“That’s not the only reason,” I say. “You know I love hanging out with you.”
“Oh please we hang out all the time. You’d be crazy to not sneak out to be with him.” When I hesitate, feeling bad aboutleaving her alone after what she’s just said, she says, “Don’t you dare. Go have fun.” She shoots me a wicked grin. “I have a plan to hatch anyway. It’s time to knock Dima on his ass.”
I grin over at her and then grab my phone, asking Damien when he can meet.
Chapter 11
Damien
I’m holding Lyra to my chest and patting her small bottom when I get a message from Sitka. It’s a text, but I’m alone in the nursery, so I listen to it, grinning when I hear what she’s asked. Still rocking my niece, I send a quick voice message, letting her know I can meet her outside in an hour.
Lyra gives a cute little grunt at hearing my voice but then goes back to sucking her pacifier while her fingers grip my shirt. I’d offered to put her to sleep tonight, and she’s almost there. She’s fighting it, but the rocking chair and the butt pats are working their magic. I’ve never met a baby who could resist the combo. She may not stay asleep, but there’s no way she’s going to fight this battle for too much longer.
I kiss her head, watching her blink her eyes open only to quickly shut them again. After a few minutes, her eyes stay closed and the tight grip she has on her pacifier starts to loosen. I grin at how cute she is and keep rocking her for a few more minutes. When I’m sure she’s in a deep enough sleep, I very carefully carry her to her crib and put her in. After making sure she’s safe and warm, I double-check that the baby monitor is angled so Max can see her easily from the app on his phone before shutting the door and heading back downstairs.
I may love the smell of babies, but I don’t want to meet Sitka smelling like baby powder and diaper cream. Something tells me that would be a mood killer, so I jump in the shower for a quick scrub. I briefly think about easing some of the sexual frustration I’ve been walking around with since last night, but I resist and dry off instead. I’ve listened to the voice message she sent me of her fucking herself an embarrassing amount of times, and every time I hear it, it makes me so hard I can barely think.
When I’m dressed and ready, I step out of my room, finding Ev in the small kitchen. He’s leaning against the counter, waiting for his cup of coffee to brew. He eyes me, giving a smirk while he does it.
“Big plans?”
I grab a bottle of water and take a drink before saying, “Sitka’s on her way over. She’s staying the night with Allie.”
“Is Allie coming too?”
“No, just Sitka.” I try to hide my grin by taking another drink, but he sees it and gives a soft laugh as he opens the fridge and takes out the butterscotch creamer he likes for some ungodly reason.
“Am I going to need to wear noise canceling headphones for a different reason tonight?” he asks.
I hesitate, because I’m honestly not sure what we’re going to be doing or how fast Sitka wants to take this. Since it’s Ev, I just tell him the truth. “I have no idea what the fuck I’m doing. A part of me still thinks I’m opening myself up to a world of hurt, but I don’t know.” I shake my head, still marveling at the hold she has over me. “I can’t walk away.”
“Good,” he says. “You deserve to be happy, Damien.” The corner of his mouth lifts before he adds, “Even if you don’t know what the fuck you’re doing.”
“I mean, I’m pretty sure I’ll figure it out,” I say in my own defense. “But I’m definitely letting her take the lead.”
“At least give me a heads-up before you tell her family. I’d really like to be prepared for that confrontation. We’ll need to let Max know too.”
“Don’t worry. We’re keeping it secret for now.”
He grabs his mug and motions for me to follow him outside. “Come on, I’ll hang out with you while you wait.”
I’m a little surprised he’s not going back to his room to study, but I follow him out and take a seat in the chair opposite his. The salty air is cool and we can hear the waves crashing against the shore. When I tilt my head back, the sky is a mesh of stars and constellations that I’ve never seen before and can’t name. I immediately wonder if Sitka knows them and if she’d be willing to teach them to me.
When I hear footsteps, I sit up and look over just in time to see Sitka’s small form dart around the corner. She’s still wearing my hoodie and she’s pulled the hood up, making her look like the world’s cutest cat burglar. Tipping the hood back, she meets my eyes and gives me a huge smile. When I stand, she runs over to me and then stops when she sees Ev, sitting down and drinking his coffee like he has no intention of leaving.
I lift a brow at him, and the innocent look he gives me has me wanting to kick myself for not figuring this out earlier. I know that look. My stubborn cousin is going to keep his ass parked right where he’s at until I use that goddamn code word he made up.
“Hey, Sitka,” Ev says, pretending like he’s not picking up on our desire to be alone.
“Hey,” she says before looking at me while wondering what’s going on and how secretive we need to be.
Grabbing her hand, I pull her down next to me. My fingers twine into hers while I say, “Don’t worry. Ev won’t say anything.”
“My lips are sealed,” he tells her with a grin.
I’d wanted to keep Max and Talia out of this, but sneaking Sitka into their house is starting to feel like a really good idea when Ev sits back and takes another slow drink. Looking up at the sky, he says, “Beautiful night, right?”
“Yeah,” Sitka says, shooting me another confused look.
