looked down at his daughter then back at to his husband before leaning in and joining his lips with Adam's in a slow romantic peck.
"That was beautiful," Adam whispered looking into Kris' eyes.
"It's a song I heard a long time ago," Kris lifted his guitar off his lap to prop it up against Ryleigh's dresser. "I had always wanted to sing it to my baby someday." Kris smiled weakly and lifted his arm to run the back of his hand against his newborn daughter's smooth cheek. He felt her young sleeping breaths on his knuckles.
"Well it was amazing, baby," Adam looked tired laying his head against the cushioning of the rocking chair, his freckled eyelids were beginning to droop as he fought to keep them opened.
"Thank you," Kris whispered. "Here, let me put her in her crib," Kris lifted a sleeping Ryleigh off Adam's bare chest and held her to his own chest as he carried her across the room. "Goodnight, Princess, Daddy and Papa love you," he whispered before kissing her forehead and laying her down in his crib and pulling a tiny thin blanket up to her waist. "See you in the morning, beautiful girl," he crossed the room to turn off the lamp, bringing darkness to their daughter's bedroom.
"Come on, come to bed," Kris patted Adam's knee making his freckled eyelids flicker opened, having falling asleep momentarily in the rocking chair. He allowed Kris to help him up and they both walked together to their own bedroom across the hall.
As soon as Adam reached the bed he lifted the covers and climbed in, falling asleep almost immediately, which was rare for him. Kris undressed down to his briefs and climbed into bed beside his sleeping husband and wrapped an arm around him. He leaned up to kiss Adam's cheek in the dark before whispering, "I love you," and soon after he too fell asleep with his head on the pillow next to his lover, his partner in life, his soul mate.
They both loved being fathers. Ryleigh was their everything. And their little family was the closest thing to heaven they have ever known. The newborn girl, fast asleep in her crib was more than lucky to have Kris and Adam as her fathers. They could love, provide for and adore her for the rest of their lives and she was so very blessed to have them in her life. And it didn't hurt having two daddies that happened to be singers, who could sing her to sleep every night.
based on the song "Lullaby" by Creed. Look it up on YouTube.