When we were both finished,lying on our backs staring up through the skylight above the bed, I smiled.
“That was very good, Mrs. Marshall. Very good.”
“It was, Mr. Marshall. I think my need has been growing for the past week, despite the fatigue and loss of sleep.”
“So, I know the way into your panties now, do I? A good sleep is all it takes?”
She rolled over and laid her head on my shoulder. I could see her smile. “That and all your sweet talk about traveling the world.”
We moored the boat and drove back home to Westhampton, where Alexa took some time to feed Leif and I sat with Mr. Dixon on the patio and talked about the space business.
When Alexa was finished, she brought Leif out for me to change and I was happy to take him to the table where I laid out a change pad and did my duty, changing his diaper and putting him in a clean onesie.
“All done,” I said and went out to the patio where everyone was sitting. We spent the next half hour talking to them and sharing time with Leif.
Then, we said goodbye and left once more, driving along the coast, taking in the sights and enjoying the rest of our day together. We went to a local seafood restaurant for our dinner, enjoying fresh shrimp and crab.
We spent the evening at the B&B, watching some sports, then after a bubble bath and a nice slow session of lovemaking, we went to sleep around midnight.
As with the previous night, Alexa woke up and had to pump once in the night, but we quickly fell back to sleep.
We woke the next morning, and then repeated our previous day’s activities, with a nice brunch at the local restaurant, then a sail along the coast.
When that was done, we packed up our bags and drove back to the beach house, our forty hours of vacation over.
When we arrived back, Alexa’s dad was waiting with baby Leif in his arms. He smiled when he saw us.
“Back so soon?” he said, his wide smile telling me that he had been enjoying himself with his grandson. “We could have done another twenty-four hours you know. There are a couple extra bottles, and if you fed him now…”
“No, we’re relaxed and refreshed and ready to be parents again,” Alexa said, giving him a smile. She took Leif in her arms gently because he was sleeping and when he was back in his mother’s embrace, he woke and started snuffling like he could smell her.
“I guess he knows who his mother is,” Mr. Dixon said with a grin. “The bottle is good enough, but as they say, breast is best.”
“That it is,” Alexa said. When Leif let out a loud cry, she turned to me and smiled. “And like Pavlov’s Dog, when I hear him cry, my milk lets down.”
“Nature is wonderful,” I replied and carried our overnight bags inside the house.
It was good to be back to the beach house and our regular routine, as much as I enjoyed our nights away. I loved my life with Alexa and Leif and wouldn’t exchange it for anything.
While Alexa fed Leif, Mr. and Mrs. Dixon and I sat in the great room while they both finished a cup of coffee.
“Frankly, we needed the caffeine to stay awake,” Mrs. Dixon said with a laugh. She looked a bit tired, her blue eyes a bit bleary. “But we loved being with Leif and we’re glad he’s such a happy camper. Alexa was a colicky baby at this age, so we were pretty sleepless and stressed until she seemed to get over it at four months and started sleeping through the night.”
“She slept through the night at four months?” I asked, incredulously.
“Yes,” Mrs. Dixon said and smiled guiltily. “That’s when I stopped nursing and switched to formula. I know that you young people don’t approve, but we finally got a good night’s sleep and Alexa’s colic seemed to pass. Maybe my milk wasn’t rich enough? I don’t know but it was pretty smooth sailing from then on.”
I nodded. “We figure we’ll get there at about six months if we’re lucky. Thankfully, Leif is pretty happy most of the time. Not fussy.”
“He must have inherited your temperament,” Mr. Dixon said with a chuckle. “Alexa was a fussy little thing, always squirming and wanting more to drink.”
I turned and watched her feeding Leif, his face pressed against her breast, his hand on it like an embrace. She was staring down at him with such love in her eyes, that I felt my heart swell with my own love for them both.
When she was finished feeding Leif, she handed him to me for the burp. I quickly placed a cloth diaper over my shoulder and proceeded to pat him on the back until he let out a huge burp. Luckily, nothing else came up so I didn’t have to clean up and then I sat him up and let him stare around at his grandpa and grandma while Alexa went to make us some decaf coffee.
* * *
We followedthem both to the front door when it was time for them to head back to the city.
“Thanks again for doing this,” I said.
“Yes, thanks so much,” Alexa added. “We got a nice break and spent some time on the water.”
“The time alone together is so important,” Mrs. Dixon said and leaned over to kiss Leif on the head. She then gave me a quick kiss and one-armed hug. Mr. Dixon did the same with me and then Alexa hugged them both.
We watched them walk to their car and then waved as they drove off.
“Well, Mrs. Marshall. That was a very nice escape.”
“It was,” Alexa said and closed the door. “Back to the real world, which I love more than anything.”
“Me, too.”
* * *