Clara blinks sleepily, staring up at Ricardo as he hums over her, preparing a bottle for her. "Just a little bit," he tells her softly. "We'll get you fed and you can get some more sleep." He rubs his knuckles gently up and down her stomach, feeling her hands fluttering back and forth as she coos and whimpers. "Aw, it's ok," he continues talking. "I'm sorry you're stuck with me right now, Sofia's out with Andre and mama's napping. I wanted her to rest, so here we are."
Clara makes a soft noise as Ricardo holds the bottle out to her, eager but uncoordinated fingers grasping at it. He watches her with a smile, the baby's eyes fluttering more and more as sleep claims her with the ease of her hunger. "I gotcha," he tells her softly, lifting her up and holding her against his shoulder. "You're good, mi hija."
Marianna stirs a little when Ricardo enters the nursery, but Ricardo murmurs under his breath, humming aimlessly, and she relaxes, allowing him to put Clara down unhindered. He stands there quietly in the shadows, watching the babies sleep side by side. "Love you two," he whispers into the still silence before turning and quietly leaving, relieved when the door quietly clicks shut behind him.
He ventures into the living room, absorbing the silence of the house, settling down on the couch and breathing in deeply before he turns on a wrestling match, volume just a tick above muted. He lounges back and rests his hands behind his head, staring at the TV screen.
He rubs at his forehead and hums, blinking sluggishly. "You made me sleepy, Clara," he mumbles with a chuckle. Sighing, he relaxes into it and squints at the TV screen, imagining his children older, if they'll enjoy wrestling, or fashion, or something else entirely. Maybe soccer, even. Or drawing. Or writing. Or so many other things, their future possibilities are endless.
He smiles, allowing the soft flickering of the TV to ease him the rest of the way into sleep, vague wispy visions of his children's futures playing out before his eyelids.
He's so enamored by the dream, he doesn't even stir when Sofia and Andre returns, holding her fingers to her lips and gently draping a blanket over Ricardo's shoulders. She brushes some of the hair out of his eyes and smiles down at him before turning back to Andre, taking him by the hand and leading him to the backyard where he doesn't need to be as quiet in lieu of all of the sleeping people in the house.
