Total pages in book: 92
Estimated words: 85154 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 426(@200wpm)___ 341(@250wpm)___ 284(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 85154 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 426(@200wpm)___ 341(@250wpm)___ 284(@300wpm)
“Rough.” She is honest with me. “She wanted to be in my arms more than not.” I don’t know what to say. “It’s okay, she’ll readjust.”
“Fingers crossed,” I reply as she hands me her diaper bag. “See you tomorrow.”
“Are you ready to go home?” I ask as I walk down the hallway. The door opens and in comes the man from this morning.
“Hey,” he says, his suit jacket off, his cuffs rolled up to his elbows, “we have to stop meeting like this.” He laughs, putting his hands in his pockets. Leaving me speechless and, luckily, I don’t have to say anything to him when a little girl yells, “Daddy!” I look over at the girl running to her father.
“Have a great night,” I say as he squats down to grab his daughter in his arms.
“You, too, Eva,” he says my name as I walk out of the daycare.
“That was weird, right?” I ask Cici, who slaps my chest and babbles to me. “Yeah, I thought so, too. He is hot, though.” I look back, seeing him walking out with his daughter toward a black Range Rover. “There must be something in the water,” I say as I buckle her into her car seat.
It doesn’t take us long to get home, pulling into the driveway I’m shocked that Levi is already here. I grab her bag and her and walk up the stairs. “Hello,” I call as I shut the door behind me. Levi stands in the kitchen, his suit still on, the bags from the grocery store on the counter in front of him.
“Hey,” he says, looking up from his phone. Then he looks at Cici and smiles. “Well, hello, you.” He smiles at her and she squeals. “I like to hear that better than you crying.”
I put the bag down on the kitchen table, looking at the big box on the table. “What is this?” I ask, trying to remember if I ordered anything lately. I’ve been known in the past to order things in the middle of the night.
“Oh, that’s something I bought for you.” He walks over to me. “Nothing big. I was hoping to have it installed before you got here, but I had a work call.”
“What is it?” I ask, looking at the box.
“It’s a baby monitor, but it’s a camera one. So you put a camera over her bed or facing her bed,” he explains, opening the box, “and then you can watch her.”
“What?” I whisper, sitting down on the chair because I feel like my legs will give out.
“Yeah, it’s so you can see if she’s sleeping when you put her down.” He’s totally not reading the room. I don’t even know I’m crying until I feel the wetness on my cheek.
“That’s so thoughtful.” I look at him and see his eyes get soft. He walks over to where I’m sitting and squats down in front of me.
“Why are you crying?” His hand comes out and his fingers wipe away a tear.
“I don’t know,” I admit, “I must be sleep deprived.”
He smirks at me, his smile so soft. “Why don’t you go and take a shower, and I’ll watch the baby?”
I can’t help but laugh through my tears. “Do you even know what to do with her?” I ask as he takes her out of my arms.
I wait for her to cry but she doesn’t, he leans in and kisses her cheek. “Not even a bit, but I think I can wing it.” He smiles at her and she babbles back at him. A big gob of drool comes out and falls on his jacket. “Go and take a shower.” He motions with his head toward the stairs.
“If you need anything.” I get up. “Come and get me.”
“You want me to barge in on you naked in the shower?” he teases me, just like he’s done many times before, but this time it feels different. This time I picture him coming into the shower with me, naked as well. “You okay?” he asks and I avoid looking at him, feeling my cheeks start to burn.
“I’ll be back.” I don’t even check to see if Cici is okay before running up the steps and away from Levi. “Good God.” I close the bathroom door behind me. “Can you imagine if he knew you pictured him in the shower with you?” I mumble to myself. “He’d probably barf.” I push off from the door. “You need a cold shower.” I turn the water on. “Ice cold at this point.”
I don’t spend long in the shower, and instead of relaxing, I’m more tense than I was before the shower. Putting on a pair of shorts and a tank top, I pin the hair on top of my head and walk down the stairs. As soon as I get to the last step, he turns from the kitchen sink and I see he’s wearing the BabyBjörn. “Hey,” he says to me as if he doesn’t have a child strapped to his chest. His suit jacket hangs on one of the chairs, his shirt rolled up at the wrists. I don’t even know what to do with the sight of him. Cici looks at me, her arms punching the air and her legs kicking. I put my hand to my chest, feeling like I have a heart murmur or like I feel there is something in my throat. I even clear it, wondering if the pressure will go away.