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She quickly used the bathroom. Then washed her hands. She stared at herself in the mirror. Her hair was a bit of a mess. She had her sloth pacifier in her mouth. Her skin was slightly flushed.
She looked happy.
Relaxed.
And she wasn’t spending all her time worrying about whether she was doing everything right, she wasn’t apologizing constantly.
It was such a weight off her shoulders.
“Isla?” There was a knock on the door. “Are you all right?”
She drew the pacifier out. “Finished!” Her voice sounded different. Lighter. Sweeter.
Weird.
But she wasn’t questioning. Eliot walked in and picked her up again.
Sheesh, she could get used to that.
He carried her into the nursery. Marcus wasn’t there. She frowned.
“We moved his toys to the living room. You okay sleeping on your own, baby? I can leave the door cracked open so I can hear you.”
She nodded. That sounded perfect. He walked over to the rocking chair and settled her on his lap. He picked up the bottle that was resting on a shelf of the bookcase and removed her pacifier.
A noise of protest escaped her.
“You can have it back in a moment,” he soothed, holding the nipple of the bottle to her lips.
For a moment, she wondered if she should do this. What if he walked away at the end and she had gotten used to this? Now that she found out how much she needed this, would she be able to live without it?
“Shh,” he told her. “Whatever you’re worrying about, it can be saved for another day. Right now, all you have to do is listen to me. Have your bottle and a nap, okay?”
Right. She opened her mouth and let him slip the nipple between her lips. She sucked away. Surprisingly, she found herself growing drowsy. His arms around her, the nipple in her mouth, the feeling of being secure… it all had her drifting easily off to sleep.
Marcus looked up as Eliot slipped out of the playroom. He frowned. Had he left Isla while she was still trying to get off to sleep? She wouldn’t like being on her own.
“Does La-la need cuddles to get off to sleep?”
“No, she’s asleep.”
Surprise filled him. “Really?”
“Yep.”
“Wow. You must have the special touch.” For a moment, he thought about being jealous. But nah, he had plenty of things that were special about him.
And Isla loved him. She was always there for him, like he was for her.
Plus, he had a different way of getting her off to sleep.
He wondered whether things would be awkward now without her with them. Was Eliot just going to watch him play? But to his shock, he sat down on the floor by him. “What are you playing with, trouble?”
“My digger and the chopper. I like this chopper. It goes fast.”
“It sure does. Did you know that this car here is remote controlled as well? I think the controller is in this basket.” He’d carried out several baskets of toys that had been in the cupboard. “Here it is!”
“Ooh, can I play with it?”
“Of course. Would you like to do it in the courtyard? I’ve got a monitor I can use for Isla.”
“Let’s go!” Marcus jumped up and grabbed Eliot’s hand, tugging him toward the door.
Eliot laughed, but after grabbing the baby monitor, he opened the door so they could both go outside. Marcus tried his hardest to drive the car around without crashing it. But after three times of crashing it, he sighed. “I’m such a good driver in real life! Why can’t I get this?”
“It just takes practice, little boy. Let me help you.” Eliot moved in behind him, wrapping his arms around him. “Here, you were probably going too fast around corners.”
“That’s what Cullen says about my driving.”
“Does he? But I thought you were a great driver.”
“I am! It’s just Cullen that thinks I go too fast. But what’s the fun if you don’t go fast? He said I wasn’t allowed to drive anymore. Isn’t that mean?”
“Sounds like your cousin just wants to keep you safe. You’re both very close.”
“Yeah, he’s all I have. Well, he was, until he hired Isla for me.”
“For you?”
“Yep. I can be messy and forgetful. Cullen is super tidy. Robotic, really. Life should be a bit chaotic, right? Anyway, we’d gone through a few housekeepers, but I didn’t like them. They ran off at the first sign of Marcus Junior.”
“Marcus Junior?” Eliot asked.
“My dick. I tend to think better when I’m naked. It takes a lot of brain power to do what I do.”
“What is that?”
“I’m a theoretical physicist.”
“Really? Like—”
“Don’t say like on Big Bang Theory!”
“I was going to say like Stephen Hawking.”
“That’s why I like you. Hey, look at me! I’m doing it! I’m driving without crashing!”
“Good boy. I knew you could do it!”
Marcus was all too aware of how close they were standing. It sent a shiver of longing through his body. What would Eliot do if he turned around and kissed him? Would he pull away or move closer?
