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“Hi, pretty girl,” I told her softly, sitting down and pulling her into my arms. “Want some soup for lunch?” It took us about twenty minutes to make our way down and I made sure she was happy in her seat before I warmed some up. We ate together at the table and I talked to her, trying to see how she was feeling. She ate some of her food and indicated that she wanted to play. I took her to her play room, and we played dolls and tea time, making me laugh. This little girl was a character and was working her way into my heart as easily as her dad.
I read her some books in the big recliner when we were done, just holding her like she needed. She fell asleep again in my lap and I rocked her slowly, enjoying the quiet. She might be up late tonight, but she could keep me company that way. I was starting to get sore when she woke up about forty-five minutes later, carrying her to the couch to watch something on TV.
I looked through some parenting magazines that I’d picked up in town once I got this job, planning. Libraries had story time, and the zoo had a special event coming up in the evening soon. Maybe Nathan could join us. I knew that my sister did a lot of those things and enjoyed them. Maybe we could meet up. I wanted Emery to meet Ella so much even though this little girl might not be in my life in a matter of years.
That thought made me sad.
The time when Nathan would normally come home came and went. He’d texted a few times to check on Ella and I assured him that she was fine. I mulled over dinner and thought that we’d order some pizza. It sounded good and easy and I was tired today.
I kept thinking about Carli’s call as we ate. What did she mean?
After dinner, I bathed her and dressed her in pajamas. She wanted to hang out in my room and I turned on some music and dropped some toys on the bed. Elle sat against the pillows and played with the baby dolls as I used my phone to secure the house. Nathan was modern and prepared when it came to our safety.
Ella fell asleep within the hour and I smiled as I tucked the blanket around her. I knew that I’d just keep her in here with me, making sure to cock block Nathan. I didn’t want to move her, and he could sleep this way without worry. I grabbed my Kindle and did a little reading as she slept beside me.
I heard the garage door open in about an hour and made my way to my door to tell Nathan that I had her tonight. He had his suit jacket draped over his arm and looked at me in the dim light from the stove.
“How was your dinner?” I asked as he hung the clothes on the chair. He walked over to me as I leaned against the door, running a hand through his hair.
“Long but we landed the account, so that’s good. How is she?” I smiled at him.
“Great. It was a mellow day, and she wanted to come in here. She fell asleep, and I thought that I would give you a break.” Nathan kissed my cheek and walked through the door to look at her.
“So sweet.” He smiled at Ella for a long moment and turned to look at me. “I am going to take a hot shower and I’ll be back down, okay?”
“You can take a hot shower and go to bed, if you’re tired. You have had a long day.” He shot me a dark look as he loosened his tie and saw me watching him.
“I don’t mind coming down for a while, Riley. Are you tired?”
“Maybe a little. I didn’t sleep today like she did. My sister called and so did Carli.” He frowned. “No particular reason that I know of other than asking about your schedule, so she and your mom can visit. I’m fairly sure it’s free.”
“It’s about time.” He let the tie hang loosely over his shoulders. “I’ll be back.”
I watched as he turned to go upstairs and then went back to my bed. I could read every romance novel under the sun and not one of them would top that man. He had it all and was much more pleasant than some book boyfriends if you broke it down. I opened the book that I’d been reading and got back to it as I daydreamed about Nathan and the future that we might have as I read about the woman in the book being swept off her feet.
Chapter 14: Nathan
It was a relief to get out of the suit after a long day. I stripped it off and dropped it on the bed before walking into my bathroom. I turned on the hot water and drank some water from the sink, swishing it around. The client chose sushi for dinner and while I liked to eat that, I always felt like I needed to brush my teeth immediately. I wasn’t going to properly kiss Riley until I did.
I stepped under the hot water and closed my eyes as it hit my skin. I wondered what Carli was calling about other than the visit. She could call me about that. There was more, and I suspected that she was fishing for information from Riley.
Ella looked cute in her bed when I looked in on her earlier. She was obviously comfortable based on the way dolls were all around her and how she fell asleep so easily. I was happy that she liked Riley, but I wanted to like her more. I wanted to hold her in bed after making love to her, but that would have to wait.
I washed up and rinsed off before washing my hair, stepping out to dry off. Drying my hair first, I ran a hand through it before drying off my body. I looked in the mirror, knowing I needed to hit the gym despite the alternative exercise that I was getting with Riley.
I pulled on the clean pajama pants that I’d picked out and slipped a shirt over my head. I’d take another shower tomorrow, so I let my hair go for the night. I brushed my teeth and headed downstairs for water. I pulled one out of the fridge and secured the house before going back to Riley’s rooms. She was sitting in bed near Ella and I took them in for a moment, letting my mind drift to the future, she looked up from her Kindle and smiled as I walked over to sit on the edge of the bed.
We talked for a bit about how Ella was and what they did today. Riley was looking forward to getting out of the house, so much so that she wasn’t as scared to drive the car I had in the garage for her. She showed me the magazine that she’d circled things in, asking if I could go to the zoo with them.
It sounded fun, to be honest.
I could tell that Riley was tired and smiled at her, offering to let her get some sleep, after making sure that this was okay with her. She walked me to the door, and I kissed her goodnight, longing for more. I knew that we couldn’t be as impulsive as some with Ella to take care of. We’d just have to make the most of the moments. She wrapped her arms around my neck and kissed me back, showing me that she missed me too. I made sure that she locked her door before turning to walk upstairs completely alone. I didn’t even have Ella with me tonight, but she was happy with Riley. I could see her favorite dolls in there and the way she was curled up on the big bed. I left my door open and turned on my TV for some noise, settling under the covers. I was tired after today and knew that sound of the soft chatter would put me to sleep soon.
I woke up a couple of times intending to check on Ella until I remembered that she was safe on Riley’s room. I would turn and go back to sleep each time, worn out from the last few days. When I woke up at seven, I looked around and stretched before going to make some coffee.
I could hear voices behind the door behind me, starting the coffee before going to tap on the door. I heard footsteps and Riley opened the door with a smile as she gestured me in. Ella was awake but still in bed with her doll, and she smiled when she saw me.
“Good morning, baby girl. How do you feel?” I asked before kissing her head. I could tell without a thermometer that her temperature was fine and smiled in relief. I picked her up and took her into the living room for some diluted juice to hydrate her, asking her if she wanted some fruit. Riley followed and poured us coffee, fixing hers with cream. I cut her up a banana and gave her some cherries and grabbed my coffee to sit with her.
