Dylan Arthur Shelby had entered the world a little over four weeks ago and already he was beloved by so many, but none so much as by his parents. Neither Saoirse nor Tommy could believe that they had been able to live their lives without knowing how it felt to love someone in the way they loved their son. They were enthralled and entranced by everything he did; every yawn, every burp, every gurgle was the most amazing thing to them both. In just a few weeks he had changed so much and every day he managed to look more and more like his father, if that was even possible. He was going to be a heartbreaker one day, especially with those orbs that were already darkening like Tommy's and that seemed to look into the soul of whomever they stared at.
Tommy opened his eyes as the birds outside began their morning chorus. From the bassinet, the baby shifted about and even though she was half asleep, Saoirse's arm reached over to soothe him before he woke himself up. But Dylan didn't want to settle and instead had decided it was time to get up. As usual, he made a noise of frustration before launching into a full-blown tantrum that left his parents in no doubt whatsoever that he was awake and ready for attention.
"You go back to sleep, love and I'll get him," Tommy kissed Saoirse's shoulder.
"That's sweet, Tommy," she smiled. " But unless you've somehow started producing milk in the last few hours, I don't think you'll be very well received. "
"Fair point," he conceded. " I can at least sit up with you though."
"You don't have to do that," she assured him. " You must be tired considering how much he had us awake in the night, and you sat up with me for every feed. "
"I did," he nodded, smiling as Saoirse brought Dylan into the bed and began unbuttoning her nightgown. "And I love sitting up with you two. I never want to miss a moment of anything with my favourite little man."
Dylan, as though sensing he was ever closer to his next meal, began to fuss and whine, turning his head this way and that before suddenly clamping onto Saoirse's nipple when she guided his mouth towards it.
"He's got a voracious appetite, I'll give him that," Tommy smirked, stroking the baby's head. " I swear every time he feeds, he suckles as though he's never eaten before."
Hmm," Saoirse smirked back, grimacing slightly at the discomfort she felt.
Polly was of the opinion that Dylan might be having some sort of growth spurt because he was feeding so often all day and night lately. Last night he had only woken every hour for a feed, but the night before it had been every fifteen minutes and Saoirse had been about ready to cry if he had continued in that manner. And Tommy, God love him, was so attentive to her and the baby. If she was up feeding him, Tommy would sit up with her just offering encouragement or helping to keep her awake. She tried repeatedly to tell him that he needed his sleep because he was working every day and that it wasn't fair on him, but all he would do was kiss softly and remind her that they were a team and that he would rather be awake with her and Dylan whenever he had the chance.
"Did I tell you what happened to Ada yesterday?" Saoirse spoke.
"You told me she had an argument with Laura Meadows about who had picked up the last piece of green yarn, that was an absolute bargain price, first on the market stall," he answered, lighting up a cigarette out of habit before quickly extinguishing it when he remembered the baby was right there.
"Oh, so I didn't tell you the other thing?" Saoirse's eyes twinkled mischievously. " So, I went for a bath and Ada offered to watch Dylan for me. Anyway, Polly had gone to the shops and I had just finished washing my hair when I heard Ada screaming, and honestly, I thought she was being murdered the way she was going on. So, I came running down as quickly as I could and when I got into the living room, Ada was screeching her head off and when I eventually got her to calm down, I realised that she had been changing Dylan's napkin and he peed right in her mouth."
Tommy burst out into peals of laughter that actually made his sides ache. Saoirse giggled with him until she was red in the face.
"Oh, I'd have paid good money to see that," Tommy chuckled, running a hand across Dylan's soft head as he fell back asleep against his mother. " Who'd have thought someone so little could create so much chaos, eh?"
"Hmm," Saoirse smiled as Tommy's other hand caressed her face. His finger trailed across her lips and she pretended to bite him. " I love you. "
"And I love you," he leaned forward to kiss her. " I love both of you. I didn't realise what my life was missing until both of you were in it."
"You're such an old softie really, aren't you," Saoirse murmured against his mouth.
"Old?" Tommy pretended to frown.
"I still love you though," she winked playfully. " Let me put him down and then I can kiss you properly."
"Pass him to me and then you can kiss me properly, otherwise if my hands are empty there's no way I'll be able to keep them off of you."
Tommy scooped Dylan up gently before Saoirse could even answer. He lay down slightly and rested his small son against his bare chest, right on top of his heart, before pulling Saoirse into his side and wrapping his arm around us.
"Only a few more weeks and then you can have your wicked way with me again," Saoirse joked.
"It's a few weeks too many," Tommy sighed, but truthfully, he didn't mind. Their relationship was more than that.
Saoirse, God love her, had offered to give him some release over the past few weeks but in a true exercise of restraint he had somehow resisted. He would hold out until she was healed and ready then he would worship every inch of her in praise of the child she had given him.
"I wish we could stay like this forever sometimes," Saoirse sighed contentedly. " Just me, you and Dylan; living in this little bubble where nothing can ever hurt us. "
"Nothing can hurt us regardless of where we are," Tommy kissed her head. "I would never let anything or anyone hurt either of you. I'd die before that happened."
"I know," Saoirse nodded. " But I can ' t help but just think that I don't deserve to be this happy. There ' s part of me that always thinks something terrible will happen because it's just not in my destiny for everything to be alright."
"You've been through a lot, Saoirse," Tommy ' s arm around her squeezed gently. " You're bound to feel this way. But I promise you that there is nothing for you to worry about. Things are going great with business, and the only thing I want you to be concerned about is looking after Dylan and looking after yourself."
"And looking after you," she smiled, kissing her chest and then Dylan's soft head.
"And looking after me," Tommy agreed.
