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He looked around the room, then landed his stare on Rainy. “This time. Next time they might use it.”
18
“Hold on,” Killion said, entering the apartment with Rainy and the babies. “I’ll be right back.”
Confused, Rainy paused. “Okay?”
Several minutes passed as the occasional banging sound or curse word could be heard in the distance before Killion returned. He could be heard before he was seen as a loud rumbling sound preceded him.
“I’m not comfortable with the babies sleeping in the nursery with that full wall of windows,” he said, appearing from the hallway pushing two rolling bassinets.
Rainy looked around the space. “Where do you want them to sleep? There are windows everywhere.”
She seemed amused by his concern, even if she understood it was serious.
“My office,” he said. “I forgot about these bassinets. I used them the first week or so while we got a routine together. I would wheel them around everywhere. I could keep them next to the sofa, in my office, and in my room while I showered. It took me a few days to feel comfortable leaving them in their cribs and relying on their monitors there.”
“Oh.” Sadness seemed to come over her. “I didn’t even think about how that must’ve been, getting acclimated to a home with two babies… I sort of just walked into this perfectly structured duo.”
Killion went to her. “I didn’t say that to hurt you. I know you would have rather been here.”
“Just another reminder of something I missed out on.”
“If it’s any consolation, the only thing you really missed was the lack of sleep, spilling bottles, and a couple of real doozy diapers. Turns out, I had them in the wrong size and managed to put them on wrong.”
Rainy chuckled. “Now that I would have loved to have seen. How did you put a diaper on wrong?”
“Long story. It’s embarrassing. I was sleep deprived.” He hooked her chin with his finger, lifting her gaze to his. “The one thing I wanted more than anything those first days was you to be here with us. You were missed. I know I had a hell of a way of showing it, but those late sleepless nights with these two were spent talking about you until they’d go to sleep.”
“That’s a lot of hard work you endured. Pretty admirable, Dad.”
“Nah, you were the one doing the hard work so you could come home to us.” He leaned in and kissed her.
“Some days, it felt like it was never going to happen,” she admitted. “Every bit of progress seemed to be chased with setbacks. It was infuriating. I just wanted to be with my babies… and you.”
“But you did it. In record time, too,” he said.
The babies began to fuss, bringing the attention back to the matter at hand.
“We need to get them settled in,” Killion said. “I’ve done the math, weighed the odds, and determined my office to be the safest place to sleep. I thought about setting up somewhere else in the building, but it wouldn’t guarantee safety since we don’t know how much these people know about our building as a whole if they knew which one was mine. Also, I read that babies, even with the creature comforts they’re accustomed to, can sense when they are in an unfamiliar space and be uncomfortable. So—”
“Killion.” She cut him off. “I’m sure you did all the research. I trust you.”
He nodded, seeming uncomfortable with the compliment and faith she had in him. What came natural to him tended to garner praise from others and praise was a tough pill to swallow even if he understood it was a good thing. This is where a thank you would likely be warranted, but he never knew for sure if it was the right time or not –– not because he lacked manners, but because there were unwritten rules that came naturally to some, but not to him.
He opted for manners because a misplaced or mistimed thank you was much better than a missed one when it was needed.
“Uh, thanks,” he said and wheeled the bassinets across the hall to his office.
Rainy followed and watched as he turned his workspace into a living space. The room was rather large and looked much like the Lair, just smaller scale. Killion parked the bassinets off to the side while he took apart the brown leather couch and pulled out the sleeper, creating a bed to sleep on and tucked the extra cushions underneath. From a closet, he pulled bedding and pillows and made up a comfortable space for the night. The final touch was moving the bassinets to one side of the new bed, right next to each other so the twins would be close.
“I would like it if you would sleep here.” He pointed at the bed. “It’s a pretty small space for the four of us, but it’ll be much safer and it’s only temporary.”
Rainy raised her brow, staring at the bed. “The four of us? You’re sleeping in here too?”
“Oh, I planned on sleeping in my chair. The bed is for you. I’d never assume you’d sleep in my bed.”
“No. It’s okay. I was only curious. We can both sleep in the bed, Killion.”
