She giggles again. But the tinkly sound peters out when her small hand touches my jaw. “Does it hurt where you fell and hit your head?”
“A little, but I feel much better here with you.”
“Yeah, I’m pretty good company,” she says with an exaggerated sigh that could win a stinking Oscar.
When she settles down and we slide into her bed, she snuggles up so close I’m afraid I’ll roll over and smother her in her sleep.
“You comfy, snuggle bug?”
“Uh-huh, are you?”
“Yeah, I’m good.” I spoon her, and she laces her small fingers with mine.
“I love you, CC.”
The prickle behind my nose steals my words. I take a beat to recover before saying, “I love you, too, Maise.”
“But there’s just one thing . . .”
“What is it?”
“I get scared in this old house when Daddy’s not here.”
“Oh, you do?”
“Uh-huh.”
“What can we do to fix that?”
“Well, there is one thing . . .”
“What’s that?”
“When I’m scared, I sleep in Daddy’s bed.”
Oh.
Shit.
“Can we sleep in Daddy’s bed, please, please... please.”
She turns in my hold, and her hands are on my face. “He won’t even know,” she whispers.
“Hmmm, maybe just this once. I won’t tell if you don’t.”
“Deal. But... I have my side, and you have to sleep on the stinky boy side.”
“Um . . .”
“It’s okay, you won’t catch anything. My friend back in the city had a sleepover in Daddy’s bed with me once and they woke up just fine.”
I cackle out loud and Maisey giggles.
Okay, so we’re doing this. I’m sleeping in Quinton’s bed. Maise drags me from her bed by the hand, and we pad through the hall and into his room.
The second I cross the threshold, I’m hit with his sandalwood and spice. And hell, I’ve never missed a person more than I do right now.
Maisey climbs into her side, and I slip into the other. When my head hits the pillow, I’m shrouded by his scent more so. The huge bed is soft and warm. And way too heady. My body has come alive just from the physical proximity to all things Quinton.
