He’s such a dick.
Slapping his thighs, he stands. “Right, well, I have work to do now. You two staying here?”
I shake my head. I’ve had enough of being at my desk and hiding from Haven. “No, I’ll come too.”
“Well, I’m not staying here by myself,” Hendricks grumbles. “Actually, I need to check on the donkeys.”
As the three of us walk out into the yard, I spot Clementine walking out of the gates, and an idea pops into my brain.
“Hey Clem, wait up, will you?” I call out as the twins walk off in the direction of the stables.
She waits for me to catch up with her, and when I do, she slings her arm around my shoulders. “What’s up, big bro? Where’ve the terrible two gone?”
“Who knows.” I shrug. “Anyway. You know how I’m your favorite brother?”
Clementine pauses her stride and hums quietly. Her mouth twists while she thinks—too fuckinglong in my opinion—but I need a favor, so I’m not going to rise to it.
“Jury’s still out. But please go ahead with whatever you need.”
I roll my eyes. After Miles, she’s easily the most dramatic. “Can you take Haven to that place you and Mum go to? The one with the massages and stuff?”
Her brows shoot up. Now I have her attention, though they’re equal parts interested and bemused. “Thespa?”
“Yes. There.”
“Sure, why?”
“Because. . .” I shrug. “Why do women go to spas? To relax, I guess. She’s just had a baby. Can you go to a spa if you’ve just had a baby?”
She stares at me, and it’s obvious she wants more of an explanation. I’m not sure I want to admit the rest of my reasoning, but I also know Clementine will stand and wait all day for it because she’s as stubborn as the rest of us.
“I had Everly for the first time last night . . . in my room. . . sleeping. . . and she woke up once,” I tell her. “It was stressful.”
Stressful is an understatement.
I don’t know if it was coupled with the “almost kiss,” but I barely got a wink of sleep. No wonder Haven’s exhausted if she spends most of the night watching our daughter sleeping. I’ve done it for one night, and she’s been doing it for two months.
I also haven’t forgotten our meeting in the coffee shop when she told me she’d cried every day. The loneliness in her eyes, or the pain written all over her face as she told me about Everly’s birth.
I don’t ever want to see that look again.
“And can you get her nails done too? If she wants.”
That’s something else I’ve noticed since she’s been in England. Her nails are bare. One of the things I distinctly remember about her last year was them being painted like Christmas—red and green with festive pictures. I specifically remember them when her hand was wrapped around my cock, but I’ve been trying not to think about that.
I look down at Clemmie’s nails. They’re painted black, and they’re a little chipped around the edges.
“You could do with getting yours done too.”
My sister steps back and drums said nails against her chin. “So what you’re saying is, you’re paying for Haven and me to have a full deluxe spa day, including a mani / pedi and facials? Hot stone massages. . . some lymphatic drainage perhaps. Ooh, maybe a seaweed wrap. . . some laser. Come to think of it, they might have a new mummy package. I don’t know what the rules are for mums, but I’ll find out.”
God, it’s like we’re speaking another language. “Isn’t that just what I said?”
“And what will you be doing all day?”
My chest puffs as I answer, “I’ll be spending the day with my daughter.”
“Wow, Al. Spoken like a real girl dad.”
