“Maybe your mom’s poetry will calm you down. Let’s try reading some. Would you like that?” She seemed to enjoy it when he talked to her, so Eli opened the book to a random page and started reading.
Don’t stay so far away from me
It hurts when you stay
It hurts when you leave
Don’t stay so far away from me
You, and only you
Are all that I need.
Hope stopped whimpering and relaxed against his shoulder again. A few minutes later, she was asleep.
Eli set the notebook down, then moved closer to the playpen, slow and easy. He eased her down, afraid to move too fast and jostle her awake. Remembering Kay’s words about the blankets, he didn’t cover her, just let her curl on her side. He’d accomplished a lot of things in his life, but none felt as monumental as coaxing a cranky baby to sleep.
This was what it truly meant to be a man. To have the love and trust of the people who needed you. He’d spend the rest of his days being the man they needed him to be.
He left the room, turning the knob all the way so the latch wouldn’t catch as he shut the door behind him. His breath left his lungs in a satisfied rush when the door closed without a sound. Now that the baby was asleep, he could have Kay all to himself. Maybe he’d get a fire going and see if he could get her down on that rug with him again. A little quality time with his woman was exactly what he needed.
He turned the corner into the living room. “Are you warm enough, angel? I can start the fire—”
Kay lay asleep on the couch, snuggled up with one of the accent pillows under her head. Her feet were bare and the nightshirt she wore had ridden up to expose the temptation of her thighs.
He bent at the knees and gathered her gently in his arms. Even in sleep, she turned to him so trustingly. Even in sleep, she reached out for him.
“Eli? Where are we going?” She asked the question even as she wound her arms around his neck.
He kissed the top of her head. “To bed, angel.”
He carried her to the guest bedroom, placing her on top of the comforter so he could pull her nightshirt over her head. His own clothes followed and then he had her under the covers, tucked against him. The bed in this room was smaller than his and for the first time, Eli was glad. Nothing could feel as natural as having the right to undress her and tuck her against his side.
He didn’t want to let her go.
USUALLY KAY WAS a pretty patient person, but as one week passed and then another, she finally broke down and begged Eli to get her out of the house. She’d caught up on all the back episodes of her favorite television shows, and she’d written several new songs. It had been time very well spent, but it still felt like she was stuck in some sort of time capsule, frozen while everyone else lived their lives unaware.
Eli had decided taking them along when he went to his company’s headquarters wasn’t too risky. He’d been absent longer than usual and there was apparently a ton of paperwork waiting on his signature. His phone rang incessantly, and she could always tell when it was Carly.
It was the only time he left the room to take his phone calls.
Kay pushed the negative thoughts out of her mind, determined to enjoy her first outing in weeks. Alexander Security Incorporated was housed in a moderately sized building in central Fairfax County. Kay leaned closer to the window to take it all in. She felt a huge swell of pride for the company Eli had built from the ground up. Especially since she knew he viewed his work as atonement for the mistakes of his past.
“I’m really sorry about this. Human Resources only needs me to meet a new employee and sign some documents. It shouldn’t take long. I wanted to get you guys out of the house, but I’d hoped to find something more fun than this.”
“Trust me, I’ll take it. We’ve been in the house so long I’m starting to forget what the outside looks like.”
“I thought I was doing a pretty good job of keeping you busy,” Eli said, reaching a hand over to caress her knee.
Kay grabbed his hand before it could reach its intended destination and squeezed it, satisfied when he gave her a lascivious look. “As much as I’m enjoying your distractions, we have to come up for air sometime. Plus, I want to see where you work. You’ve spent so much time following me around at my job, so turnabout is only fair.”
He grinned and put his hands back on the wheel. They pulled into an underground parking garage an
d followed it around, going lower and lower until Eli pulled into a parking space marked with red lines.
“I guess there are some perks to being the boss, huh?”
Eli grinned and got out. This time she knew enough to wait until he rounded the car and opened her door for her.