"We should really get up," Saoirse mumbled.
The two of them must have drifted off again and Saoirse knew that as much as they wanted to, they were unable to laze the day away. There were things to be done.
"Hmm," Tommy grunted, making no effort whatsoever to move.
He was comfortable and relaxed with not even the slightest bit of tension in any part of his body. He relished this feeling; wished he could bottle it and carry it with him everywhere.
"Tommy," Saoirse ' s fingers danced across his ribs making him let out a short laugh. "Come on lazy bones."
"Just a few more minutes," Tommy muttered. " Weren't you the one who said they wanted to live in this little bubble forever? And now you're desperate to escape. "
"Yes, but that was before I realised just how starving I was," Saoirse admitted, her stomach choosing that exact moment to gurgle loudly as though proving the point.
"Well, I shouldn't like for you to waste away," Tommy sighed, sitting up and keeping a sleeping Dylan held tightly against his chest. " Let's get dressed and go down. If we're lucky there might still be something to eat for breakfast, and if not, I'll rustle something up for us."
"Tommy Shelby offering to cook," Saoirse pulled a face at him. " Wonders will never cease. "
"Do you hear this, my boy?" Tommy smiled down at his son. "Mummy's being mean to me. I don't think we can stand for that, can we?"
Dylan wriggled and did nothing more than let out a very loud gust of wind from his rear. Tommy pulled a face of mock disgust and realised that if Dylan was anything like he had been, he would most definitely be a mummy's boy, and therefore would always take Saoirse's side in everything. Not that Tommy minded really.
"You'll survive," Saoirse grinned, buttoning up the green dress she had slipped over her head before gathering up her auburn curls into a bun.
Her hair was finally growing out now and she loved being able to tie it up and keep it out of the way. She took the baby off Tommy so he could get dressed and smiled when he opened his eyes and stared right at her.
"Hello beautiful boy," she cooed in a sing-song voice. " Who's my best friend? You are, that's right. You're so handsome, aren't you? Oh my god Tommy, look! He ' s smiling. Tommy, he's smiling."
Tommy was by her side in no time, his hands fastening his tie as he looked on eagerly.
"You missed it," Saoirse sighed. " I promise you he smiled. "
"I believe you," he reassured her. " He ' s a clever boy, aren't you?"
This time, Tommy himself witnessed the little smile that spread across Dylan's face and he felt his own mouth curve upwards into a beaming grin.
"Polly'll probably say it's wind," Tommy said, stroking Dylan's chubby cheek. " But what does she know, eh?"
As if he understood exactly what was being said, Dylan broke out into another huge grin and sent his parents all cuckoo again. Tommy's elated eyes met his wife's and he understood the subtle look she gave him. Things really had changed for the better.
"Tommy, don't let him get too close in case it bites him."
"He won't bite, will you boy?" Tommy crooned, rubbing the horse's nose affectionately as he held Dylan in his other arm.
It was Dylan's first time at Charlie's Yard; somewhere he would no doubt spend much of his childhood– if he was to take after his father. After being fussed over by Curly and then held by Charlie, who proclaimed he was thankfully starting to look more like his mother, Tommy had decided it was time for Dylan to meet the horses. Saoirse, however, didn't seem as enthralled by the idea.
"You don't know that," Saoirse chewed her lip nervously. " I think I'd prefer it if you brought Dylan away from the horse. He's too little to be near it; there could be an accident. "
"Saoirse, I was around horses before I could even walk," Tommy smiled at her. "He's a Shelby, and the sooner he gets used to horses, the less nervous he'll ever be around them."
"Hmm," Saoirse made an unconvincing noise.
"Thought I heard my favourite nephew," Arthur appeared with a grin, taking the baby from Tommy without even asking.
Dylan gurgled in Arthur's arms, his pudgy fist clenching tightly around his uncle's little finger before he tried to bring it to his mouth to eat.
"Well, he is a lot better behaved than any of John's, I'll give you that," he grinned. " And he's certainly a lot quieter. Although not when he's screaming the house down in the middle of the night for food he's not. Me and aunty Ada and aunty Pol are knackered. It's a good job you're such a cute boy, eh?"
"Arthur, haven't you got actual work to be doing?" Tommy eyed him drolly. " Instead, you're pissing around here, fawning over my son like some love sick puppy. "
"Just came to get something from Charlie," Arthur explained, his eyes never leaving Dylan's face as he rocked him slightly from side to side. "But I couldn't resist the chance to see my favourite nephew when I heard Saoirse flapping about him being near the horse halfway down the bloody cut, could I?"
"See, even Arthur thinks you were unnecessarily worrying," Tommy gave her a triumphant look.
"He didn't say that, Tommy," she pulled a face at him. " And I don't care if I am worrying unnecessarily. I'm a mum; it ' s my job. "
"And you're a good mum," Arthur smiled at her. " He's lucky to have you. "
"You know Arthur, sometimes I really think I married the wrong brother," Saoirse teased, taking Dylan from him when he started to fuss.
"Right, Arthur, go and get on with whatever it is you're meant to be doing," Tommy said abruptly. " Saoirse, stop flirting with Arthur and pass me the baby. I'm going for a little walk with the horse and Dylan ' s coming with me. "
"Over my dead body he is," Saoirse was horrified at the idea.
"That can be arranged," Tommy winked playfully.
With a sigh of resignation, she knew she was never going to win this argument, and she trusted Tommy to keep their son safe. Maybe she would use the time to have a nice relaxing bath and have a quick nap. Her face broke into a smile at the thought of uninterrupted sleep, and she suddenly decided that Tommy could stay out with Dylan for as long as he wanted.