Single Father

Chapter 18

(Danny's POV)

With every circle around the apartment Ella feels heavier in my arms. Her eyes for the first 10 minutes were so focused on me that I thought she would never fall asleep. Now after another five her eyes drift shut.

I walk around again for about a minute just to make sure she was out. Then I set Ella down in the little rocking chair and turned it on.

Standing back up I arch my back and stretch out my tired arms. Ella may be a newborn but my arms got too used to her weight. After my short stretch session I look towards Ryan's room. He hadn't tried to come out and I'm really happy about it.

When I first walked in I saw him talk to Ella. Which was super cute! But then he looked to me and I just saw the weight he was carrying on his shoulders and I could see slight tired irritation in his eyes.

Ryan is doing so well on his own though. I was surprised not getting a word from him asking me to help out, but he might've been right about not needing in. Sometimes all you need is the love between you and the baby... I just hope I'm not actually getting in the way.

As I walk to the room I hear Ryans bed squeak slightly. I wait outside the door for a few more seconds. I had kept the door closed a couple hours ago to keep light from spilling in and to block out any noise from the baby.

I turn the knob slowly and peak in. Ryan lays there still in his big sweatshirt from this morning with the hood on. The covers surround him up to his chest and the pillows are scattered around the bed.

I think back to when I shut the door on him. The kiss he had given me had lingered on my cheek for a while after and so did the blush on my cheeks. I had cursed myself for my blush but I definitely remember seeing his ears turn a light shade of red, so I wasn't too embarrassed.

Ryan has never been open with his feelings with people so the sudden action caught me off guard... in a good way. It showed me that he's willing to go places with me.

After leaving the hospital he had texted me. Then the next day he texted again. From that day forward he hasn't missed a single day. Yes, sometimes I text first but it's cute seeing his conversation starters.

His arms are above his head wrapping around his hood and his legs reach across the bed all the way to the end. His hair hangs down covering his closed eyes and his mouth is slightly open showing he's truly asleep. Only when I see his flushed cheeks do I realize how warm the room is. I tip toe across the room to his window by his bed. I have to lean over the bed to reach the window and to grab the handle I place my knee on the bed to get better stability.

It had stopped raining about an hour ago so I decide to open the window. The window pops open and through the little crack I feel the cool breeze drift by. I open it a little more and the window squeaks slightly. Below me Ryan sniffs and turns over in bed.

Keeping the window where it's at I tip toe back across the room. The door clicks and I finally let out the breath that I was holding. I walk back into the kitchen and lean on one of the counters staring at my big food bag.

The time on the microwave says 1:32 p.m. so I decide to make my lunch. After breakfast this morning I decided to pay Ryan a visit so I packed enough food for two. But seeing Ryan sleep so well I think I'll leave him be.

The food I packed consists of: chicken and beef with egg noodles, some vegetables, spices, a melon and some strawberries, and some boxed brownies from my neighborhood cafe.

I grab a couple pans from his drawers and a big pot to put the noodles in. In one pan I put the veggies (bell peppers, broccoli, and carrots) and in the other pan I put the meat. In the big pot I start to boil water. After about three minutes the water is boiling so I open the egg noodle box and put in the noodles.