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I don’t know how Vincent thought we’d make it eighteen hours today, but I figured we’d make it a little further than we did. His tolerance for chatty and unhappy kids must be phenomenally low because the sun is barely starting to set. We got a late start today, but at this rate, we’ll end up taking a damn week like I argued we would earlier.
“Just the big one,” I tell him when he goes around to the back of the vehicle.
As unnatural as he looked pulling Sutton from the vehicle, he doesn’t seem uncomfortable at all now with her on his hip.
I don’t know if she feels comfortable with him or if she’s just too tired to notice that I’m not the one holding her, but it’s cute the way her little head is resting on his shoulder.
Vincent pulls the suitcase from the back, dropping it to the ground with ease. He presses his palm to Sutton’s back before grabbing the handle and walking toward the front door of the hotel. The boys stick close, Luca yawning with his mouth wide open.
When headlights flash through the parking lot, I grab one of each of the boys’ hands.
“Can you grab the keys to lock the vehicle?” Vincent asks, and I have to stare at him like he’s grown a second head when he cants his hip in my direction.
I look down, seeing the bulge the keys make in his pocket, but I’ll be damned if there isn’t another bulge not far from it.
“Here, Jace,” I say instead, holding Luca’s hand out for him while keeping a hold of Jace’s hand.
Vincent looks less than impressed when I take the handle of the suitcase rather than reaching into his pocket for the keys but he doesn’t say anything as he pulls the keys out and clicks the button on the fob.
The kids are starting to come back to life after the long day of travel while Vincent is at the counter getting us rooms. The hotel he chose isn’t a bad one, but I doubt it’s going to have a suite like the one we stayed at last night.
“They only have one room,” he says as he approaches.
“Of course they only have one room,” I mutter. “Let me guess, only one bed as well?”
“No,” he says quickly. “It has two queens.”
I’m not in any position to be picky right now, but that doesn’t stop me from being annoyed.
I’m not irritated with him exactly. He’s here to protect us even if it feels like I’m relinquishing all of my power in order for that to happen.
“I’ll get that,” he offers when I reach for the handle of the suitcase after readjusting the strap to his own duffel bag on his shoulder.
The boys run ahead to the elevator as I scoop Sutton up and carry her in my arms.
The next two hours are spent feeding the kids after having fast food Door Dashed to the hotel, and then baths.
Luca was gracious enough to thank me for remembering the tearless shampoo. Maybe I’m just being too hopeful, but Jace looked impressed that I kept my word.
As I settle them all in one bed, Sutton between the two boys because this hotel doesn’t have a rollaway crib like the last one did, I take a deep fortifying breath.
“Your turn,” Vincent says, coming from his own shower.
I nearly choke on my own tongue when I turn toward his voice.
He’s shirtless, wearing nothing but low-slung sweats. There’s just something about the sight of him that threatens to awaken a dormant part of me that I haven’t considered in a very long time.
How is it possible he has more muscles now than he did three years ago?
I know he’s caught me staring when his eyes drop to my mouth just as I lick my dry lips.
“My turn?” I ask stupidly, a little self-conscious that the kids are mere feet behind me.
“Shower,” he says, his tone full of gravel.
Holy hell. What have I gotten myself into?
“R-Right,” I stammer, giving the kids a cursory look over my shoulder before grabbing my prepared pile of things from the top of the suitcase we brought up. “I won’t be long.”
