Owen POV

Being a dad was the best thing I've experienced in life so far and it had only been 6 weeks since our Ruby girl was born. Not only did I love spending time with her, her mom was pretty awesome too.

"Amelia, are you just as excited as I am for Shepherd-Hunt Memorial Hospital's grand opening tomorrow?"

"Well of course. I can even have Ruby with me while I do some administrative work a few days a week until I'm ready to come back from maternity leave."

It was no secret Amelia was suffering from some post partum anxiety. Ruby was starting to sleep six hours at a time yet Amelia would still check almost every hour or two to make sure she was still breathing despite us having an angel care mattress pad and an owlet monitor sock Ruby wore every night. She wasn't keen at all on anyone other than the two of us holding her and it was like pulling teeth to get Amelia to just go shower without Ruby being in her immediate sight. She obsessed over her and I'd just take it in stride. As long as neither of them were hurting, it didn't matter to me. She was starting to get less neurotic once we moved out of the rental and into our new home which was a beautiful farmhouse built in 1902 but had been completely updated right before we bought it. It had six bedrooms and four bathrooms. I'm sure much of the house was added on but it was still a southern dream house.

"Hey babe, what if we go out for dinner tonight? Derek and Meredith offered to watch Ruby for us. It's just one night and we will see her first thing in the morning for the hospital's ribbon cutting ceremony and grand opening."

Amelia looked at me with her eyes bugged.

"You mean over night? Absolutely not. No. She's only six weeks old."

I took a deep breath to keep myself levelheaded. Maybe her PPA was starting to get to me.

"She's also sleeping really well. She takes to bottles and you've pumped more than enough to last her through the night."

"Owen, what if they drop her or something? She's only 10.5 pounds now."

"Amelia, they have 3 kids and we have one. I trust them. They trust us with their kids so maybe we can try a little harder to trust them with our one baby? They're doctors after all. God forbid anything were to go wrong, she's in perfect hands."

"I don't even want to picture anything going wrong."

"Yet you do. You do it all the time which is why we're held up in the house day in and day out. This isn't healthy."

"Well excuse me for keeping you held up. You're a big boy. You can do whatever you want."

I took another deep breath and rubs my temples. It was clear we weren't making any progress.

"It's not a matter of me missing out on things. I still go run errands and I've been in and out of our hospital getting things together for it to open. I just want you back. I know you worry about Ruby. I do too. Our little girl is so strong, in perfect health, and such a happy little baby. I think it would do you some good to just have a mommy daddy night without our baby."

"I'd miss her so much Owen."

"I will too but we can send her with the owlet monitor and I'm sure we can call or text Derek or Meredith at any time for updates. It will do you some good to sleep through the night again."

She looked down at Ruby who was contently nursing away. The girl loves to eat and definitely loves her mama.

"Okay. Only to Derek and Meredith's. I don't want them taking her out anywhere and the kids need to be mindful and at least use hand sanitizer when they hold her on the couch."

"I'm sure that won't be an issue. You finish up feeding her and I'll pack her bag, her pack and play, owlet monitor, and the cooler with her bottles of breast milk."

Amelia was still extremely hesitant but just nodded, not wanting to take her eyes off of Ruby until she had to.

.

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Once I dropped Ruby off with her aunt and uncle, I went back to the house to pick up Amelia for dinner. We were just going somewhere simple enough so she picked Olive Garden. Italian food is Amelia's favorite.

The entire drive there, Amelia had my free hand in a death grip. She clearly was stressed out. We were still making progress though. Ruby was with Derek and we were on a date.

"I'll have water with lemon and the chicken parmesan. Thank you."

"I'll have the same order. Thanks."

Amelia sat across from me in the cozy booth but kept checking the time on her phone. Each time she pushed the middle button, a picture of Ruby asleep on my chest lit up. It was amazing to see Amelia's transformation into motherhood. Even with her anxiety, she was an incredible mom. I couldn't have asked for anything more.

"Text them and check in on Ruby Roo. Have them send a picture."

Amelia smiled sweetly and started typing away. By the time we got our drinks, Meredith had sent us 3 pictures of Ruby with the kids and one of her doing a little bit of tummy time on the floor. All pictures had Ruby looking as happy as could be which I know helped Amelia feel a lot better which helped me feel reassured I was doing the right thing by pushing for a night just the two of us.

