Chapter 55
55
“How bad is it?” Alejandro asked Rafael as they both stepped into the apartment.
Reuben winced as he heard a song belting out from the living room. “Is that someone singing?”
Rafael grimaced. “That would be Faith.”
She hit a high note and all three men startled.
“It sounds like a cross between a cat in heat and a pig being slaughtered,” Alejandro said.
Actually, he thought it sounded worse.
They’d just been to deal with Eric. That asshole didn’t deserve to live after what he’d done to his baby. No one touched his girl and lived. But they couldn’t take out Eric just yet. Not when Cammie would be suspicious.
So Eric was going to leave a trail. He was going to call Cammie to tell her he was leaving town. And then in a couple of weeks . . . Eric would disappear for good.
Reuben walked toward the noise even though his body was telling him to run away. That a noise like that wasn’t natural.
Cat ran toward Alejandro as soon as she saw him, launching herself at him as Faith butchered the song she was singing.
“Papi! You’re here! I’ve missed you.”
Alejandro grinned down at her. “Mi Peque?a. I see you’ve been having fun.”
She threw her arms up in the air and nearly propelled herself out of his hold. “So much fun!”
“Careful,” Alejandro warned, tightening his hold on her as Faith started bouncing around, completely oblivious to them all.
This wasn’t good. How could she not have noticed them enter? Is this what she was always like when she drank?
“How much have you had to drink?” Alejandro asked Cat.
What the hell was Faith doing? Was she trying to dance? His heart stopped as she dropped low and then stood again, nearly toppling over.
The movements she made with her hips . . . they were for his eyes only.
“Not much, Papi!” Cat exclaimed.
Reuben picked up a half-full bottle of tequila.
“Hey, that’s ours, Rocking-Reuby.”
Dear Lord. Her names for him kept getting worse.
“Catarina,” Alejandro said in a stern voice.
“Papi,” she said in the same tone.
“Did you steal that from me?”
“Papi, how can it be stealing when what’s yours is mine?”
“Hmm.” Alejandro sat his wife onto his hip. “And does that go both ways? Is what’s yours mine?”
She gasped. “Papi, are you trying to steal Roger?”
“Just trying to figure out the finer points of this arrangement. Do you know how much that tequila cost?”
“Does it matter?” Cat asked.
Not to Reuben. He walked toward Faith as she started running her hands down her body.
No. Nope.
No way was she allowed to dance like this in front of other people. He lifted her up in his arms, making her gasp. Which had the added bonus of stopping her singing.
Thank God.
“Daddy! What are you doing? When did you get here? Did you just pop out of the shadows? Or were you invivisibible?”
He stared down at her. “Do you mean invisible?”
“Yeah. That’s what I said.” She turned her head toward Cat. “Poor Daddy, his hearing is going.”
Cat nodded solemnly. “I’ve heard that happens. But don’t worry if they get forgetful. That just means that you can get away with loads more because they’ll forget what you’ve done and to spank you.”
Faith pointed at her. “You . . . you are a freaking genius.”
Cat smiled primly. “Thank you. I try.”
“Well, unfortunately for you, mi Peque?a,” Alejandro said in a soft voice. “My memory is still very much intact.”
“Uh-oh,” Cat said. “I didn’t say you were old yet, Papi.”
“I’m never going to be so old that I forget to punish you. Come on, it’s time for us to go.”
“Go? But it’s my turn to sing.” Cat pouted. “And we haven’t finished drinking.”
“You’re both finished,” Reuben told them.
Faith poked her tongue out and blew a raspberry at him.
“Oh, you’re going to regret that.”
Faith felt so fuzzy.
Like she was floating. Or flying.
“Whee! I’m flying!” she cried as she put her arms out and tried to dive down.
“Fuck! Faith! You’re not flying, I’m carrying you. Don’t do that again or you’ll hurt yourself.”
She stared up at Reuben, tears making her vision go blurry. “You called me Faith.”
He started to swear. “Sorry, baby. That was an accident.”
“I don’ts like it.”
“I know. I really am sorry.” He carried her into her playroom.
“Are we gonna play, Daddy!” She clapped her hands.
