I shook my head and kissed Nicco again.“Just big man-babies,” I said before I realized how that sounded.
Stefan let out a loud, boisterous laugh.It startled Nicco a bit.
“Are you talking about me?Or were there other man-babies?”It was so good to see him laugh.Even under these strange circumstances.
I smiled at him.“Lots of man-babies, Stefan.You weren't the only one.”
That made him laugh again.Even louder this time.“Good to know.Although I'd like to think I was the biggest man-baby you took care of.”
I raised my eyebrows and tilted my head.“You were absolutely my biggest man-baby.”
Stefan could have been angry at what I just said.But it was quite obvious he was in more of a playful mood.And I liked playful Stefan.
A lot.
Playful Stefan was fun.Playful Stefan made me laugh.Unfortunately, playful Stefan hadn't been around all that much at the hospital or in my crappy apartment.
No.
Back then, I mostly had sick, grouchy, in pain Stefan.But whenever playful Stefan did show up, I enjoyed the heck out of him.
He gave me his very best devilish smirk as he raised his hand and touched the outer edge of my jaw with his fingertips.The gesture was so soft and gentle—yet it also held so much.“I never got the chance to thank you for looking after my sorry ass.”His eyes drifted down to my lips.I felt my whole body heat with that one simple caress.Mostly because I remembered what those hands could do.I remembered what those fingers could do.
“It was my job, Stefan,” I lied, gazing into his handsome eyes.Eyes that I could surely drown in if given the chance.
“Bullshit,” was all he said before stepping closer to me—so close our bodies nearly touched—and then he leaned down and—
Pow!
Slap!
A chubby little baby hand whacked Stefan across the face.I stepped back and looked at Nicco, surprised at what he'd just done.“Uh, oh,” I said, rubbing his arm.“Baby, we don't hit people.That makes a big ouchie.Be nice to your uncle Stefan, okay?”
Big blue eyes gazed at me innocently.And then—
Bam!
Pow!
He hit me with his other hand.
“Okay, okay, that's enough, Bruiser.Come here.”Stefan took the baby from me.But he immediately began screaming.
The baby.Not Stefan.
The baby wanted to come back to me.He stretched his arms toward me in the cutest manner.Stefan held firm, though.“No, you can't hit girls.”Stefan grasped the baby's pudgy, lethal weapons in his own hands.“That doesn't fly around here, buddy.You need to apologize to your auntie Francesca,” Stefan spoke sternly to the baby.Not mean, or angry.But firm.
“Give your auntie a hug.Be nice.Okay?”he instructed the little one.Then he let go of his hands and allowed him to stretch toward me.
I grabbed him back—and the baby immediately started crying, hanging onto me tightly.
It broke my heart.“Aww, it's okay.Shh,” I said, bouncing him around slowly as I patted his back.“You're okay.I'm okay.Shh,” I whispered against his sweet, soft cheek.I kissed it because—it was just right there.And he was so distraught.And baby cheeks were surprisingly cute.
Eventually, he quieted down in my arms.
“I can take him if you want,” Stefan offered.He set his hand on the baby's back and on my lower back.
“It's okay.He's probably just overwhelmed.I'm sure he wasn't expecting to wake up to a wedding going on in the backyard.”
