I head back into the living room. “When’s the new couch arriving again?”
“Wednesday,” she says, passing me to gather up her laptop and notebook. “Told you you’d want one.”
“Yeah, you did.” Settling for the chair opposite hers, I sit back with a groan. Otto burrows against my shoulder, and I rub a light circle on his back. “Sorry, bud.”
Pushing that bit of rebel hair from her face, Nora looks up from her stuff. “Give me a second to put this in my room and I’ll take him so you can go to bed.”
“Nah, we’re good.” I nod to the laptop. “Applying for jobs or looking for an apartment?”
“Little of both. I applied for two jobs and replied to a listing for a roommate. We’ll see if anything comes back.”
“It will.” This woman can do anything.
Soaking in the slight weight of Otto against my chest, I close my eyes. I was so ramped up, but now— damn.
A few minutes later, Nora’s close, whispering my name as she starts to slip her hands beneath Otto.
I cover her hand with mine, only meaning to let her know I’m awake. That she doesn’t need to take him. But that contact. Jesus.
My eyes open and she stills, hovering over me, gaze meeting mine. Holding.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to—”
“I wasn’t sleeping.”
She nods but doesn’t move, and the part of me that’s more than just grateful to her for what she’s doing for me, the part that remembers what it was like to have her laughing for me, how it felt like there was some kind of magnetic draw between us— that part wants to pull her in too. Hold her with one arm and Otto with the other.
I must be more tired than I thought.
Letting her hand go, I give her a quick smile. “Probably time for all of us to hit it.”
We lock up the apartment and turn off the lights. In the nursery, I do a diaper check and change Otto into his jammies and cap. Gently scooping him up, I give him a last kiss.
Nora’s watching him, and something about the look in her eyes has me grinning as I hold him toward her in offering.
She lets out a soft huff of amusement but nods and leans in to kiss his other cheek with a smile.
“We need to add hugs and kisses to the wish list.”
She nods, whispering, “He’ll have all the snuggles.”
If she were going to stay, he would.
Chapter 8
Nora
Axel looked gutted leaving for the road trip this morning, but after a few quiet words to his boy and a squeeze to my shoulder that I’m pretty sure was more reassurance for him than me, he made it out the door.
And for a beat, I stood there, holding Otto and staring at the space where Axel had been. It was nuts, but after all the time we’ve spent together this past week, knowing I wouldn’t see him was weird.
I hadn’t expected to feel that way.
Maybe I should have. We’d been working as a team for a week straight. And suddenly it was just me and Otto.
Our day didn’t really change. We did the same things we usually do… I read stories and sang. Gave him a sponge bath and fed him. We cuddled and took naps on demand.
But I guess I’d gotten used to little things like sharing meals together. Axel’s color commentary on the state of Otto’s diapers. How he’d started scoring himself on time and accuracy when changing Otto’s outfits. Talking, even if it was mostly about when the last bottle had been given and if there was anything to add to our nanny wish list.
Tonight, I put the game on and have dinner while I watch and Otto listens. It’s close and physical, but in the end, the Slayers win. When it’s over, I find myself calculating what time Axel got home after the game the night before and wondering if we’ll hear from him.
I’ve about given up when my phone pings with a text.
Axel: You up?
Me: We are.
A second later, a video call is coming through.
I answer. “Hey, good game tonight.”
Axel is walking through his hotel room, his hair gelled back. Tie loose and collar open just a small, tantalizing bit. Objectively speaking.
“Thanks. You guys watched?”
“I chatted with Otto about it over dinner. He offered some lip-smacking and a few grunts that I’m sure meant he was impressed.”
Axel sits back and—
“Are you in bed?” That’s totally his headboard.
He raises a brow and looks around. “Umm, yeah? But I’m video-calling my baby, not looking to score some show-me-yours-and-I’ll-show-you-mine action. Besides, I have a roommate. Grady could walk in any time.”
I can feel the heat creeping into my cheeks. “Right. Of course.”
He hmms, eyes narrowing. “Nora, you’re a babe. And once upon a time, I was absolutely trying to score. But now?”
“Now, I belong to Otto?” I tease, but for a heartbeat, I think about what it was like, once upon a time.
“Never going to let me live it down,” he scoffs with a chagrined smile.
It’s my turn to hmm. Because really, that’s about all I’ve got after catching my mind slipping into forbidden territory.
He barks a short laugh and shakes his head. Then holds up a cold pack I hadn’t noticed until now. “I need to ice my knee. You okay if I do it on the bed?”
I nod, and we both relax.
“Thanks for playing the game for him.”
“You don’t have to thank me. It’s not exactly a hardship to watch the Slayers play while I work.” I set the phone up so he can see Otto, but Axel shakes his head.
“Put it so I can see both of you. I like to look at Otto, but it’s weird not seeing you when you’re the one I’m talking with.”
I move the phone. “Better?”
“Absolutely.” He shifts, adjusting the pillow behind him. “So, I was thinking on the plane, and I know this might sound weird, but I want Otto to hear my voice when I’m gone. I want him to know that I’m there for him, in my own way.”
I nod, smiling at the things this man thinks of. “Of course. Do you want me to set something up next to his bouncer? A recording, or—”
“I was thinking I’d bring one of his board books to read to him. And when he’s able to look at a book, maybe you— or I guess whomever we hire —can hold a second copy of it for him. But for now, I was thinking maybe we could just talk.”
“Talk?”
I see the wince and immediately wish I hadn’t choked on that single word.
“Yeah. You and me. On video like this. Maybe make it feel a little more like I’m around.”
I don’t know what my hesitation is about. It’s not like we haven’t been talking this whole last week. We have. So, what’s with the little warning clanging in my chest?
It’s ridiculous. This gig is another three weeks, max. What could be the harm?
“Okay, sure. What do you want to talk about?”
It started simply enough. Sunday night, we talked about logistics and updates. Travel times. Appointments. What Otto was wearing.
Monday started the same way with questions about how long Otto slept during the night and whether he’d woken me or if I’d had to wake him for a bottle. But Axel had a bruise on his jaw, and after trying to ignore it for ten minutes, I finally broke, asking if it hurt.