Owen paces the nursery, tapping Diego on the back after a late night bottle feeding. Rain lashes against the window, with the occasional flash of lightning illuminating the room. Exhausted, he keeps patting him, waiting for the burp.
The boy finally lets out a belch against his ear. Carefully, Owen places him in the crib and prays he will finally go to sleep.
A loud thunder clap shakes the house and Diego begins to scream, destroying any hope of slumber. Owen picks him up and cradles him against his chest. The child sobs and grabs his t-shirt while Owen tries to comfort him, making shushing noises.
"Daddy?" Owen turns to see Mallory standing in the doorway, wide-eyed and frightened. Her long red hair hair hangs down the back of her nightdress and her bare toes are curled into the carpet. One shaking hand clutches her toy dog.
Owen extends his free hand and she takes it, trembling. He leads her to the master bedroom, while Diego clings to him and cries. Cristina raises her head as they enter the room. She sleepily lifts up the blankets and Mallory crawls under them to snuggle against her. Owen flops down into the chair and tries to soothe Diego.
"It's okay," he murmurs to the frightened boy. "When you're older, I'll explain about warm moist air masses moving into the upper atmosphere and causing all of this noise and electricity. Once you understand the science of thunderstorms, they're much less scary."
Terrified, Diego clings to him. Quietly, Owen reflects that this is a healthy sign of attachment in the adoption process, that Diego is seeking comfort from him.
Shyly, Chloe peeks into the room, black curls falling around her face.
"Come on in," Owen says. She smiles a little and comes over to him. He shifts and she climbs onto his lap, reaching out to squeeze one of Diego's chubby hands. Her long legs dangle as she moves around, until she's comfortably lying against him.
Yawning, Owen looks around the room at his family. Always a rock, Cristina is falling asleep, ignoring the noisy thunder. He can't see Mallory hiding under the covers, but he also doesn't hear the sounds of an asthma attack, and that satisfies him.
He glances down at Diego, whose lower lip is still trembling. But he's grabbed Chloe's hand and is curiously looking at her fingers. Chloe's eyes are drooping as she contentedly watches Diego.
This is the life I wanted, Owen thinks. It's a good one.