Slowly I turn my chair around to face the corridor and stretch my arms out, flexing my muscles. If Isla’s asshole ex has come for her, he’s going to get a hell of a surprise.
The stairs creak, and a curly haired head comes into view.
Maggie gasps when she sees me at the end of the corridor wide awake and glaring at her.
“What the fuck, Luke?” she hisses, keeping her voice low. “You gave me a heart attack.”
“What are you sneaking around for?” I try to keep my voice low, but the adrenaline is still pumping.
Isla says Ian doesn’t know where she is, but his texts are getting more and more erratic. The guy hasn’t accepted her decision to leave him yet.
“I came to check on Cody. I haven’t heard any cries yet, and he’s usually awake by now.”
I check my watch and it’s six-thirty a.m. It’s hard to tell it’s morning when it’s still dark outside. Usually Cody’s cries wake me up at about the same time that Danni or Maggie or Kendra arrives to take the morning shift.
But he’s quiet this morning.
“Do you think he’s okay?” Maggie looks anxious. “You spend all the time wanting them to sleep through, but when they do it scares the shit out of you.”
She gives a nervous laugh, but I’m not taking any chances. “I’ll take a look.”
I open the door more carelessly than I should if there’s a sleeping baby, but the silence has me rattled.
Without trying to be quiet, I wheel up to the basinet as fast as I can. My heart’s racing as I peer over the top of the basinet.
Cody’s laying on his back with one arm thrown over his head. I lean forward as far as I can until I see his little chest rising and falling and I’m satisfied he’s breathing.
Maggie has come up next to me, and we give each other a relieved smile.
He’s sleeping. He’s finally sleeping past five thirty.
I glance over at Isla. The glow from the nightlight bathes the room in a golden light, giving her a warm glow. She sleeps on her side facing the basinet, her body curled tight and her hair falling over the pillow behind her. My breath catches at the sight of her, so fucking beautiful.
Her mouth is open, and even in sleep there’s a slight frown on her face.
I long to climb into the bed with her. To wrap my arms around her body and pull her close. But she’s not mine to touch, and even if she was, how strange would it feel for her if she nuzzled back into me and found only half a man behind her.
I turn around awkwardly in the small space and follow Maggie out of the room. She closes the door quietly behind us.
“I’ll go put a pot of coffee on and start prepping the kitchen.” Maggie’s the pastry chef here at the Wild Taste Restaurant, which is part of the club HQ. She’s been doing the early shifts with Cody to coincide with her work shifts.
She looks as pleased as I do that Cody’s still asleep. I may not have babies of my own, but I’ve spent the last two weeks since Isla and Cody turned up reading everything I can about them. So I know what a triumph it is when they sleep through the night.
“You want a coffee?” Maggie asks.
I shake my head. “I’ll stay up here.” I’m rattled from earlier, thinking it might have been Ian on the stairs. “I’ll text you when he wakes.”
Maggie heads downstairs, and I turn my chair around to take up position outside of Isla’s room.
Isla may think Ian won’t find her, but I know what desperate men will do. I’m not taking any chances.
It’s not until almost seven that Cody wakes, and by then Isla gets up with him. I retreat into my room when I hear them moving about. I moved into the room next to Isla’s for as long as she’s here. It’s the one Raiden had renovated to accommodate my wheelchair, so I’d always have a place to crash if I needed it.
I have my own ground level apartment in Wild, but I stayed here for a few weeks when I first joined the club. It’s just one more thing I’m grateful to Raiden for.
My apartment is a rental, but I’ve been saving my money and working on designs for an accessible cabin. I’m planning to start the build this spring and need to finalize the plans.
I head downstairs for coffee with my designs and spread them on the table. It’s all one level with one large bedroom and a home gym.
