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The girls played way later than I intended them to, and after I fed them, they both fell asleep easily.

I followed suit far earlier than I would have any other time.

Halfway in between consciousness and sleep, something brought me out of it once again.

It was the same thump as the night before.

Immediately, I was awake and getting out of bed, exhaustion be damned.

Opening the door, I immediately saw Jade and she did the same thing as the last time. She stumbled forward, landing right on my chest.

She was more restless tonight. She reached for my face, then my shoulder, before she pulled away. Unfortunately, she headed right for my coffee table and was about to run into it.

The only thing that stopped her was me shoving my hand in between her knee and the table.

Pain blossomed from my knuckles and shot up my arm. All I could do was wince and bear it. But at least she hadn’t injured herself.

It wasn’t as bad as the glass table at my previous place. Now that I had two kids with me, I did my best to buy furniture that was safe for them. Seemed I had a bit more work to do.

Seconds later, Jade was roaming around the apartment. I took a second to shake out my aching hand before following her.

“Are you wanting to find a bed?” I put my hands on her shoulders and led her to my room. As her fingers traced the sheets, she lay down immediately.

It was so tempting to climb into bed with her again, but when she’d said no to breakfast, it was obvious that she wanted distance.

I was torn in between giving her the space that she wanted and jumping right back into what I wanted her to be.

“Sleep,” I said, brushing a bright purple strand of hair off her forehead. “I’ll be on the couch.”

That way I could stop her if she sleepwalked in the living room again. Or at least that was what I told myself to ensure I didn’t cross any boundaries. Jade stilled, and I smiled before grabbing an extra blanket and going to the couch.

It wasn’t comfortable, and I was tempted to buy something new if this was going to be a habit.

But I’d made the right choice.

Or so I thought.

Ten minutes later, I heard a slam, and it came from my room. I sat up, considering opening the door, but Jade figured it out herself. She stumbled through the living room before getting to the couch. When she felt me, she climbed on top of me and lay down.

My heart stuttered in my chest.

I’d given her an out. She could’ve had my bed, which was far more comfortable.

She’d chosen me instead.

I sighed.

“This isn’t what you would want if you were awake.”

She huffed and tightened her hold.

It took far too long to get her back into my bed. This time, I gave her a pillow to cuddle with and thought that would do it.

She found me again.

And again.

And again.