AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Gabriel goes back to the floor with Navie. “How tall can we get this thing?” he asks her, grabbing another large block and easing it on top of the tower.
She claps and squeals. “It’s gonna fall!” she cries.
“I think she wants it to fall,” I say with a laugh.
“We’ve done this a few times already this morning,” Sebastian says. “Our mom and Navie’s mom are getting some breakfast, so we told them she could hang out here.”
He turns his attention to Navie. “Huh, Navie?” He’s not speaking in a higher voice, like Gabriel is using, but there’s still a gentle lilt. He grabs a juice box from the side table and shakes it. “Want some more juice?”
She hops and skips over to him, places her hands on his knees and climbs up into his lap. “Zeb,” she says as she pats his arm. “Ahhh.” She opens her mouth and angles it to him, her voluminous cheeks stretching wide as she motions for the straw. Sebastian laughs as he makes an airplane noise to guide the straw in her mouth.
“Zeb?” I say, my brows going in the air.
“Prior to this morning, there was only one person in the world he allowed to call him ‘Zeb.’ Milo, our youngest brother. But now?” Gabriel’s hands go up and he shrugs.
“Sometimes Ethan calls me ‘Seb,’” Sebastian says. “It’s not as bad as Milo’s nickname for you,Gabby.” Sebastian indulges in a quiet, bass laugh. My insides flicker and glow at the sound.
“All right, all right.” Gabriel grabs a throw pillow and tosses it at Sebastian’s head. After making contact, it drops on Navie, causing Sebastian to gasp. “Uh oh! Navie, let’s get him!”
She shrieks and wiggles down from him, runs over to the sofa I’m sitting on, and grabs a throw pillow. It’s down-filled and heavy, and I give her a little boost with my hand. She hits Sebastian in the gut.
“Not me!” Sebastian points to Gabriel. “Him!”
She laughs and runs for Gabriel, and he screams, hops to his feet, and they start running around the room, Navie trailing behind him, laughing. They run right in front of me, and Navie shoves the tower of blocks so it crashes to the floor.
I watch Sebastian watch them, his face calm and happy. Yet, there’s something wistful about his expression. Like he wants to fit in and can’t.
“Let’s start our morning meeting,” Sebastian says, sitting back down on the sofa. “We might have to take some pauses.”
Gabriel’s now chasing Navie, using Frankenstein-like arms and his voice garbled like a monster’s.
I nod and get my laptop out of my bag. “She’s adorable. Amazing.”
Sebastian nods. “She doesn’t remember me from the last time I saw her a year or so ago. But she’s three now. She’s grown so much. And she’s so social and friendly.” He swallows hard. “I wasn’t expecting her to be here today.”
“They just stopped by this morning?”
“Yeah. Needed a place to hang out at for a while.” His gaze darts to the floor. There’s much he’s not telling me.
“How long will they be here?” I ask.
“I don’t know. Something happened that made Quinn feel like she needed some time away. All she said to me was there was a problem with a family member’s will. They’re staying in my suite because there aren’t any available rooms. Housekeeping is getting it ready for them now. Alec says I can stay at his house while they’re here.”
“So the—” I lower my voice. “—dollhouse? Is that for . . .?” I trail off, pointing to Navie.
He gives a nervous laugh. “Yes. For Christmas. Putting it together is a lot harder than it looks. I’m hoping to finish in time.”
We have our meeting and Gabriel joins in as much as he can while still taking care of Navie.
“Tate International would like to make some contributions to the local theater company,” Sebastian says. A content look coasts over his eyes.
I suck in a gulp of air. “Really? What would that look like?”
“We can hammer out the logistics in the next few weeks,” Gabriel says. “But basically, Sebastian wants to do a hands-on contribution, which requires more planning and coordination than just cutting a check.”
“That sounds great. I know they need a playhouse, a costumer, and money for sets and licenses.”
“Your grant-writing experience will be an asset to this process, Elianna,” Gabriel says while scribbling with blue crayon in Navie’s coloring book.
