It's incredibly surreal, watching his family with Dane, watching his mother hold the grandchild she'd always wanted, the one he was sure he would never be able to give her. Ellie had made no secret about wanting grandchildren, but Joel had given up on finding anyone to spend his life with a very long time ago and at twenty-two, Charlotte cheerfully announces she's still far too young to be thinking about any of this, which is a sentiment Brian generally seems to agree with. Joel suspects it's Charlotte's way of just avoiding the conversation altogether, because while he thinks his sister would make a great mother, he's also not entirely sure it's something she wants for herself, which is a fair choice and one she has to make for herself. In a way, Joel thinks he and Spencer may have taken the pressure and expectations off her a little, because he has a feeling his mother is going to spend the next few years very distracted by Dane.
He smiles when Spencer's arm goes around him and he wraps his arm around his husband in return. Shifting, he leans in and presses a kiss against Spencer's temple, resting his lips against his hair and just holding himself there for a moment. This is where he's most comfortable, as always, wrapped up with Spencer, and this is where he needs to be at the moment. They're surrounded by their loving family, but being with Spencer is what he always wants, especially in moments like this, when his emotions feel like they might overwhelm him at any given moment.
"It does feel a little... it feels surreal," he agrees with a soft breath of laughter, turning his head again so he can face his family, his arm still around Spencer, keeping him close. "In a good way, of course. It's just... it's like Spencer was saying, it feels like we've been waiting for this for such a long time. Getting ready for it, building the nursery, the parties, all the stuff Spencer bought and I returned," he continues, gently teasing before he heaves a giant, helpless sigh. "I can't believe he's finally here. He's finally real."
He understands how the development works, how the baby grows before he's born, but at the same time this is far more real to him than ultrasounds had been. Hearing Dane's heart beating for the first time is the only thing that comes even remotely close to this, but even that isn't the same. Not nearly as real as being able to reach out and touch Dane's soft little cheek, which he does without moving away from Spencer.
"Don't worry, he's going to start feeling very real, very quickly," Ellie assures him with a laugh as she cradles Dane gently and rocks him back and forth. He's still staring up with wide eyes, but after a moment they start to droop sleepily and Joel would swear his heart actually swells with how adorable their baby looks, drifting off to sleep in his grandmother's arms.
"I can't wait to take him home," he says softly, squeezing Spencer against him. "I can't wait to put him in his car seat and show him his nursery and introduce him to the animals." He's a little nervous about how excitable Huxley might be, but the dog has proven to be smart enough, even if he is a little prone to jumping up on things he shouldn't, and Joel thinks they can teach him fairly quickly how he's expected to act around the baby.
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He smiles when Spencer's arm goes around him and he wraps his arm around his husband in return. Shifting, he leans in and presses a kiss against Spencer's temple, resting his lips against his hair and just holding himself there for a moment. This is where he's most comfortable, as always, wrapped up with Spencer, and this is where he needs to be at the moment. They're surrounded by their loving family, but being with Spencer is what he always wants, especially in moments like this, when his emotions feel like they might overwhelm him at any given moment.
"It does feel a little... it feels surreal," he agrees with a soft breath of laughter, turning his head again so he can face his family, his arm still around Spencer, keeping him close. "In a good way, of course. It's just... it's like Spencer was saying, it feels like we've been waiting for this for such a long time. Getting ready for it, building the nursery, the parties, all the stuff Spencer bought and I returned," he continues, gently teasing before he heaves a giant, helpless sigh. "I can't believe he's finally here. He's finally real."
He understands how the development works, how the baby grows before he's born, but at the same time this is far more real to him than ultrasounds had been. Hearing Dane's heart beating for the first time is the only thing that comes even remotely close to this, but even that isn't the same. Not nearly as real as being able to reach out and touch Dane's soft little cheek, which he does without moving away from Spencer.
"Don't worry, he's going to start feeling very real, very quickly," Ellie assures him with a laugh as she cradles Dane gently and rocks him back and forth. He's still staring up with wide eyes, but after a moment they start to droop sleepily and Joel would swear his heart actually swells with how adorable their baby looks, drifting off to sleep in his grandmother's arms.
"I can't wait to take him home," he says softly, squeezing Spencer against him. "I can't wait to put him in his car seat and show him his nursery and introduce him to the animals." He's a little nervous about how excitable Huxley might be, but the dog has proven to be smart enough, even if he is a little prone to jumping up on things he shouldn't, and Joel thinks they can teach him fairly quickly how he's expected to act around the baby.