He nods, rubbing the back of his neck. “Yeah. Yeah. Okay.”
He still looks unconvinced. I slide my arms around his waist and hug him tight, feeling his heart pound against my cheek. “She’ll be okay,” I murmur into his shirt.
He hugs me back. Cami wriggles between us, snuffling, and he kisses her cheek.
“I’ll call Cyrus,” he says. “He’s going to be disappointed. He was really looking forward to tonight.”
“Me, too,” I tell him honestly. “But we can postpone.” We pull apart, and I tickle Cami’s cheek. “Now let’s get this little ladybug some medicine, huh?”
Twenty-One
Cyrus
“I’m really sorry,” Beth says, when I get back from the gym that evening. She called and told me about Cami, and I quit lifting weights right in the middle of my session. My trainer got pissy with me, but I don’t give a shit. I just wanted to see with my own eyes that Cami’s okay.
God, no wonder parents are exhausted all the time. Are they just permanently terrified something will happen to their kids? We literally have a hired professional watching our baby, and I still can’t stop my heart racing as I stroke Cami’s hot little cheek. She sniffles in her sleep, and I kiss her forehead.
“Not your fault,” I murmur.
“We could reschedule for this weekend?” Beth offers. “I’ll be off work then, anyway, so the timing would probably be better.”
I shake my head. “Jack and I are both going away this weekend. There’s a tech convention up in Edinburgh.”
She frowns. “Both of you?”
“Why so surprised?”
“Well, you don’t work, right? I figured, since Jack and Seb work weekends, you’d take over with Cami when I wasn’t here.” Her lips curve. “You’re gonna leave her all alone with Seb? He’ll probably forget about her in the middle of a conference call, or something.”
I drop my hand, hurt flashing through me. “Why do you think I’m unemployed?” She only met me a few days ago. Why would she assume that? Do I just exudelazy spongervibes?
She looks taken aback. “Sorry, I didn’t realise you had a job. I just… I’ve been here every day for a week. And you’re usually napping or working out, or whatever.”
That hits me like a punch in the gut. She thinks I’m just a lazy layabout. That I lie around doing nothing all day.
She frowns. “It wasn’t meant to be an insult. There’s nothing wrong with not having a job, I literallyjustgot one after a year of searching—” She trails off at the look on my face. “I didn’t mean anything by it, Cy.”
I bite my tongue. “It’s fine. Sorry.” I force myself to smile at her. “Yeah, I do public events for Trinity Games.”
“Why?” She looks confused. “You weren’t involved in developing the app, were you?”
“Nope. But I have a skill vital to the company that neither of the others have.” I pause for effect. “I’m sexy.”
Jack rolls his eyes. “He’s aperformer,” he corrects, and I nod.
“At conventions, they have to give talks. Speak with investors. Maybe go on fancy dinners. Would you ever buy anything Seb tried to sell you? He has the social skills of Siri. Andthisnerd,” I jab my thumb at Jack, “has stage fright. He’d run right offstage if I wasn’t there to help him.”
Jack nods self-deprecatingly.
Beth looks disappointed. “Okay. Next week, then.”
“Nope.” I shake my head. “We can still do tonight. We’ll just have the date here. Leave it up to me.” Balancing Cami in the crook of my arm, I take Beth by the shoulder and nudge her towards the flat door. “Be back here at eight. Wear something pretty.”
She laughs. “It’s only six. My shift hasn’t finished yet.”
I shoo her away. “I’m letting you off early. Go home, before you get sick of us and decide to cancel.”
“But—”