Page 53 of Just A Little Magic

Da used the face wipes he found on the counter and followed up with my moisturizer. He knew me well.

“Last thing, let’s get your teeth brushed.”

Da squeezed paste onto my brush and took over that task. After I spat and remembered to rinse the sink, Da took my hand and led me back into my bedroom. Once I was settled under the covers, he inserted the paci from the nightstandbetween my lips so I could suckle it and then grabbed the storybook off my nightstand.

“Let’s get to your story.”

“Da, here,” I said around my paci and scooted over so he could sit beside me on the bed.

He kicked off his shoes before he sat, rested his back against the headboard, and stretched out his long legs. He looked like the perfect Da as he lounged. It would have been impossible to avoid snuggling up to him, so I didn’t even try. Once he was settled, I put his arm around my shoulder and snuggled. Only the soft sounds of my suckling could be heard.

“Baby, how am I going to turn the pages now?” Da asked with a laugh.

“Me do it,” was my reply. I was anchored to him and wasn’t moving.

“Okay, that’ll be your job.”

He couldn’t see me, but I beamed at his words. Snug in my pajamas, Da’s smooth voice lulled me to sleep. I intended to stay awake to do my job, and I tried really hard, but it was a lost cause. After a jaw-popping yawn, Da put aside the book.

“I don’t think you’re going to make it. We can finish this later, baby. You’re so tired.”

“No,” I said, tightening my grip across his torso when he moved to get off the bed.

“Baby, you need to sleep. I’ll see you in the morning,” Da said before he moved my hair back and kissed my forehead.

“Da stay. Peas.”

I’d never been tucked in properly before, but I was certain it involved him staying with me. Elizabeth had snuggled up too and her purr was a constant rumble.

“Okay, baby. I’ll stay until you’re asleep and then let myself out.”

That was good enough. I nodded and snuggled back up against him. His arms encircled me, and I drifted off to sleep without a single thought in my mind.

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

BARRETT

“Barrett, your lunch meeting is here,” Kim called on her way out of the office for her break.

Even though it likely didn’t matter, I straightened my tie and smoothed out my shirt. My meeting this morning had been with the bank, which unfortunately meant wearing a suit.

“Hey,” Owen said when he peeked his head through the doorway.

He looked like he always did, wearing slim-cut slacks and a button-down shirt. As usual, his hair was carefully styled to look windblown. The dark hair and gold eyes made a striking contrast. He was handsome, and I was smug because I was the one who had him, albeit temporarily. I’d said I wanted a month to convince him we could work, but without question, I wanted more than that.

“Thanks for meeting me up here. The finance meeting went long.” It probably could have been quicker if they hadn’t needed to repeat everything to me because I’d been distracted by thoughts of Owen. “I think we got it straightened out, so it was worth it.”

“Was it about the lodge?” Owen found the keys I was patting my pockets looking for on a side table and handed them to me. “Never mind, that’s not my business.”

“Whoa. Where did that come from? There’s nothing I do that you aren’t welcome to know about. And, yeah, it was about the lodge.”

I took a good look at Owen. His edges seemed a little frayed today. Last night, I’d slipped out of his bed and house to return to my empty one. He’d been sleeping peacefully then but was just a bit off in the light of the day. “I think we are finally at a point to finalize.”

“Fingers crossed,” he said absentmindedly. “Where did you want to go for lunch?”

Owen plucked at the nonexistent lint on his pants. Something was clearly up, and it needed to be aired before we went anywhere. I crossed the room and locked my office door. Owen was so lost in thought that he never even noticed. He startled a little when I dropped my hands on his shoulders.

“Babe, what’s going on?”

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