“No. You are going to have a nap.”
“But I don’ts want a nap.”
“Tough. You need one. You’ve drunk a lot of tequila and you’re going to crash. Hard.”
“What time is it?” she asked as he sat her on the bed.
“Close to five.” He eyed her. “Maybe it would be better to feed you and put you to bed for the night rather than take a nap.”
“It’s too early to go to bed, Daddy!”
“Not when you’re drunk, it isn’t.”
She gasped. “Daddy! I never get drunk. Never. Ever.”
“Wait. You’ve never been drunk?” he asked.
“Nope.” She shook her head so hard that she toppled over onto her side.
And started to giggle.
“Oh, my poor baby. You are definitely going to regret this in the morning.” He crouched and brushed the hair off her face.
“I regret nothing!” She pumped her fist into the air.
“We need to get some food and water into you. And painkillers.”
“Nooo, Daddy!”
“Yes, Little Blossom. Let’s get you in something you can sleep in first.” He stood and moved toward the closet.
“No!” she cried out, trying to follow him.
But for some reason, she found herself on her bottom on the floor. She started giggling again.
She didn’t know why. It just seemed really, really funny.
“Fuck, baby. You’re going to hurt yourself.”
“Nuh-uh, I’m fine, Daddy.”
“I need a highchair for you.”
“Don’t needs it, Daddy. I’m all good.” He picked her up and laid her down on the bed again. But this time he pulled up the sides, so she was enclosed in a crib.
“Stay there while I get some clothes for you.”
“But I like your T-shirts.” She pouted.
“You want to sleep in one of my T-shirts?” he asked her.
“Uh-huh. The Wishingbone, Montana ones. They are so cute and soft and cuddly.”
“All right. I’ll be right back.”
She hummed, rolling back and forth until a fullness in her bladder had her sitting up.
“Daddy! Daddy!”
He rushed in, looking harried. Poor Daddy. He seemed so tired. He should rest more.
“What is it? Do you feel sick?” he asked.
“Nope.”
“Are you in pain?”
“I don’t thinks so.” She shook her head, then regretted it as the room spun.
“Then what’s wrong?”
“I don’t know,” she replied. “What’s wrong with you?”
Reuben gave her a stern look that had her lower lip wobbling.
“Fuck. Baby, don’t you cry.”
“You’re m-mad at me.”
“I’m not mad at you. I just want to know why you yelled out for me.”
“Oh, well, that’s simple. I’ve got to pee sooo bad. Sooo bad.”
She pressed her legs together.
Quickly, he lowered the side of the bed and lifted her out, racing with her to the toilet. Putting her down on her feet, he drew off her pants and panties and sat her down on the toilet.
“Daddy, that was close.”
He was quiet as he helped her clean up, not bothering to put her pants and panties on again. Carrying her out to the bed, he placed her back on the bed, then grabbed the T-shirt he’d dropped on the floor.
Taking off her top and bra, he pulled the T-shirt on.
“You know, I didn’t get any training pants or diapers because you said your Little didn’t go that young. But I’m beginning to think that might have been a mistake.”
“I’m not a baby!” she cried. “Sheesh, you have one near-accident and Daddy thinks you’re a baby.”
“You are a baby, though. My baby.”
“Wow, Daddy. That was sickly sweet. I liked it.”
“Good to know.”
“Where’s Colin? I need Colin!”
“He’s in the bedroom, let’s get him and then we can get you some dinner.”
“I is not hungry.”
“Have you eaten anything?” He carried her into the main bedroom and grabbed Colin.
She snuggled into him as Reuben took her into the kitchen and set her down on a chair at the table.
“Yep!” she said proudly. “Rafael kept feeding us bread and butter. Cat has a weird obsession with it. And no-bake bars.”
Reuben grabbed her shoulders, looking down at her in alarm. “You didn’t eat any no-bake bars, did you?”
“No. She didn’t make me any, Daddy. She only makes it for her nemesisisis. How many sisis are there?”
“With Cat, it’s hard to know,” he said dryly as he set a sippy cup full of water down in front of her.
She nodded solemnly, believing him. “She wanted to make some for Eric.”
“Now that I could get behind.”