"She's so precious... She has your dimples, Amelia. She'll never want for anything. Remember when she was born and I said our little family was everything to me?"

"Yes and I said Ruby was everything..."

"You are everything to me, babe. Truly I feel that you. are. everything. I cannot imagine my life without you by my side. That feeling proves to be true every time I see you with our sweet little girl that our love created which luckily for me is more times than not. From the first time we were together to you telling me you really were pregnant... the first time I felt her kick... watching you give birth to such an incredible little human being completely drug free... Hell you were slowly contracting for nearly 12 hours before your water even broke and you had passed it off as Braxton Hick's contractions. You're amazing. What you said to me in that stairwell, that you and I make a family. That's true. I longed for children, of course. I came to you when we were separated and told you if it was too scary for us to have kids that I didn't want any. You were enough. You've always been enough but I have this newfound love and respect for you. So cheers to you, to us, and to our precious baby. May the three of us and any others who join us always know how much love our perfect little family has for one another. I think we are capable of handling anything the world has to throw at us."

Amelia had happy tears streaming down her soft cheeks and clinked her glass of water against mine.

"Owen, I love you so much. I know I'm not myself since giving birth. I know I'm as hormonal as they come. You've been so patient, understanding, and accommodating. I won't ever be able to thank you enough for the love and patience you have for me."

"You don't have to worry about thanking me. You've made it more than worth it. I love you more than life itself."

.

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After dinner and a FaceTime call with Derek and our baby, Amelia really seemed to be enjoying herself which meant I was on cloud nine. We got home and immediately went upstairs to get ready for bed. It was definitely nice to have her mostly undivided attention again, if only until the morning. Hopefully Derek and Meredith keeping Ruby for the night could be some break through and Amelia could learn to trust others with our baby especially since she did plan on going back to work when Ruby turned 12 weeks. We laid beside each other softly cuddling and just appreciating each other's presence. When I felt she was fully relaxed, I started to gently kiss her. I missed having time just the two of us and now at 6 weeks post partum, she could have sex again.

"Owen, stop."

She moved away from the line of fire and started chewing the inside of her lip. She was nervous, I could tell. I pulled back but still partially hovered.

"Amelia, what's wrong? Your doctor cleared you... You look amazing and we've had a really good night so far. Reconnecting with you would make it even better."

She tucked a stray bit of her hair back and to my surprise, actually looked me in the eyes.

"I want to. I want you definitely and even more after your incredible swoon worthy speech at dinner. However I just had a baby and while my body has mostly bounced back, I think I might feel different to you. I did just have a baby. Maybe you won't like it... They stitched me up well but you never know... I would hate for you to feel grossed out. I've worried about that since I got cleared a few days ago."

Her words made my heart cinch with guilt and made me long for our reconnection even more. It felt like ages since we had been together so intimately.

"Amelia, I bared my heart to you at dinner. There is nothing you could do that would make me not like being with you. It's okay if it feels a little different. That's not what this is about. This is about us sharing our love in a way only the two of us can. I wouldn't ever be grossed out by your body because I love you. I love all of you."

As if Niagara Falls started flooding, here she was crying again.

"Thank you Owen."

"No need to thank me, it's the truth. I am crazy in love with you Amelia. That won't ever change."

I started to wipe her tears and she fully let me then pulled me down onto her again for our passionate kissing to continue. I could tell by her hitched breath she was wanting me as much as I wanted her. I moved one of her hands from my face to the large bulge now in my boxers. I heard her let out a soft gasp as if she couldn't believe I truly wanted her.

"This is what you do to me Amelia. This is what I feel for you. I want you like I want oxygen to fill my lungs."

She blushed crimson and gave me one of her dimpled smiles. It wasn't often she was so calm.

"Have me Owen. I want to feel you in me. Love me. Please."

I stole a kiss and gently bit her bottom lip as I pulled away to admire her in all her beauty. I made quick work to slide off my shirt and boxers while she did the same to her tank top and shorts.

"I'll make good of my word many times over. Get ready..."