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“Liam’s otherwise engaged.”
“How about Sophie?” Liam and his wife are Charlie’s godparents. She adores my nephew. I can’t see her giving up a chance to take care of him for a few hours.
“She’s also otherwise engaged.”
Ah. I remember Liam’s plans for Saturday afternoon. I guess they’ve stretched into the evening.
“It’ll take me an hour to get to your place,” I point out.
“That’s fine. I’ll change our reservations,” Myles says. “Please, Eli. I wouldn’t ask you if I wasn’t desperate.”
There are so many replies I could make to that. But I like Myles and I love Charlie. And Ava’s near the top of my favorite people list.
“Do you need me to stay overnight?”
“Oh god, no,” Myles blurts. “Two hours max. We’ll go out for dinner and then you can make yourself scarce. Charlie will sleep the whole time. I’ll make sure he’s down before we go.”
“Okay,” I say. “But you owe me.”
“Of course I do,” Myles says smoothly. “And I promise. Charlie won’t cause you any problems at all.”
* * *
An hour and a half later, Charlie is causing problems.
Okay, not problems exactly. But as soon as Myles and Ava are out of the door, he’s crying. I go in to see him, looking cute as hell in his little sleep suit, his toddler face red from screaming.
“Hey bud,” I whisper. “What’s up?”
He reaches his hands out for me and I lift him up. His little arms curl around my neck.
“I see monsters,” he sobs.
“Your dad’s gone out.”
He doesn’t get the joke. Just keeps sobbing against my neck. I rub his back and murmur softly to him, telling him there’s nothing to be afraid of.
I don’t have a lot of experience with kids. Sure, I help coach some older ones with the help of Goran, but the little versions, the ones who believe in monsters, I’m not sure how to handle them.
“You want a drink?” I ask him.
He shakes his head.
“Something to eat?”
That gets his interest. “Yes.”
“What do you want?”
His face crumples in concentration. Damn, he looks like Myles sometimes. “Pasta.”
I try not to laugh. “I meant a snack, buddy. Dinner time is over.”
“Want pasta.”
Damn, I walked right into that one. “How about a cookie?” I suggest. Because I know Ava has those. I might have helped myself to a few.
But there are at least two left in the packet.
