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My goal was for the cat to be out of the bag before we went on the cruise. It wasn’t for my sake either. Noa was dreading it because he knew how his mother would react, and I got it. But I was done having him suffer so that Christine could live obliviously.
I closed my eyes and gently ran my fingers up and down Noa’s back.
“Mmmm…” He gusted out a breath and threw a leg over mine.
* * *
I’d considered canceling our so-called visiting hours for our patient, but now I was glad I hadn’t. Lucian needed to be reminded that the community cared for him.
After our nap, we’d moved downstairs to the den. Cam was cuddled up in my chair, and Lucian occupied the couch with almost as many blankets and pillows. And that was how our visitors greeted Mclean House’s ever-composed Master Lucian.
Kit wanted to make sure Lucian would recover and promised to research sugar-free sprinkles options. If there weren’t any, it was about damn time someone invented them—in his words.
“That’s very kind of you, little one.” Lucian humored the boy like a good Daddy should.
“He is allowed to have ice cream, right?” Kit glanced over at me.
“Sometimes.” I nodded.
Kit did not like the sound of “sometimes.” Sweet kid. He withdrew with a silent yikes and sat back with Lucas?—
“Okay, I bring extra chairs!” Noa returned to us with two chairs from the dining room.
Now we were ready for the arrival of Gael and Santiago. Any moment now.
“Thank you, sweetheart.” I sat down on the armrest of the couch, and I yanked Noa to me. “What would I do without you?”
“Die!” he whispered.
I grinned. It was easy to tune out Lucas’s fussing over Lucian when I had my goofball right here.
“No, but I will sic Colt and Reese on you,” Lucas was saying.
All right, I was glad I didn’t tune that part out. A well-placed threat could be highly effective.
“Or maybe not, but you wouldn’t be very happy,” Noa amended.
“I’d be downright miserable.” I kissed him. Hell, I already knew what my life without him was like. “I need my freckles forever.”
He flashed an adorable smile so wide that he squinted. “Forever it is!”
Christ, the boy fucking owned me. Soon as those dimples came out, there wasn’t anything I wouldn’t do for him.
I squeezed him to me and listened on one ear as Lucas told Lucian he’d keep an eye on him, and if my man stepped out of line, the cavalry would show up.
Tempting to see that in real life, actually.
The doorbell rang, so Noa dragged me up from the armrest, and we headed for the hallway.
“Do you need help?” Cam called after us.
“You gotta rest, sicko!” Noa reminded. “These people, I swear,” he huffed. “Why don’t they nap more? Napping is awesome.”
He said that now. He sang a whole other tune when he had a fear of missing out. Then he’d walk around with wide eyes, as if that would fool us.
I gripped the cane a little tighter and unlocked the front door, and Noa pushed it open and beamed at the sight of Gael and Santiago.
“Hi! Mr. West and Kit are already here. Come on in.” Noa stepped aside and offered to take Santiago’s leather jacket.
