She hated being kept in the dark. She had the right to know if she was in danger or if they’d found new leads. But she already knew what Eli would say, that he was just trying to protect her. Ugh!
Save me from alpha males, she thought.
Matt and Tank had finally retreated to their hotel around ten o’clock. Kay had hoped to finally get a little time alone with Eli, but Hope was refusing to settle down for the night.
Hope let out another whimper and rubbed her eyes with her fists.
“You are just determined to stay up so you won’t miss anything, huh?” Kay whispered.
They’d had a house full of people for the first time, and Hope wasn’t used to so much noise. She wasn’t either, come to think of it. She was an only child, and since it was just her and Hope, her apartment was usually quiet after nine o’clock in the evening. She’d assumed the baby was just cranky from being up late and being overexcited.
But the crying hadn’t stopped. Nothing Kay had tried so far had helped, between rocking her back and forth, singing to her, and rubbing her back. Kay wasn’t sure what to think. Each and every one of her daughter’s cries tore at her heart. Wasn’t she supposed to be able to know what was wrong? What if her daughter was ill and she couldn’t tell?
A soft knock sounded on the door before Eli’s head appeared. “Do you need some help?”
Kay wanted to say no. It was on the tip of her tongue. She didn’t really want Eli to see her looking like this, all frazzled and exhausted. But he must have seen something in her face that indicated just how close to the edge she was because he pushed the door open and came in.
Eli crossed the room and put his arms around her, enfolding Hope into the hug as well. Kay let out a sigh and relaxed back against his strong chest.
“You’ve been walking her for a long time. Let me try. You need a break, angel. Your arms have to be tired.” Eli’s lips brushed the shell of her ear.
Her arm muscles gave a slight twinge in agreement. She shifted Hope to the opposite hip. “It’s okay, you don’t have to. I think she’s just cranky from having so many unfamiliar faces around.”
Eli slid a hand between her and Hope, taking the baby into his arms as easily as if he was picking up a book. Hope curled against his chest immediately, snuggling her face into his shoulder.
Kay looked down at her clothes. She’d changed into a nightshirt before coming in to rock the baby. It was stained with drool on the shoulder and wrinkled in a million places from all the times Hope had grabbed it.
So much for romance, she thought. The sleep-deprived mommy look was hardly sexy.
“I’ll jus
t go make her a bottle. Maybe something warm will calm her down enough so she can sleep. She usually doesn’t take a bottle before bed, but I’m willing to try almost anything at this point.”
Kay walked down to the kitchen. She grabbed the baby formula from the pantry and added some distilled water from the refrigerator. She didn’t have a bottle warmer, so she heated it in the microwave, shaking it thoroughly afterward.
She tested the temperature on her inner arm, then shook the bottle again and did a second test just to be sure. On the way back to the room, she grabbed an extra baby blanket from the diaper bag. After she drank the bottle, Hope would need to be burped. It couldn’t hurt to have an additional barrier over her clothing in case she spit up.
In the hallway outside the room, she took a moment to pause, listening to the soft rumble of Eli’s deep voice through the door. Her feet were exhausted from walking the baby around, and she was so tired it was a wonder she hadn’t fallen asleep standing up. But at the very least, she knew she could take this last moment of calm because she trusted Eli had everything under control.
This must be what it was like to have a husband. Someone who loved you and whom you trusted completely so you could feel safe leaving your baby in their care. Someone to carry part of the weight.
Finally, she pushed the door to the third bedroom open slowly. Eli stood next to the window, talking to the baby in a low voice, his deep baritone rumbling across her worn and weary nerves. Hope was cuddled up on his shoulder, contentedly snuggled against his wide chest.
As the rumble of his deep voice carried across the room, Kay’s heart melted observing them. Her gentle warrior. She didn’t blame her daughter one bit for her fascination with Eli. She knew from firsthand experience that it was pretty much impossible not to feel safe when being held in those strong arms. When he saw her in the doorway, he waved her away. Startled, she backed out of the room and eased the door closed.
It looked like he didn’t need her help.
In the living room, she collapsed on the couch. She massaged the tender balls of her feet before propping them up on the other end of the couch. A ragged sigh escaped her lips. She would just rest her eyes for a moment. Eli would probably be out soon. Hope had looked to be halfway to la-la land already.
ELI WATCHED THE gentle rise and fall of Hope’s back, waiting until her breathing was deep and even before he moved closer to the playpen. After spending most of the day going over strategy with Matt and Tank, he was exhausted and had been looking forward to a beer and bed. Kaylee had looked just as wiped out after a day entertaining the baby.
It was amazing how such a tiny person could get into so many things. It was hard to stay in the house as an adult, so he could imagine the forced seclusion was taking its toll on the baby as well. He resolved to find a safe way to get them out of the house. Even if he took them to headquarters with him for the day, that would be better than being in hiding all the time.
He looked down at the baby and then smiled triumphantly. She wasn’t asleep yet, but she was almost there. She was a gentle weight on his shoulder, her fingers curled against his neck. So peaceful. So trusting. He had a real knack for this baby stuff.
Then she opened her mouth in a wide yawn and let out a high-pitched screech guaranteed to raise the dead.
“Oh no. Don’t do that. Please don’t do that again.” He bounced her gently, looking around the room for something to distract her. Unsure what to do, he picked up the small notebook on the dresser. Every page contained lines of poetry in Kaylee’s careful handwriting.