Chapter Nine
Bernie
“And we squish your face!” Bernie laughed at Xavier’s giggling. It was still a little choppy, like he hadn’t quite figured it out, but it was the sweetest sound in the world. She had hold of his ankles and rolled him up to press his feet against his cheeks. He blew snot bubbles and grinned as she relaxed him back down. Only to break into peals of laughter again when she brought his feet to his cheeks again. “Squish your face!”
His big blue eyes never left her face. Such an attentive little baby. He loved watching everything that was going on around him. Bernie knew it was too early to start thinking about what profession (or professions, as the case might be) he might have when he was grown, but she wondered if he was going to have an artistic flare.
There was a knock on the door. Bernie turned to it. “Come in.”
Tyler stepped inside. He frowned at her, cocking his head. “Did you forget?”
“Forget what?”
Since their talk, things had been… cordial between them. The burning desire she felt for him hadn’t lessened, but the self-control that she exerted in his presence had increased. No longer did she imagine jumping over him on the kitchen table or while they watched TV. It didn’t stop her hot and heavy dreams, though.
Tyler sighed. “You really did forget, didn’t you?”
Bernie rolled her eyes and stood. “Once more: what am I supposed to have forgotten?”
“The fundraiser ball. You know, the one that Gilbert is putting on? We got you a dress and everything. Remember?” Tyler continued to frown at her. “I know there has been other stuff that we’ve been focusing on, but that still happened.”
“Yeah. The ball. I remember.” Bernie’s own face fell into a frown.
He had mentioned it a few times and she’d gotten a new dress for it, yeah. But it had been so long since he brought it up, not to mention their agreement to just be friends. She had honestly forgotten all about it and probably would have continued to forget about it until someone brought it up again. Social parties weren’t her scene, unless everybody was wearing a month’s worth of dirt, they were holding beers (or other beverages, if they didn’t drink alcohol) and they were sitting around a campfire, telling stories.
The dress she had was gorgeous, though. And it had been tailored to her, too. She hadn’t had tailored clothing before and the way it hugged her curves made her feel like a goddess.
“I didn’t think I was still invited. Because you know, it’s a ball and we’re just friends. You can take Polly. If she doesn’t have anything to wear, she can take my dress. We’re about the same size.”
“Gilbert gave Polly her own ticket.” Tyler inched forward. “Look, it’s a fundraiser. We’ll be rubbing elbows with a bunch of other rich people. They’ll all talk behind their hands that the only reason I’m here is because Gil’s my friend and Shane is stinking rich. I can’t face that crowd on my own. We can go as friends and make fun of them. Please? I don’t have anybody else to take.”
Bernie wrinkled her nose at that. Being the last-ditch replacement wasn’t very flattering. But, she supposed, she was replacing herself so that wasn’t a reason to say no.
“I don’t have anybody to watch Xavier. I’m sorry, Tyler. I just don’t think that it’s really possible right now. If you’d given me a couple more hours but… what time do you need to leave by?”
Tyler came in to kneel beside Xavier. “Bernie, I told you that I was going to arrange a babysitter for the baby. And I did. Her name is Jasmine, she’s a professional nanny. She even works for the Emperor’s parents. I have her background check if you want to take a look at it.”
Bernie rolled her eyes. “I also want a DNA swab and fingerprint analysis. Get on that stat.”
She settled next to her son and his father, leaning against the bed. So, everything was arranged already so that she could leave Xavier and go to this ball, if that was needed. A shiver ran down her spine, even though she knew it was ridiculous to be afraid. The community was well guarded and there hadn’t been any stirrings from the people who had abducted her.
There was that Bill Johnson, though. Apparently, he’d come around and skulked behind the gates a couple of times. She was still hoping that he’d just leave her alone on his own. After Tyler told her about the fight, she’d had him call Bill for her and very patiently explained that she wasn’t looking for any commitments at the moment. He’d tried to convince her to meet up, but she wasn’t into giving men false hope.
Not to mention that meeting up with a strange, violent man who was already obsessed with her seemed like a pretty blockhead move.
“I don’t know…”
“Well… it’s your choice but I’d really like it if you came.” Tyler looked up at her. His blue eyes were like two flecks of the ocean, pulling her in. The yes rose against her will in her throat. If she opened her mouth she’d agree for sure, so she kept it shut.
Knowing that this Jasmine nannied for the Emperor of the Dragons—who was a little boy at this point, though his identity remained hidden except for a half-dozen guards—helped to ease her concerns about leaving Xavier. But leaving Xavier made all those concerns rush back to the forefront. She chewed on her lip, uncertain.
Xavier waved a hand in the air and Tyler slipped his finger into it. His gaze never left her face and the look in his eyes softened. A ghost of a smile drifted across his face.
“You’ve never left him with a sitter before, have you?”
So, he’d guessed where her hesitancy was coming from. Bernie sucked in a deep breath and held it for a moment before she shook her head. “The farthest I’ve ever been from him is when he’s upstairs napping and I’m downstairs. Of course, except when I was abducted. And now you’re asking me to leave him here with someone I’ve never met before. And we’re going to be a couple hours away, at a chalet up in the mountains. What if something happens?”
“I’ll fly you back. It’s a couple hours by car because the roads are so twisty. I can fly it in half an hour.”
Well, that was another reason why she could say yes.
Tyler took her hand, his blue eyes still intense but gentle. “Look. If you don’t want to go, then don’t go. I’ll go as if I’m bringing Polly with me. Or she’s bringing me, it doesn’t matter. And I get that you’re worried about leaving Xavier for the first time ever. It is a big step. If you want to take smaller steps first, then you can get Polly or me to watch him while you, I don’t know, go grocery shopping.”
“Glamorous.”
Tyler shrugged. “I’m just saying this doesn’t have to be now. But you are going to have to start leaving him with other people. I mean, you need your time too. And it’ll be much easier in a lot of cases if you have someone at home to leave him with while you’re doing errands. You could see this as the first run.”
He was very convincing. Bernie had to admit that, despite the lack of flattery before, there was something very charming about how much he wanted her to come with him. Bernie ran a hand through her short hair, considering.
It would be nice to have someone to leave Xavier with when she had to go shopping or something. Hauling around the car seat wasn’t exactly easy. That someone she wanted to leave him with wasn’t a stranger, though. It was his father.
That wasn’t going to happen. She and Tyler weren’t getting back together. And even if they did… how could she be certain it would last?
A pang hit her stomach and she turned away, suddenly not able to breathe.
“Bernie? Hey, are you okay?”
She tried to nod but ended up shaking her head instead. “I just realized… we’re going to have to work out a custody arrangement. I don’t want you cut out from Xavier’s life. But I’m not going to live here forever. So, we need to figure out how it’ll work. Who he lives with when.”
Her eyes flooded as she considered what her home would be like without her baby in it, even if it was only for a few days during the week. How did people do this? Live separate lives, not being able to see their babies all the time?
“Hey, it’s nothing to worry about right now. Yeah, we’ll have to figure it out, but remember, I don’t have anything tying me in one place. I can go around the world with you to all your digs and take care of Xavier while you play in the dirt.” He put a hand on her shoulder. We’ll figure out something that is fair for both of us. You don’t have to come to the ball.”
Bernie wiped her eyes and smiled at him. “I think I’d like to. It’ll give us a chance to really talk.”
Tyler looked serious for a moment but smiled. He moved as though he was going to kiss her and her heart stopped, but he withdrew. “Great. You’ve got… just over two hours. Can’t wait to see your dress. And Bernie? It’s going to be okay. I promise.”