She nodded. “It’s in the diaper bag. I’ll dig it out.”
Luca disappeared into the master bathroom and Claire quickly dug around in the bag until she found the medicine. By the time she joined Luca in the bathroom, Eva had started to quiet down. She was lying in her bath chair in a shallow pool of water while Luca rubbed a damp sponge over her skin. The lukewarm water and lavender scented bubbles seemed to soothe her. After a few minutes, the tears were dried, and while she still seemed a little cranky and uncomfortable, they’d made good progress.
At last, Luca lifted Eva up into her yellow bath towel with the ducky hood and bundled her up. He squeezed the dropper of medicine into Eva’s mouth and handed the bottle back to Claire. “While I get her dried off, can you make her a bottle with cool water in it? She might be a little dehydrated from the fever, and it will make her more comfortable.”
Claire nodded and wandered off toward the kitchen, feeling oddly useless as Luca took charge. She wasn’t even entirely sure what had just happened, aside from the fact that in a crucial moment she’d choked and given Luca the window of opportunity he’d been waiting for. When she reached the kitchen, she eyed her abandoned mug of tea and the smudged refrigerator and shook her head. Apparently tonight was a night of missteps.
At the same time, she was happy to have someone here with her. This was Eva’s first real fever, and although she thought she was prepared for it, she’d been completely off her game coming fresh from Luca’s kisses. She supposed that was the benefit of having two parents, to split the responsibility and pick up the slack for the other. She didn’t know what that was like.
As she filled a small bottle with filtered water, she felt the unexpected prickle of tears in her eyes. This was just one more moment to remind her what she’d lost with Jeff’s recklessness. Her dreams of having a family had been shattered, creating a new reality that was so much harder than she ever imagined. He’d left her to raise a child alone all so he could get a hand job on a winding road.
“Claire?”
Claire quickly batted her tears away and sniffed. She tightened the bottle’s cap and turned to face him. “It’s ready. How is she doing?”
Luca watched her with concern as he took the bottle. “I think she’ll be okay. I’m not so sure about you, though.”
“Me?” She must not have done as good a job of hiding her emotions as she thought.
“Eva’s going to be fine, you know. There’s nothing to be worried about.”
Claire nodded in agreement. “I know.”
“Okay, so what is bothering you then?”
That was a loaded question. “Something. Everything. Don’t worry about me, Luca, really. Lately, I seem to have too many hot buttons for life to push.”
Luca adjusted Eva in his arms and gave her the bottle. “Is it the kiss? Did I press you too quickly?”
“No,” she admitted. “The kiss was...lovely. Probably not the best idea for us, but I don’t regret it.”
“Then did I overstep with Eva tonight? I’m sorry if that’s it, but you seemed a bit overwhelmed and I wanted to help. My youngest sister had a lot of ear infections when she was little and was prone to fevers. I’ve spent more than a few nights up with my mother bathing fussy babies.”
That explained a lot. Despite being a mother, Claire was learning as she went. As an only child, she didn’t have any experience caring for children. Her every move was a mix between her research and maternal instincts. “No, that’s not it, either. Thank you for all your help with her. You’re right, I was feeling a little frazzled in the moment and was glad to have someone step in. I shouldn’t need help, but it’s nice to have it every now and then.”
Luca placed a comforting hand on Claire’s shoulder. The warmth of him against her bare skin reminded her of his earlier touches, sending a shiver running down her spine. It wasn’t just about temperatures, though. The simple feel of his large, strong hands on her body was enough for her to want to pick up where they’d left off a few minutes ago.
Suddenly, she was aware of how close Luca was and how good he smelled. It had been a long time since she’d been touched by a man, even in comfort. For some reason, that combination along with Luca’s radiating masculinity was more than she could take. Of course she’d given into it. Any woman in her position would have. He told her she was beautiful. They had a child together. He kissed her as if there was nothing more in the world he could ever desire. But once the spell of their kiss faded away, she knew that nothing more could come of it.