CHAPTER ELEVEN
Ian had thought he was screwed before. Quite a few times, actually, the last time being mere hours ago, when he'd agreed to take on this assignment.
He hadn't known what he was talking about back then. He hadn't met his ultimate undoing yet.
Not until now.
One look into those eyes and he was gone.
Hook, line, and sinker, there was no way out but down.
Boo Reed looked so much like his father, especially with those blue eyes and those eyelashes that were so pale they seemed almost white, that Ian really had no way to protect himself.
He felt like he'd been changed down to his very bones.
His heart had grown in size in a matter of seconds, that was for sure.
The boy didn't even blink for the longest of moments, and Ian had no idea how long they were staring at each other, but he didn't care, because he didn't want to break the silent spell.
It was a horn somewhere out in the street that broke it in the end, startling Boo so much that he jerked in his father's arms and whined quietly.
"It's okay, it's nothing." Alex ran a hand over his son's back and kissed his forehead again. "Just a surprise, you're fine."
Unfortunately, Boo decided he was definitely not fine anymore. His eyes filling with tears, he whimpered again and clenched his little hands into fists.
"Uh-oh, a growling monster is gathering his strength, ready to show everyone how it's going to be," Alex murmured as he headed to the kitchen. "Let's see what will appease you, kind sir. We'll start with a nice, cold teething ring, how about that?"
Ian was still glued to his spot, watching these two in their own little world. Alex didn't seem to hesitate for even one second, transferring Boo easily in his arms as he opened the freezer and pulled out the ring, then settling with his hip against the counter.
"He's even better with him than I ever imagined," Alex's mom said quietly as she appeared right next to Ian. "I knew he could do it, but, like always, he blew my expectations out of the water."
He does that, Ian thought, but there was no way he was going to say it to Edina. He nodded instead, since it could be interpreted in many different ways.
"I'm glad you're here, though," she added, and as Ian glanced at her, she was looking right at him. "He's been agitated ever since we came here, but he's so sure you'll keep Boo safe that your mere presence seems to be enough to calm him down."
"I'll do everything I can to keep Boo safe—and both of you, too."
She smiled. "Good. I don't think there's anything to worry about, since the number of people who know about Boo is very small.
But better safe than sorry, and besides, they can't stay hidden forever.
Alex definitely can't. He loves Boo with all his heart, but he also misses the music and the life he'd had before. "
Ian nodded, thinking of his siblings, whose lives had become so different since having kids.
"Parenting changes everything."
"Yes, it does," Edina whispered before shaking her head. "Okay, I have a book waiting for me upstairs. See you tomorrow."
"Good night."
She moved to the kitchen and Ian headed towards the living room to give the three of them some privacy. Sticking to boundaries generally helped people to deal with the uncomfortable feeling of sharing space with a virtual stranger, and sometimes it was as easy as looking away.
If anything could be called easy about this situation.
With a sigh, Ian checked the living area more closely, realizing he'd gotten distracted away from finishing his initial sweep of the apartment. Everything seemed fine, though, which meant that as his check concluded, there was no reason to stay away from the Reeds anymore.
Edina was gone by the time Ian approached the kitchen area again, where Alex was quietly talking to Boo, who was gnawing at the multicolored ring.
Then Alex looked up and caught Ian's gaze. "Everything okay?"
"As good as can be expected. Better, even, in some ways—whoever designed this apartment managed to avoid many of the things that can hinder a place from the security perspective."
"Like what?"
"There are no windows from ground to the ceiling, for one. There are clear paths everywhere and two separate exits, plus the fire escape, which appears to be in a good condition." Ian tilted his head towards the entrance. "The bolted door is a nice touch as well."
"So I was right not choosing to stay in a hotel?"
"Yes. In theory, any decent hotel's foot traffic is monitored, but ultimately it's not that hard to slip through in most places.
You'd have less privacy, and every time any of you would leave, you'd likely be seen by several people.
In comparison, as long as this address doesn't leak, you're perfectly safe here. "
"I am now."
Ian turned at that and while Alex seemed focused on Boo, there was no denying the flush rising on his skin.
"Can I help with anything?" Ian asked, pretending not to notice. "Have you eaten?"
