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“Fine.” She sighed as she pulled me toward the sofa. “Can you hold me for a bit?”
I nodded as I sat down, pulling her into my side and letting her head rest on my chest.
It wasn’t long before her breathing evened out, and her body relaxed completely against mine. Cradling her in my arms, I picked her up and headed toward the stairs. I laid her down on her bed and covered her up.
She’d been up with Brendan the night before, and I could see the exhaustion still etched on her face. She needed rest. I wanted nothing more than to hold her in my arms all night, but I knew she would stir every time she heard Brendan. My hand reached out and grabbed the baby monitor from her nightstand.
It was something I could do, something I did a lot when he was a baby. I would sleep on the couch and get up to deal with him if he fussed.
Quietly, I left her room and stepped into the one next to hers. My knees softly hit the floor next to Brendan’s crib, which had recently been converted to a toddler bed. My hand found his forehead. Good, no fever.
In the hallway, after gently closing his door, I clenched my jaw when I heard my mother’s voice from behind me.
“I’m assuming you’re staying here tonight?”
I turned toward her. “Yeah, going to sleep on the couch and let Bella get some rest.” I held up the baby monitor. “I’ll take care of him if he wakes.” My voice sounded more clipped than I wanted it to. I wasn’t mad at them, and I knew I wasn’t being fair. I was actually glad they were here for Bella, but damn, it still bothered me that it was them and—yet again—not me.
Her eyes narrowed, and I could tell I was walking on thin ice. But I had no patience to deal with a conversation about feelings at that moment. So, I turned and headed toward the stairs.
“Rhett.” I froze instinctively at the tone of her voice. “If you keep things bottled up inside like this, you’re not doing yourselfor anyone elseany good.”
“I’m fine, Mom,” I said through gritted teeth.
“No, you’re not. But you’re stubborn. Wake us if you need to. Goodnight.”
I stared at the ceiling as I lay on the sofa with my hands behind my head. I was struggling with the idea of being away from Bella and Brendan for even a minute. I hated that I was sleeping on my parents’ couch. What Ireallywanted to do was toss them in my truck with all their stuff and take them to my place, then keep them there indefinitely.
Maybe that was exactly what I should do. But would she say yes if I asked her to move in? That thought kept nagging at me. My parents were always there for her. Let’s be honest, she had it pretty good living with them. And I was thankful for that, but I had to show her I could be there for her too.
I should plan a date night for us; just her and me. Ask my mom to keep Brendan so we can talk and I can show her I won’t let her down again. If I set it up just right and explain all the reasons why living together is the next right move, she’ll have to see it too.
I had to make it perfect so she could see what our life together would be.
What could possibly go wrong?
Chapter Twenty-Six
Bella
My fingers drummedon my thigh in time with the music as I inhaled the fresh air coming in from the windows. Glancing in my rear-view, I smiled at Brendan, who babbled about all the trucks we passed. It was my first day off in almost a week. I’d helped start the training for Nadia and our newest server, Brian, who’d heard about the job from his boyfriend, our bar manager, Tyler. Brian was doing all right when Tyler wasn’t distracting him.
But on Monday, Sarah came back and took over the training since she had to be on light duty. I had to admit she was pleasant to deal with and was excited about my new position. She also showed general concern about Brendan’s incident the week before. Her face paled as I explained what happened, and her hand protectively went to her barely there bump. The whole dynamic was awkward but not as horrible as I’d imagined it would be.
Tomorrow, I was prepared and ready to jump into my new position. I would officially be the marketing and events specialist. Rhett had even let me pick my title.
Crap. I should call him and give him a heads-up about the last-minute change of plans.
I knew he was excited to plan a special date night for us, but I didn’t think he would mind. He loved our nights with Brendan.
He picked up on the second ring.
“Hey,” he said, out of breath.
“What are you doing?”
“Just went for a run and about to jump in the shower.”
“Okay. Well, we’re on our way. I had to bring Brendan ’cause your mom has a migraine.”
