In the Footsteps of Our Shadows

Chapter 3: Seth

"You finally got your December day."

At first, Seth thought he misheard. Becky was cuddled up to his side as Roux was feeding, and he was pretty sure both his girls were going to be sleeping in a matter of minutes. "December day?" he murmured, not wanting to distract Roux.

Becky nodded, gently stroking some hair away from Roux's ear. "Jon's birthday is in December. Roman got married in December. And now you have her."

"Huh. Never thought of it like that." Seth kissed Becky's head and lingered there for a moment. Having a newborn seemed to be alternating phases of chaos and cuteness—though sometimes both happened at the same time—but so far his favourite moments were like this one, where it was just the three of them. They had already informed all their family and close friends and posted the obligatory announcement online so their fans knew and now, a few days later, they were starting to find their groove. "If you could have waited a few more days," Seth joked, picking up Roux once she was done feedingfa, "you and your uncle could have shared a birthday. How cool would that be?"

Chuckling, Becky leaned back against the couch in the nursery and watched Seth get ready to burp their daughter. "He'd probably take her to the bar for her first drink too," she replied, "and beat the shit out of anyone who looked at her the wrong way."

"Yes to the first part." Seth draped a cloth over his shoulder and stood, smiling as Roux instinctively snuggled up to him. "He'd teach her how to kick ass on her own, though," Kissing Roux's head, he added, "Not that I'm not going to teach you stuff. But I have to let your uncles contribute somehow, you know."

"Because that pile of books and toys over there just found its way to he house on its own, right?" Becky grinned. All of their friends were guilty of sending too many presents, and they had both decided to donate some of the items that weren't obviously personal. Roux was already incredibly loved, and that was the main thing; she certainly wasn't wanting for anything, but plenty of children were.

Seth started walking slowly around the nursery. "Half of that pile is shoes from Naomi." He still wasn't sure why a baby needed so many shoes when she wouldn't be walking for months, but he wasn't going to complain. The outpouring of love they'd received from friends and family and even some co-workers they barely knew was incredible. He wanted to spend as much time as possible with Becky and Roux in those precious early days, but all the generosity made him eager to return as well, so he could thank everyone in person.

"Roux's blessed with many kind, generous aunties," Becky replied, barely stifling a yawn.

"Becks, if you need a nap, go ahead. I've got her." Seth went back to the couch and kissed her. "Go on. You just fed her, so she won't be hungry for a while. And I was going to call Roman anyway, so I can show her off."

Becky laughed as she pulled her cardigan around herself and stood. "She's going to have more pictures and video taken of her in her first month of life than most people do in their entire lives."

Seth stopped patting Roux's back for a moment so he could hug his wife. Being pregnant during the pandemic had been a blessing and a curse. Not being on the road meant that Seth could be home more often and attend all the important appointments with Becky, but it also meant her family hadn't been able to come over from Ireland. With her father's health in decline, there was a very real possibility that he would never be able to meet his granddaughter, and Seth knew that all photos and video chats in the world could never make that better. "The second any flights open up," he promised, "we'll get your parents over here. Until then, you call them as often as you like. Mom understands how important the calls with your dad are right now."

Becky nodded, pressing her face to his neck. It had been such an emotional few days—overwhelming joy at Roux's arrival, the stress of broken sleep, the deep sadness over her father's health—so Seth wasn't surprised to feel tears tricking down his neck. "I know. Your mom's been amazing. I'm so grateful she's here."

"Me too." Ruffling Becky's hair, he pointed to their room. "Now go sleep. I won't talk to Roman long, and then we can nap."

"Meaning you'll let me nap while you keep an ear out for her." Becky kissed him again before shuffling to the door. "Good thing I waited six years for you to get your shit together, huh?" she added. Her attempts at winking were never great, but this one was laughably bad: she was so tired that her one eye didn't even want to open back up. "Okay, okay. Going to sleep while I can still open one," she laughed, narrowly avoiding the door frame.

The urge to go over with her and tuck her in was strong, but Seth kept walking with Roux until she burped. After he cleaned her up, he tried calling Roman, but there was no answer. Five kids, he reminded himself. He'd been guilty of getting annoyed when friends with kids had to cancel plans, and even after a few days of having Roux at home, he understood now. Feeding, cleaning, diapers: there was so much to do—and even more that could go wrong. "I'm so lucky to have you," he whispered by Roux's ear. "You and Mama." Having kids hadn't always been a priority for him, but as soon as he held her, there was no doubt that he wanted more. She was so tiny and so delicate, but there was already a fierceness in her gaze. She was going to be a force to be reckoned with, and he was sure they would have their fair share of fights and disagreements, but he also knew he'd love her with all his heart.

It wasn't that long ago that he wondered what he was doing wrong, why he couldn't ever seem to stay happy in a relationship, and now he had so many things he had never thought he wanted—a house, a wife, a child—and he had never been happier. Having Roux had already taught him so much in a matter of days; he couldn't wait to see what he would learn in the months and years to come. Knowing he would be sharing that journey with one of his Shield brothers and be guided by the other made it that much sweeter. They already considered each other brothers, no matter how far life took them apart from each other; now their families would connect them in a whole new way.