Alex had a tendency to forget about food until it appeared right in front of him, which Ian suspected could have only become worse when caring for a child and needing to focus on said child's needs.
"I have. We're having dinner early these days, as we accommodated to the very early wake-up time this guy right here is responsible for.
I tried early bedtime, too, but my mom is much better at it than I am.
Once Boo is down for the night, I feel like I should cram everything into that small window of time, and then I end up falling asleep mid-things. "
"Is he sleeping through the night?"
Alex made a so-so gesture before putting his hand back on Boo's back.
"Depends on how you define a night, but he has been getting about six hours of uninterrupted sleep followed by a feeding break and another few hours of sleep.
Well, he used to. Since he started teething, it varies more.
It's much harder to get him back to sleep when he's not really that comfortable, and when he's up, so am I.
" He gently rubbed his son's back. "Normally, he'd be long asleep in his crib by now, but he's been cranky tonight.
Still, I can't complain. I know some babies wake up every two hours or so. I don't think I could've handled that."
"From what I've seen and heard, parents learn to handle many things they'd once thought impossible."
Chuckling, Alex smiled down at Boo. "Do you hear that? I can't even deny it, can I? I definitely thought, many times, that I wouldn't be able to handle parenthood. And look at us now. We're doing well, huh? Teething and tantrums aside."
You're doing great, Ian wanted to tell him, but it was a slippery slope and he was already in too deep.
"His tantrums or yours?" he teased instead, needing to change the mood quickly before he started thinking of things he had no business wondering about even in the safety of his own head.
"I'm a little rusty when it comes to avoiding questions I don't want to answer, so how about I dazzle you with the cuteness of my baby while he's calm again."
"Oh, I'm dazzled already," Ian assured him, way too sincere, so he quickly pushed forward. "Besides, I think you might have found the ultimate topic redirection right there. Who could ignore this adorable little man?"
The moment the words had left his mouth, Ian knew it was the wrong thing to say, but it was already too late.
Alex rubbed Boo's back again and stared at his son for a long moment. "I'm not ready for the world to know about him."
Nodding, Ian took a step forward and leaned against the table in between them.
"Of course not. I didn't mean to—"
"I know, I know. I just… They will find out, sooner or later, and I should probably come up with some kind of a plan, but each time I try, I end up getting anxious and dropping it."
"You're not obligated to inform anyone, Alex. This is your life—yours and his. No one else has to have a say."
"They'll say it anyway."
"Then f-u-c-k them. They don't matter. And if anyone crosses a line, we'll f-u-c-k them up."
That earned him a big grin. "Nice spelling technique."
"I have several nieces and nephews, so I've had time to practice."
"I drop an f-bomb within his hearing at least once every other day."
Ian grinned back. "At least the chances of him repeating it are still very low."
Boo picked that moment to spit out the ring and drop it onto the floor before Alex managed to catch it.
"We've gone over this, young man. No dropping things, especially not when I have my hands full of you."
"Here, let me." Ian was on the other side of the table in a second and grabbed the ring from the floor. "Should I wash it by hand or is it going into the dishwasher?"
"Leave it in the sink, I'll clean it later."
Ian sent him a look. "I can wash a teething ring, Alex."
"Okay, I'll—" Alex gnawed on his lip as he glanced at Boo. "Thank you."
"No problem. Speaking of people knowing stuff, though, there are probably things I should know about if I'm going to be protecting you and your family.
" With his back to Alex, Ian could only imagine his reaction, which was probably for the better.
And the way Alex couldn't see Ian's grimace was definitely for the best. "We could leave it for tomorrow, but I'd honestly prefer if we could—" get it over with "—go over it tonight, so I can have a full assessment as soon as possible. "
"Yeah," Alex offered barely above a whisper when Ian cut off the water. "You're right," he added a little louder but kept his gaze low as Ian slowly turned around. "We can try as I feed Boo, but fair warning, if he doesn't fall asleep during, I'll need to take him upstairs for the night."
"Of course, I understand. We'll adjust as needed and we can resume tomorrow morning if needed. It's fine."
In reality, Ian suspected neither of them were thrilled about that conversation, but they didn't have a choice.
That's the job, he told himself. You're here on an assignment, nothing more.
He'd already figured he was going to need constant reminders of that.
He couldn't afford to slip up—not again.
Especially now.