It's a quiet, warm evening as Ricardo sits on the front steps outside of his and Alicia's home. Little Andre sits in his arms, cooing quietly as he waves his fists and looks around, blinking sluggishly. He hasn't been sleeping well, and Ricardo thinks he's teething, or close to it, and sitting outside, feeling the wind on his skin, seems to sooth him. "Just like your daddy, huh?" he whispers, kissing his son's forehead. "Always wanna be outside, be active. Can't be cooped up for too long. Yeah," he sighs. "I get it, kiddo. It's a good way to live."
Andre tosses his head back and stares up at Ricardo with deep, dark eyes, so similar to Alicia as he stares up at him. Ricardo feels impossibly lucky that their child is a perfect blend of the two of them- he sees so much of Alicia in the little boy, but recognizes just enough of himself in there too that sometimes he just wants to sit and stare at him, observe everything- how he keeps changing, growing. He already has a decent amount of hair, with more growing in daily. his skin is a soft, cocoa color, and his eyes seem to grow just a little darker every day.
"Pretty soon," he murmurs to him, "daddy's gonna be going back on the road. Not too often, and not for too long, but here and there. Just locally at first, dip my feet in, see how things are. That may be another thing you understand when you're older- the passion of something. Where you will go anywhere, and do anything, to experience that rush. The passion of something you love doing, that you'd feel empty without."
He sighs softly and stares up at the stars, faint clouds slowly drifting over and blocking the view here and there. "No matter what, how often I'm gone, just remember, Andre. I love you and your mother above everything, ok? I'm doing this for you guys. I promise." He laughs softly when Andre begins kicking, his babbling growing louder as Ricardo reaches down and gently wriggles his toes. "Silly little boy." He leans in and blows in an exaggeratedly fashion against his stomach, making the baby squirm and babble louder. "I love you," he repeats, stroking the baby's cheek. "So much."
"We love you too," Alicia comments, stepping outside and joining them.
Ricardo smiles at her and reaches out, his eyes gleaming as she meets him halfway, smoothing his thumb over her knuckles. "I'm glad to hear it," he says softly, lifting her hand to brush kisses against her knuckles. "Very glad to hear it."
When things get rough, and wrestling doesn't reciprocate his passion and care, this is what he will cling to. This is what truly, at the end of the day, matters.
