“Love you too.”
I walk back into the room and find Juliette wide awake, sitting up in the dark against the headboard. She must have heard our conversation.
“I’m meeting Seb tomorrow?”
The sound of tiny feet trotting down the hallway has us pausing our conversation. Claud stands at the doorway, withone pigtail still intact, the other a wild mess, tightly holding her favorite blanket to her chest.
No words are exchanged. Juliette opens her arms up. Claud walks over, gets in the bed, and snuggles up to Jules.
“Did you have a bad dream again?” Jules whispers softly against Claud’s temple, where her lips are pressed.
“Mmmhmm,” Claud mumbles.
“Okay, you’re safe here. Go back to sleep, sugar plum.”
We silently wait for her to fall back to sleep, and I’m left standing here thinking of any possible reason in the world Sebastian could not love this woman.
“Tomorrow?”
“Yeah, baby…tomorrow.” I climb into bed with my girls and lay on my side to watch them both.
“So, wife. Huh?” she teases, biting her bottom lip.
I reach my arm over Claud and run my thumb along Jules’s face. “You are everything good in this world, and I’m never letting you go, beautiful Juliette.”
25
Harrison
I rollover to pull my girl into my arms when I see Claudina lying in Juliette’s arms, wide-eyed and ready for her day. I put my finger to my lips so she doesn’t wake Juliette, then take a breather to calm my body before getting out of bed. I forgot Claud came in here last night and was two seconds away from taking off my briefs.
Fuck, that would have been bad.
Slowly, I get out of bed and put on my workout clothes, then quietly lift Claudina out of bed.
“Shh,” I whisper, then walk us out of the bedroom and into the kitchen, sitting her down on the kitchen island.
“Good morning, my precious angel.” I kiss her on her forehead, then her right cheek, and left. “How did you sleep?”
“Good.” She smiles, kicking her legs back and forth. “I wish I could sleep with you guys every night.”
Sounds fucking terrible.
Mornings are my favorite time of the day with Jules. When we wake up, we are too tired to talk, so instead we make sweetlove, half asleep and cuddly while I take her from behind in my arms.
“You’re a big girl, Claud. You need to sleep in your own bed.”
“I know.” She pouts.
I’m relieved when I open the fridge, and it’s stocked with what I need. “Do you want to make Juliette breakfast, and we can all have breakfast in bed before school?”
“Yes, yes, yes,” she chants. “Does she like pancakes?”
“Of course, who doesn’t? Can you cut the fruit, please?” I hand her a bowl with her child safe knife and begin preparing the batter. “Don’t forget that Jules will pick you up from school today, not Willa.”
“Oh yeah. How come?”
“School is only half the day today, so Jules will pick you up and bring you to the park. Then me and Uncle Sebby will meet you there.”
