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I watch relief fill her eyes when she notices me.
“It’s a lot to look at,” she says, making my heart clench. “I bet Em is so very proud of those hydrangeas.”
“What?”
She points past me to the very far side of the pool. “Especially those purple ones. Flowers have such a short life back home with the shorter growing season. I had a hard time keeping some alive last year.”
I blink at her.
“Really?”
“What?” she asks, handing Sutton over when the little girl practically dives out of her arms in my direction. “I only had a small pot of them. It’s not like I killed them on purpose, but our apartment was so dreary.”
“I mean, I thought you were looking at all the guys.”
“There are other guys here?” she asks in a tone that I know means she did notice them, but it’s not my business to call her out on it.
“Smooth,” I tell her. “Where is your suit?”
“I looked at the weather app. It got down into the forties here last night. That pool isn’t warm enough for me to get into.”
“I was really hoping Sutton would be able to get in.”
“Sutton can get in with her daddy. I’m going to go sit in the sun and try to get my pasty legs to turn any color other than cream.”
“Does she need anything special to get into the pool other than sunblock?”
“Em thought of everything and included swim diapers in the bathroom in our room, so she’s good to go. I rubbed sunblock on her before we left the room.”
“Okay, baby girl. Let’s go freeze our tushes off.”
If you would’ve asked me three weeks ago if I’d ever say something like that in my lifetime, I would’ve said no, but a lot has changed.
It isn’t until Sutton squeals again that I realize I’ve been watching Mila walk toward one of the poolside loungers. A quick look in Oracle’s direction tells me that he’s distracted enough by the kids rushing him to be tossed that I may not have to kill him today after all.
The kids are smiling yet exhausted two hours later. Kincaid made hot dogs and burgers on the grill, and Jace got a little taste of the same joy he had when he ate a little of everything at breakfast the other morning.
With stuffed bellies, I urge them into their room to grab showers, letting Jace grab his clothes and head to my room so they can bathe at the same time.
I don’t think Mila thought I was being serious earlier about the house, but I’m still left thinking about how many bathrooms we’d need as if it’s a foregone conclusion that we’ll live together.
There’s unease with Mila when we tuck the boys into their beds, and she’s even reluctant to ask me to keep an eye on Sutton so she can wash the day off her.
“I’ll stay in here until you’re done,” I explain, watching her eyes as I sit down on her bed.
Sutton falls asleep in my arms quickly, but I can’t get past that look in Mila’s eyes. As gently as I can, I place Sutton in her crib and get to work. The woman has dealt with enough stress. If the boys not being in her room freaks her out, then that’s something I can remedy.
She seems shocked and a little relieved when she opens the bathroom door to see that I’ve moved one of the full-sized beds into her room. Thankfully, the rooms are big enough that it’s possible.
“It’s cozy,” I tell her when her eyes dart from each bed.
“And we get to bring our blankets,” Luca says, his voice soft because of how tired he is from the day’s activities.
I pull back the corner of the blanket, a nonverbal demand for her to join me. If I’m being honest, I was feeling just as unsure of being away from the kids as she was.
She doesn’t hesitate to crawl into the bed, and I don’t hesitate to wrap my arms around her like I did the night before, after switching off the bedside lamp.
“I know I shouldn’t get used to this,” she whispers. “Everyone was so nice to me tonight.”
