That's... really nice and being the opportunist he is, he wrings everything he can out of that kiss, makes it last as long as possible. He's been kind of starved for Beth, for her touch, for those private moments they used to share in abundance. But like she said earlier, next available opportunity. Once the kiss is done, he pulls back just a little and looks down at the fish curled up in his own palm.
"Hey. Beth Junior. Your mom's in love, and guess what? So am I. How 'bout that?" His voice is soft, though, because Junior's just about asleep and hell if he's going to be the one to disturb her. It's been such a kick watching her crawl, watching her taste solid foods for the first time, reaching for things, playing with them, listening to her babble when she has nothing better to do. Sometimes she even babbles herself to sleep and he likes when she does that. He likes it a lot.
She's not doing it now, though. She's fed and comfortable and warm and he never imagined he could love a little kid quite this much. Then again, he never imagined he could love a woman as much as he loves Beth. Even when he feels like an intruder on her world, he still loves her more than he's ever loved anyone.
Losing her would... well, it would really suck. "I can't imagine what it would be like if I hadn't followed Hero out the door that day, Beth. I probably would have lost it by now. Done something really stupid. And I know this has been hard but remember: as hard as it's been, I wouldn't trade it for anything. There's not a damn thing in the whole universe that means more to me than being with you and the baby. Don't ever doubt that."
He really doesn't think she doubts it for a second. As little Beth's grip on his finger loosens -- she's asleep now -- he steals one more kiss from his woman, or maybe he's just borrowing, not really stealing. Right now, he doesn't want to think about what's going to happen when they get to Paris... if they actually manage to meet up with Yorick there. What are the odds of finding one person in a sea of people? He knows what it was like trying to find Julia; that took more than three years.
No matter what happens, it's going to be interesting in ways he can't even imagine, so he gives up trying. Instead he's about to make some crack or other about the veracity of fortune-telling fish when he hears someone approaching.
Shit. He gives Beth a very apologetic shrug, then disappears into the safety of the cloak, moving quickly to Beth's other side. He sits near enough so he can reach out and touch her, reassure her he's there, but not so close that someone could stumble over him.
This... is hard. But it's still a hell of a lot better than the alternative.
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"Hey. Beth Junior. Your mom's in love, and guess what? So am I. How 'bout that?" His voice is soft, though, because Junior's just about asleep and hell if he's going to be the one to disturb her. It's been such a kick watching her crawl, watching her taste solid foods for the first time, reaching for things, playing with them, listening to her babble when she has nothing better to do. Sometimes she even babbles herself to sleep and he likes when she does that. He likes it a lot.
She's not doing it now, though. She's fed and comfortable and warm and he never imagined he could love a little kid quite this much. Then again, he never imagined he could love a woman as much as he loves Beth. Even when he feels like an intruder on her world, he still loves her more than he's ever loved anyone.
Losing her would... well, it would really suck. "I can't imagine what it would be like if I hadn't followed Hero out the door that day, Beth. I probably would have lost it by now. Done something really stupid. And I know this has been hard but remember: as hard as it's been, I wouldn't trade it for anything. There's not a damn thing in the whole universe that means more to me than being with you and the baby. Don't ever doubt that."
He really doesn't think she doubts it for a second. As little Beth's grip on his finger loosens -- she's asleep now -- he steals one more kiss from his woman, or maybe he's just borrowing, not really stealing. Right now, he doesn't want to think about what's going to happen when they get to Paris... if they actually manage to meet up with Yorick there. What are the odds of finding one person in a sea of people? He knows what it was like trying to find Julia; that took more than three years.
No matter what happens, it's going to be interesting in ways he can't even imagine, so he gives up trying. Instead he's about to make some crack or other about the veracity of fortune-telling fish when he hears someone approaching.
Shit. He gives Beth a very apologetic shrug, then disappears into the safety of the cloak, moving quickly to Beth's other side. He sits near enough so he can reach out and touch her, reassure her he's there, but not so close that someone could stumble over him.
This... is hard. But it's still a hell of a lot better than the alternative.