Chapter 6 #2
“I can’t help it. She’s beautiful. Are you sure they’re okay coming up to this altitude?
” I asked as I tore my gaze from the baby and to Sophia.
Cale hugged her close from behind, so he was holding both Sophia and the baby.
If I didn’t have such precious cargo, I’d take a photo of the family.
Hell, sometimes these kids were the only things that made me smile these days.
That and Harper, but I wasn’t going to think about that.
“Yes. We’re doing well. And you have Violet by the way.”
“Well say hello to Hazel for me and tell her I have dibs next.”
“You may be getting favorite uncle status, but you might be going lower on the rungs of favorite brother status if you’re not careful,” Sophia said with a laugh.
“I’ll fight my way through the family later. I can’t help it. I love these kids.”
“Oh, am I interrupting?” a familiar soft voice said, and I turned, forcing myself not to whirl since I had the baby in my arms, and blinked at Harper.
“What are you doing here?” I asked, my voice coming out far gruffer than I wanted it to.
“You invited me? Remember? I’m sorry I’m late, I had to drop Lucky off at Ivy’s, so he wasn’t alone tonight. And I wasn’t sure if he could deal with so many strangers. I can go.”
“Stay,” Sophia said as she moved forward. Cale glared at me, and I pretty much earned it. “Harper, you are always welcome.”
“Thank you,” she said softly as Sophia gave me a look.
“Sorry, I forgot. I got distracted by this one.” I lifted Violet up a bit, and Harper couldn’t help but melt.
“They’re adorable. Seriously. You guys did good.”
Cale puffed up, and Sophia just smiled. “I think I’m going to feed them real quick right before we go eat our big person dinner. And thank you. I love them with all my heart.”
“Seriously. I didn’t know how I was going to be being a girl dad. But I can’t wait to see them grow up. They’re the best things to happen to me—other than Sophia of course.” Cale leaned forward and kissed Sophia softly on the mouth, and I cleared my throat.
“There are virgin eyes in this room, be careful with all that kissing.”
I had been talking about the babies, but with the way Harper blushed, I couldn’t help it when my mind wandered.
No, I was not going to think about that. Not at all.
“So proper,” Sophia said with a laugh. “Give the baby to Cale, and tell the others we’ll be down in a minute?”
“I hate that I have to do this, but fine,” I said as I handed the baby over reluctantly. She let out a huge wail as she reached for Cale’s chest, and I laughed.
“Don’t think she’s going to be getting food from there.”
“It’s been an interesting time for sure,” Cale said with a dry laugh.
I gestured towards the door and Harper and I exited, leaving the happy family behind.
“I think my ovaries just exploded,” Harper said with a laugh.
“I don’t know what that means, but if it means that they’re the cutest babies in the world, then yes, you’re right.”
“They are. And I hear you’re going to be an uncle again.”
“I guess we’re getting to be that age. All of the Cages are producing the next generation.”
“Why does that scare me?” she asked, her eyes dancing with laughter.
“You’re ridiculous. But I don’t blame you.”
“Anyway, I’m glad you’re here,” I said after a moment, trying to figure out what I was supposed to do with my dead best friend’s little sister.
Because what I wanted to do was push that lock of hair that kept falling in front of her face behind her ear. And then maybe feel the back of her neck and finally figure out if her skin was as soft as I thought it was.
But what the hell was I thinking? She was too young. And off limits for more than one reason. She probably thought I was a damn creeper.
Since my attention was on Harper and not the stairs in front of me, I took a step too quickly, and my thigh and knee twisted wrong. And when I tried to move backward, overcorrecting, the scars on my side stretched.
“Fuck,” I grumbled as I leaned against the wall, trying to catch my breath.
Harper was there in an instant, one hand on my side, the other on my thigh. “Dorian. What’s wrong? Do I need to call someone?”
What’s wrong? Her hand was less than a foot away from my cock.
What was I supposed to do? How was I supposed to think?
Instead, I just let out a deep breath and tried to ease my way through the pain.
Because now I was going to get a damn erection with Harper so close, and that would be the most idiotic thing to do.
Especially since I wouldn’t be able to hide it as her face was damn close to it since we were at an odd level on the stairs.
“Seriously, let’s get you sitting down.”
I shook my head, but I didn’t shake off her hold. “I’m fine. Really. Just took a step wrong because I wasn’t thinking.”
Because I was thinking about you.
No, I wasn’t going to say that out loud.
She looked up at me then, studying my face, her hands still on me, and neither one of us said a word.
“So, looks like I’m interrupting,” Hudson said from the bottom of the stairs, and Harper lifted her hands quickly as if she had been burned, and I cleared my throat.
“Just took a step wrong.”
“If that’s your answer. I thought you should know Mom’s here.”
I blinked as Harper stiffened, and then I knew tonight was going to go downhill from here.
Because why the fuck was my mother at a place where she wasn’t welcome? And why the hell did I feel I was the one who had to deal with it?