He stands upright, his notorious calmness in a crisis snapping into place. “Of course you do. What do you need?”
Silas pats his arm. “We need to go to London tonight so we can be there when she sees the surgeon. I’m not sure when we’ll be back, but Oz is intending on bringing her back with us.” He pauses. “Oh, and we need to leave Cora with you and Milo.”
Niall’s calmness in a crisis abruptly leaves and he gulps with his eyes bulging. “You want to leave a baby with me? Have you gone fucking mental?”
“And Milo.”
He shakes his head and my hands clench on the sheets at the dismissive gesture. Then I jerk at his next words. “Milo will be fine. It’s me you should be worried about.”
“You love Cora. You’re really good with her,” Silas soothes.
“I’m good at carrying her from one room to the other and then giving her back to one of the three of you. I’m practically an expert at that, but it’s not exactly child rearing.”
“You’re not rearing her,” Oz says smartly. “If we were intending to be gone that long, she’d probably be better off with a pack of wolves than you. She’d certainly end up with more social graces.” He shrugs. “But short-term is fine.”
Niall’s eyes narrow. “How is it that the massive favours you ask from me always manage to sound like insults?”
Oz’s mouth quirks. “It’s a gift.”
Niall shakes his head. “I don’t know. Talk me through it. What if she cries and needs you? What if I break her?”
Then they’re off, all three talking loudly while I sit quietly with Cora in my arms when Oz hands her to me so he can pace. It’s hardly worth me getting involved. When the personalities are this loud and vibrant, I tend to sink into the background a bit more and I always worry about raising my voice because that’s when the stutter came back in the past. I look down at Cora’s tiny face, her eyes as clear and lively as a little squirrel, and I send one finger dancing through her soft, thick hair.
Becoming aware that the voices have stopped, I look up to find them all staring at me. “What?”
Niall smiles. It’s a fond, warm smile that still has the power to make my heart skip a bit. “I said what do you think?”
I swallow. “About what?”
He blinks. “I mean, do you think we can do it? If you say we can manage, I’ll go along with you.”
“Me? You’ll listen to me?”
“Yes. You. Who else?”
“Who knows?” I mutter. I look down at the baby and then back at them. “Of course we’ll manage,” I say quietly. “I know how to do bottles and what you’re giving her to wean her, so she’ll be fed. I’ll move into your apartment so Cora has familiar surroundings. She can come around with me during the day. I’ll use the sling that Oz has.” I think hard. “I’ll stop restoring the Hamilton portrait though. I don’t think the fumes will be good for her. I’ll do your job instead, Oz, which shouldn’t present any problems since Silas spent a year trying to make me into a house manager.”
“You’d have been good at it,” Silas says loyally but I shake my head.
“I’m better with pictures. They don’t talk back.”
“Not something that could ever be said about Oz,” Niall muses. “Any jobs left for me?” His tone is wry but his eyes look proud, which makes me squirm a little.
“Maggie’s away on holiday next week, so you can cook.” Then Oz, Silas, and I groan. “No, ignore that,” I say quickly. “We’ll have takeaway.” Niall sniffs but doesn’t correct us, which he couldn’t anyway. He’s a fantastic but very erratic cook. I don’t know whether it’s because he’s so busy with his phone going all the time and people wanting his attention, or whether he gets distracted, but his meals can be either amazing or so dreadful you swear off food for a few days.
I look up at him. “You’ve got enough on your plate this week,” I say quietly. “Aren’t you repairing the walls in the bottom field?”
His eyes sharpen as his brain almost visibly runs through his itinerary before he nods. “Fair enough. I’ll do my bit around the house, though, and you’ll ring me if you need anything. I’ll tell Barb that you’re to be patched through wherever we are, no matter what.”
I nod and he grins. “Okay, we’re sorted.”
“Just like that?” Silas asks and Niall frowns.
“Milo’s organised it. You need to start paying more attention.” His face softens. “Take Oz and go. Wish your mum all the best from us and don’t worry about a thing.”
Oz looks at Cora in my arms and the war between his worlds is obvious in his eyes. “Don’t worry,” I say quietly. “She’ll be fine. Ring whenever you want, and we can Skype so she can hear your voice.”
He nods and I get up and troop after them, holding Cora tight. Within half an hour they’re packed and ready and after several pauses, while they kiss Cora, Niall and I stand on the steps of the house and watch their taillights disappear down the drive.
