sleepy promises

Tonight I cuddled with Alex for an extra long time. I was tracing his face and pressing those comfort spots on his face when he has a nose cold. Poor guy is getting the sniffles. While running my finger tips over the bridge of his nose and sweeping them under his eye over the thinnest of skin, I thought of his small skull under my hands, the delicate bones, the image of it and knowing that some day it will be that way, just a skull. That made me want to keep him so close and dear, to dash away all thoughts of time marching forward. I whispered that I will always keep him safe, while I watched his eyelashes flutter on his cheeks and I listened to the sweet rhythm of his breath, while we cuddled in folds of flannel and sleep.