“Of course.”
I brought up their bags and the bassinet from my car. When I walked back into the bedroom, Catherine was on the bed beside Jo, curled up at her side. She watched me carry the bassinet to the spot she’d chosen on the other side of the fireplace, a crease between her brows.
I worked quietly so I didn’t wake the baby. It only took me a few minutes to set up the bassinet and plug it in. When I turned it on, it rocked slowly from side to side.
Seemed like a nice place for a baby to sleep.
Turning it off, I circled to the other side of the fireplace to let Catherine know, but her eyes were closed. She’d fallen asleep fast. With me in the room. That just showed how truly exhausted she was. Catherine had never let her guard down around me. Even on international flights, she remained awake and alert the whole time.
I took a long look at them, Catherine and Josephine peacefully sleeping together. Anyone with half a heart would have been affected by this scene. Some might have said I didn’t possess a quarter of one, but I felt it then, thudding against its cage.
“Bye, girls,” I whispered before turning toward the door.
“Elliot?” Catherine’s croak wasn’t very audible, but I’d heard, glancing back at her over my shoulder.
“Yes?”
She ran her index finger along Jo’s cheek. “It has floors.”
“What does?”
Her tired eyes flicked to mine. “Joey’s room has floors.”
She let her eyes drift closed, and I continued on my way back to the office. Daniel had probably gotten far too comfortable in my absence, and we really couldn’t have that.
Chapter Fifteen
Catherine
I did not have “live with my boss” on this year’s Bingo card. Then again, I didn’t have “have a baby” or “go bankrupt,” yet boom—here I was.
My life was full of surprises, even to me.
Seven weeks ago, I never could have imagined being here. I would have laughed at Elliot’s order to come with him. But those seven weeks had been a lifetime of worry, missing sleep, racing thoughts, and gnawing my fingernails to the quick.
I was tired. Tired of fighting a battle I couldn’t win. Tired of being the only one in my village. Just so fucking tired. I’d never known what it was like to feel exhausted to my bones until now. And it wasn’t just from missing sleep. This was a weariness that had started seeping in when Liam left and flooded through me when I understood he was never coming back. Not even for Joey.
The thing was, I’d known I shouldn’t have been living in that house under those conditions, but I’d been so heavy with dread I hadn’t been able to bring myself to take action. All it had taken was Elliot saying “no more” for me to pack my things up and leave.
I had no idea how long we’d be here. His offer might have only been for the night. But even a night in this luxurious home would be like a vacation. Maybe after some rest, my head would be clear enough to plan out my next step.
My foot was aching when I woke up from a much-needed nap, and my breasts were close to exploding. Luckily, Joey was ravenous and took care of one of the problems. Once she was fed and changed, we explored our room a little, but my foot wasn’t happy with me walking too much, so we hung out on my big bed.
“Don’t get used to this, Joey-Girl.” I booped her nose, and she startled, her limbs flailing madly. “It’s nice and all, but this is too fancy for us. We’ll just stay here for a little while until Mommy gets her act together.”
She hiccuped, and I melted. Everything could be shit, then this little girl would go and do something mundane and flip my mood around.
It was obvious to anyone I was in no position to be a mother, but I couldn’t regret having her. In less than two months, she’d become my world.
I would make our lives better.
I had to.
She deserved it.
Starvation brought me out of my bedroom that evening. Joey sucked all the nutrients out of me. There were times I got so hungry I thought my stomach was going to eat itself.
We ventured downstairs and wandered until I found the kitchen. The house was eerily quiet. Just Joey’s baby noises and the low hum of electronics keeping me company. Not even the sounds of the city made their way past the thick walls.
I was digging around in the fridge when the door to the garage opened and Elliot stepped in. Guilty of being caught in the act, I slammed the fridge shut and straightened to greet him.
At least I was wearing more clothing this time. I’d thrown a cardigan over my nursing tank and had on a pair of loose men’s sweatpants I’d rolled three times at the waist so they didn’t drag on the floor. I still wasn’t comfortable with Elliot seeing me outside of work attire, but at least this was better than my barely there clothing from this afternoon.
“Hi. Sorry to intrude, but I was starving—”
He shook his head as he strode into the room. “You’re welcome to anything you find.” He raised a paper bag. “I brought Italian if that interests you more than the pickles and apples I have in my refrigerator.”
My chest was tight, but I pushed out a laugh. “I noticed you’ve basically only got scraps in there. But I guess you aren’t home a lot.”
“No, I’m not.” He set the bag down on the counter beside me and regarded the baby in my arms before sweeping his gaze over my face. “You slept.”
“For a little while, until this one was hungry.” I patted Joey’s tummy while she hung out in the crook of my arm, looking around at all the new sights. “How’s Daniel? Still leafy?”
His mouth hitched while he shrugged off his jacket and loosened his tie. “He’d almost ceased trembling when I arrived.”
“Phew.” I swiped my forehead. “It sounds like you got there just in the nick of time.”
“He was shaking like a leaf again in seconds.” Elliot nodded to the bag. “I got you the spinach gnocchi from Donato’s. Do you still like that?”
I started to tell him it was my favorite, but my mouth couldn’t quite work. How could he possibly know what I ordered from Donato’s? The last time we’d had it in the office was months ago.
But this was Elliot. He probably took note of everything about the people surrounding him. How could he control his world if he didn’t know every single detail about his minions?
“Yes. Thank you. It’s my favorite,” I told him after finding my voice.
“Good.” He nodded decisively. “We’ll eat at the bar. The dining room is far too formal.”
“Okay. That sounds good.” I glanced around. How could one kitchen have so many cabinets? I didn’t know where to start. “Where are the plates so I can set the table?”
The scowl he gave me was vicious enough to make a grown man cry. “Go sit down. I don’t need help.”