“Are you doing okay?” she asked, leaning against the door jam and studying me.
Sighing, I scrubbed the back of my neck. “I’m alright. Tired. Seems like shit keeps hitting the fan and I can’t catch a break lately,” I admitted.
She nodded in understanding, pushing off the wall to stand in front of me. “You’re still settling in. I’d honestly be surprised if you were handed a whole new lifestyle and two needy kids and you weren’t overwhelmed. Can I help in any way?”
Glancing toward the door, which was still cracked open, I lowered my voice, putting my arms around her waist and drawing her closer. “You help plenty. Pretty sure I wouldn’t have made it this far without you.”
She looked like she wanted to argue with that, but I silenced her with a kiss, soaking in her warmth like a balm to my soul. She rested her hands on my chest, leaning into me, but neither of us pushed for more. We were exhausted and I got the feeling Isla would be up at her normal time despite the chaos of the night. We needed rest.
“Get some sleep,” I encouraged, resting my forehead against hers. “And thank you, for coming tonight. It meant a lot.”
Her smile was soft and she gifted me with another sweet kiss before pulling away. “Glad I could help. You sure you’ll be comfortable on the couch?”
I shrugged. “It’s a good couch. Sleep well.”
I was betting I could’ve pushed to join her, but I didn’t trust myself to wake up early enough to escape before Jasper noticed. Besides, lying in a bed next to her without being able to touch her would be torture. I’d take the couch.
CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE
SIMONE
Sleeping in Elias’s bed for the first time without him being there was a little strange, but I appreciated the fact that he didn’t push or make any advances. I was so wiped out by the time I climbed into bed, I was pretty sure I was asleep before my head hit the pillow. I woke up the next morning to the sound of Isla babbling over the baby monitor next to the bed, feeling a desperate need for coffee to get through the day. Slipping out of the comfortable bed, I padded across the hall, finding Isla standing holding onto the rail of her bed and bouncing on her little legs. She smiled at me when I came to get her, reaching for me when I put my hands out.
“Good morning, baby girl. You look better.”
She babbled happily, cooing and talking to me while I changed her diaper and brought her downstairs. Elias was still asleep on the couch, his brow furrowed like he was frowning at whatever he was dreaming about. I figured a happy baby would make him feel better and when I carefully put her on hischest, his arms came up automatically, his frown deepening for a moment before he opened his eyes and looked at us both.
“Oh, hey… What time is it?” he croaked, ignoring Isla grabbing at his face and hair like it was nothing.
“I didn’t look,” I admitted. “Little miss woke me, and I noticed you frowning in your sleep so I thought I’d share the love.”
Of course, she grabbed a fistful of his hair and pulled right as I said that, which made me feel a little bad, but Elias’s chuckle was indulgent and he didn't look mad. Still, to make up for handing off the chaos to him, I offered, “Coffee?”
He groaned and nodded while carefully freeing his hair out of Isla’s grip. “Please. Everything you need for it is above the machine.”
I left him on baby duty and headed for the kitchen. I checked my phone while waiting for the coffee to percolate, smirking to myself when I saw the message from Reagan.
Reagan:Please tell me you took my advice and went to see hottie biker this weekend. If you spent the whole weekend running errands and reading, I’m gonna lose it.
Simone:Wouldn’t you like to know?
She sent back a string of gaping emojis. When I didn’t reply, she sent another message.
Reagan:Don’t hold out on me! What happened?
“Hey, can you watch her for a minute?” Elias asked as he came into the kitchen, pulling down a few mugs for me. “I’m just gonna use the bathroom quick.”
“Sure,” I agreed, taking Isla after pouring the coffee into the mug. After he disappeared upstairs to use the restroom, I snapped a picture of me and Isla, both looking like we just rolled out of bed, smiles on our faces, sending it to Reagan.
Reagan:Hot damn. Was he so good he turned you into Mommy overnight?
I rolled my eyes, typing out a reply one handed telling her I’d talk to her about it later before setting my phone down to put Isla in her high chair. I clipped the straps in, grabbing the tray from the drying rack and sliding it into place. I was poking around the pantry for breakfast for her when Elias came back down. He looked like he’d washed his face at least, and his teeth were clean. I figured that out when he came up behind me with his hands on my hips and smacked a kiss on my cheek.
“Left a spare toothbrush on the counter. I’ll make breakfast.”
The domesticity gave me butterflies and I leaned back automatically into Elias’s embrace for a second. A second too long apparently because Jasper’s gritty morning voice sounded incredulous when he asked, “Are you two together?”
I winced automatically. It hadn’t been my intention to have him find out any time soon. For one thing, Elias and I hadn’t discussed when or how he wanted to tell Jasper about our relationship. For another, things were chaotic enough as it was. It wasn’t the best time to bring up us dating right now.
