He’d never imagined himself in a situation like this before. With a wife, a baby, a family. He’s a man who’s spent most of his life caring only about his work, and nothing more—so now that he has more to care for, more to worry about, he finds himself grossly underprepared. He feels so guilty, whenever you have to take over a bottle feed or a diaper change for him, because he just can’t get the goddamned hang of it.

He hates to see you get up in the middle of the night to take care of the baby that’s both of your responsibilities. He needs to pull his weight, he knows it. He’s been trying so hard to teach himself, to ensure that he’s the best man he can be—the best husband to you, and the best father to his new little bundle of joy. He’d take a bullet for the two of you, he knows that much already—but he figures learning how to make a bottle is a simpler place to start.

He gives you an unsure little glance as you hold the fussy baby in your arms, who’s being incredibly demanding for their bottle. He holds the little scoop in his hands, ready to take the baby formula from the tub—but, damn it, how much again? And then what does he do after that, and—before he can snap out of his thoughts, the baby is in his arms, instead. “Here, watch.” You tell him gently, taking the scoop in your arms and showing him the correct amount he needs.