46. Chapter Forty-Six | Savannah
Chapter forty-six
Closing the dishwasher, the doorbell rings and I check the security camera. I don’t even try to hide the grin as I walk over and open the front door.
“Well, fancy seeing you two here. Hey guys, what’s going on?” Theo and Gigi are standing on my front step, and as soon as I can pull my gaze from Theo’s handsome face, I notice they’re both carrying duffel bags.
“Surprise!” Theo grins as he looks down at his daughter.
“We’re having a sleepover!” Gigi proclaims before launching into a hug.
I’m a hugger in general and there are all kinds of hugs in this world, but Gigi gives some of my favorite hugs outside of my own immediate family.
She puts in a little piece of her heart every time she hugs me, and I feel so honored to receive them each and every time.
I would notice her hugs even if I didn’t know the background with her biological mother, but knowing how Blake just abandoned her?
It makes me hug her a little tighter and a little longer.
“A surprise sleepover, huh? Why don’t you guys come on in and tell me all about it.” I open the door further and Theo greets me with a sweet kiss before reaching for Gigi’s bag.
“Why don’t you go tell the girls the fun news, Princess?”
As she scampers up the stairs to my girls, my eyebrows must be close to my hairline as I try to figure out what is happening.
Theo wraps his arm around my waist and pulls me to him.
“Liam called me this afternoon. He had to go out of the country on something urgent, but he didn’t want to leave you alone with everything going on.
Since Walker is in DC until Thursday, Liam suggested that either he could hire men to stay and watch the house, or you could get a temporary new roommate.
” He lifts an eyebrow and tilts his head, pausing his explanation to gauge my reaction.
“So, it sounds like we’re having a sleepover then, huh?
” I would much rather have Theo and Gigi stay in my house than men I don’t know, even if they are some of my brother’s contacts.
When everything happened with my sister last year, there was a period of time where Vivian had linebackers following her around as a safety precaution, so I know if Liam mentioned it, he was serious about it. “Well then, come on in, roomie.”
“Mama? Mama, I don’t feel…” Whatever Lucy was going to say from the hallway is interrupted by the universal horrible sound of her retching and throwing up.
I toss the covers off and rush into the hall to scoop her up, but the damage has been done—all over the hallway floor.
I carry her into the hall bathroom, but before I can strip her out of her soiled clothes, another round hits her and I barely get her to the toilet before she’s throwing up again.
I had been watching my girls for signs as the stomach bug has been going through their school, and it looks like the first victim has fallen, with more likely to come.
While Lucy rinses off in the shower, I bring her clean pajamas and clean up the mess in the hallway.
No one likes cleaning up puke at two in the morning, but it would be so much worse if it was put off.
I get Lucy settled in her bed, armed with a couple disposable vomit bags, which next to my Kindle might be the best thing I’ve ever ordered off Amazon.
I’m only three steps from her door when I hear the tell-tale signs from Emily’s room that the stomach bug has claimed another victim, but she didn’t make it out of her bed in time.
It’s going to be a long night.