Isla rolls her eyes before asking which room is hers.
“There’s only one room.”
Three sets of eyes snap to mine in sync, forcing my Adam’s apple to bob.
“I’ve set up my room for you and the girls,” I advise Kristin while guiding her to the room that has brand new bedding and a cot made up in the corner. “And I’ll sleep on the sofa bed.”
“Like camping, Awex?” Addison asks, her voice still stuttering over her L’s. When I nod, she asks, “Can we make s’mores?”
Her excited voice has me nodding without a thought. I’ll set up a bonfire in the middle of my living room if it keeps her looking at me like she is, like I’m a superhero, not realizing she saved me as much as I saved her the past year.
“No s’mores until tomorrow. It’s late, which means it’s time to brush your teeth and get into bed.” Ignoring the girls’ gripe, Kristin ushers them into the bathroom.
While she ensures their teeth are sparkling clean, I move into the kitchen to make a call. Due to the late hour, it takes Regan a little longer to answer than she did the first time around.
“Hey.” Her voice is groggy, making me wonder if she’s been crying or was asleep.
“Hey, did I wake you?”
I swear I can hear her lips incline down the line. “No, I’m watching Axel. Raquel is helping Isaac, meaning I’m on babysitting duty until my mom arrives tomorrow morning. He’s asleep on my chest. It’s why I’m so quiet.”
“Did his latest nanny not work out?” I ask, recalling her telling me earlier this week that Raquel had been through three nannies in five days.
Regan laughs before it quickly switches to a shush. “He’s teething, so he’s being a royal pain in the butt.”
I smile. Fuck, I love when she talks about her nephew. Regan could never be accused of being soft. . . until it comes to Axel.
“Listen, I need to take a raincheck on our talk.”
“We had a talk rain-checked?” Her voice is as sassy as her attitude generally is.
“We do now,” I bite back, feeding the ego I fell in love with even faster than her beautiful face.
“Alright. I guess I’ll let you off.This time.”She pauses, breathes deeply, then adds on,“But when we talk, we’ve got alotof things to discuss.”
I nod in full agreement. “We do.” Way more than she realizes. “Have you seen Isabelle?”
I was given an update on Isabelle a few hours ago, so I’m using her more as a way to keep my conversation with Regan flowing. We’ve only spoken a few times the past two weeks, and it was barely more than a few sentences, so I’m not willing to lose the opportunity.
Regan exhales. “No. Isaac guaranteed us access tomorrow—after he’s had his fill.”
I laugh to hide my snarl. Regan is too perceptive to buy my deceit. “Seriously, Alex? You saw how panicked he was for Isabelle today, yet you’re still harboring ill feelings toward him. Why?”
“He kissed you—”
“For Isabelle! My god.”
Her shouted words stir Axel. His tiny cries bellow down the line at the same time I pick up a pair of bare feet padding toward me.
“I have to go.” Regan’s voice is a cross between stern and soothing. Stern for me; soothing for Axel.
“Rae. . .”
I hear the stutter of her heart when she says, “Save it for the raincheck, Alex. We’re both tired and frustrated, which only increases the chance of us saying something we’ll regret. We’ve done that enough the past year; we don’t need any more stupid words shared between us.”
“Alright.” I have a thousand more words to say, but these are more important than any. “I’m not your enemy, Rae. I’ll never be on any team that isn’t yours.”
“Alex . . .” Her words trail off when she can’t find an appropriate thing to say. She settles on the best option when she replies, “I’ve never wanted to pick sides; that’s why I didn’t play sports. Now is no different.” Axel’s cries reach a point she can’t ignore. “I’m sorry, I really have to go.”
