I got her to the bedroom and placed her on the bed. Ellis came out a moment later and joined Rosalie as they both settled against their pillows. I lay next to Ellis on her other side, so she was between Rosalie and me.
Rosalie’s phone rang, and she handed it over to Ellis, who wiggled excitedly in her spot as she answered it. I wasn’t sure if I should stay for bedtime, but I really wanted to be a part of the routine, so I could learn how it went down.
“Hallo, kleine Ballerina,”Klaus’s deep voice called out as he appeared on the screen, Anson and Evan on either side of him.
“Hi, Papa! Ich vermisse dich!”Ellis replied immediately.
I blinked. I had no idea she spoke German.
“Ich vermisse dich auch. Hast du Spaß?”Klaus continued.
Ellis nodded eagerly.
Anson chuckled. “Good, princess.Bist du bereit für eine Geschichte?”
“Lo metterai in scena?”Ellis asked, switching to Italian. I didn’t know much Italian, but I knew enough to know my kid definitely spoke three fucking languages.
I looked at Rosalie in awe, and she winked at me.
Fuck, I was a proud dad. And while I hated Ass Hat and wasn’t a fan of Klaus, I could appreciate what they’d taught her.
“Lo faremo, se vuoi,”Evan said.
“Yes!” Ellis giggled.
“Hey, Cole,” Anson greeted me softly as he pulled on a silly animal mask.
“Hey,” I murmured, watching as the guys all put on animal masks and then proceeded to act out some kids’ story I vaguely remembered from when I was young. Ellis seemed to love it, her blue eyes bright as she took it all in.
She didn’t make it through the entire thing before she was out, breathing deeply as she nestled against me.
The guys removed their masks and tried to fix their hair.
“Enjoy the show?” Evan asked.
“I didn’t hate it,” I said. “Anson could use some work. His lines were a bit dry. His acting was mediocre at best.”
Anson scoffed and shook his head.
I cleared my throat. “How are you… Klaus?”
“I’m well. You?” he answered in that deep growl of his.
“Good.”
“We had a good day,” Rosalie added. “Ryder is taking Ellis and me tomorrow to get our nails done while Cole is at work.”
“Sounds fun,” Anson said. “I hope you have fun, baby.”
I looked over to see her staring fondly at the screen.
“I miss you guys,” she continued.
“We miss you, Ro,” Evan said.
“Bed’s lonely without you,” Klaus added.
“I’ll, uh, give you guys some privacy,” I muttered as I untangled myself gently from Ellis.
