Jack shrugs. “Don’t know. He’s been on the phone for the past half an hour. Probably arguing with an investor, or something.” He bends and gives Cami a kiss on the nose. “Can you take over? I really want to fix this bug.”
“Well, it is my job, so IguessI have to.”
He smiles and gives me a quick peck on the lips, then grabs a half-drunk mug of coffee from the counter and heads back to his bedroom.
I bop Cami’s nose. “What do you think about trying some yummy oatmeal this morning, huh?”
She shouts with glee, and I stand, heading over to the kitchen.
The oatmeal does not go down well. In fact, I think Cami only gets one tiny lick in, before deciding she’d much rather just dump the bowl all over her front and take a bottle instead. Which is how I end up crouched by the bathtub, washing a squirming, sticky baby.
“Look up,” I tell her, holding her little whale bath toy over her head. “You’ve got porridge all down your neck.”
She babbles, ignoring me and examining her toes. I try to slip the flannel under her chin to wipe up the baby food, but she stubbornly pins her chin to her chest.
“Yeah?” I ask. “You want a mucky neck? You saving your breakfast for later? I can put it in a tupperware, you know.”
There’s a knock at the door.
“I’m just bathing Cami,” I call. I expect whoever it is to go away, but the door pushes open. I look up as Seb steps inside. He looks alarmingly close to how he did last week, his face pale and sweaty and his hair rumpled.
“Oh, honey,” I frown, “you look like you need a nap.”
“It’s just a headache,” he mutters.
“Your eyes aren’t focussing. You look like you’ve had some kind of traumatic head injury. Take your meds and go to bed.”
Cami notices him and squeals, splashing the water excitedly. A flicker of pain passes over his face, but he ignores it, coming to kneel on the bath mat next to me. He takes the washcloth,puts Cami’s toy whale on her round belly, and wordlessly takes over, cleaning his daughter in gentle, smooth strokes.
“You need to get her neck,” I say, sitting back on my haunches. “Half of her breakfast is sitting right under her double chin.”
“Look up,” he says quietly, nudging her chin with his finger. Cami refuses, so he rummages around in the box of bath toys, finding a tube of bubbles. He uncaps it and blows a stream of shiny bubbles over her head, and she lifts her face to watch, delighted. He quickly cleans up the beige goop. I smile to myself, then nudge him gently.
“Is something wrong? I heard you arguing. It’s not the app, is it?”
He shakes his head, carefully sluicing off Cami’s hair. “I told my mum about Cami. Figured I had to do it, sooner or later.”
I wince. That can’t have been a fun conversation. “What did she say?”
“She’s…unimpressedthat I kept Cami a secret. She wants to meet her. This weekend.” His lips twist grimly. “They’re going to hate her. Her and my step-dad. They’ll make fun of her.”
My eyebrows raise. “Make fun of her? How?! She’s just a little baby!”
“I know what they’re like.” His jaw clenches. “They’re going to talk shit about her, just to rile me up. It’s what they do. They love pissing me off. And she’s the illegitimate kid of a drug addict; they’ll have plenty of material.” He rubs his throat. “I can’t handle them insulting my daughter.”
I reach out, putting my hand over his. “Want me to go with you?”
He snorts. “I don’t need you to hold my hand while I talk to my mum. I’m a big boy.”
“You may be, but Cami is a tiny baby who will probably need some entertainment on the long journey. And someone to look after her while you talk with your parents.”
He pales. “Shit. Yes. I don’t want to shout in front of her.”
He looks so worried. On a whim, I pop up and press a kiss to his cheek, my lips brushing the warm, stubbly skin. At the same moment, he leans forward to rearrange Cami in the tub.
Our cheeks brush together, and we both freeze. My heart starts to beat faster as I inhale his warm cologne. I can feel his breathing pick up, his chest rising and falling a little too fast. Slowly, he turns towards me, his eyes dropping to my lips. My stomach freefalls.
Until now, I’ve ignored my growing crush on Sebastian. It didn’t seem appropriate. Seb was my boss, and he honestly didn’t seem particularly interested in me. But now he’s staring at me intently, his pupils blooming. The air is zinging with electricity. Slowly, he shifts forward, leaning in.