AllFreeNovel
Share Us
It's perfection.
It's home.
27
Later that evening, Alex lays Max gently in his cot, pulling the pale blue blanket over him while being careful not to disturb his slumbering body. Then we tiptoe out, softly flicking the light switch, pulling the door closed with the most feather-like of movements.
He sighs and I look at him with amused eyes.
“That was hard work,” he says.
My grin widens. “I think he suspects something's up.” Max did seem extra sensitive tonight; whiny and needy. It was past nine before his eyes started to flutter with sleep. When Alex tried to feed him, he spat the milk out, soiling his dad’s trousers. It looks like he's had some kind of accident.
“You think he knows I've been messing about with his mum?”
“Messing about?” I raise an eyebrow.
“Yeah. And I wanna mess you up some more.” He grabs me by the waist, spinning me round until we are chest to chest. Brushing the hair from my face, he kisses me, and I sigh.
Then a cry comes from the bedroom. It’s loud and angry—insistent. Alex's lips curl against mine and he pulls away, his hands still clasping my waist.
“Your baby's crying,” I point out helpfully.
“So's yours.” He smiles at me and walks to the bedroom, as I fall onto the sofa with a sigh. It's been a long day. Full of lofty highs and dark-as-night lows. I think about Laurence Baines, sitting in his house, his son dead, his wife a broken shell, and once again I thank God for all I have.
Alex is gone for a while. Long enough for me to curl my legs up on the sofa, and for my eyelids to become heavy, as my breathing evens out. I loll my head against the armrest, letting my eyes close for a minute.
Only a minute.
It's eight hours before I wake up. Eight glorious hours of uninterrupted sleep. I shift in the bed, stilling when I feel a warm body next to mine.
My eyes fly open.
“Hi.” He's staring at me as if he's been awake for a while. “Did you sleep well?”
“It was the best.” I smile and nestle into the bedcovers. My hands are clasped together, beneath my cheek. I never want to move.
“Good.” He does that sexy little smirk with the corner of his mouth. I could eat him up.
“Did Max wake up?”
Alex shakes his head. “He slept through. We must have worn him out.”
“You wore me out.”
More smirking. “We need to get a bigger flat.”
“Why?”
He says nothing. Instead he grabs my hand and pulls it down, until it meets hard, hot flesh. His, of course.
“Oh.”
“Yes, oh.” He sighs loudly. “I'm not used to waking up in bed next to a gorgeous woman.”
This time it's my turn to smile. “I bet your mum brought you in a cup of tea every morning.”
He groans. “Don't talk about my mum.” He's deflated, in every sense of the word. Which is a good thing, because I can hear Max stirring at the foot of our bed. It won't be long before he starts to stand up in there, demanding attention. Alex is right, we do need a bigger flat.
