Page 11 of His Omega Bear

He shook his head, “No! Not at all. It’s obvious you care, and you’re trying, I bet she knows that. You’ll get better.”

Hearing the certainty in his voice shouldn’t have made me feel better, but it really did. More often than not, it felt like I was wandering around in the dark, trying to find my way, with not a speck of light in sight. But Rhys here was clearly an expert, so if he said I was doing okay, I’d take it. I yawned again and tried to smother it with my hand. Maybe I should do what Shep suggested and hire a nanny or a babysitter.

Would he be interested?

Before I could stop them, my eyes closed, and I was out.

The sound of Emilia’s cry startled me awake, and I immediately looked in the Pack and Play. But she wasn’t crying. Must have been a very vivid dream.

How had I fallen asleep with a stranger in my home with my child?

I rubbed my eyes and sighed, trying to calm my racing heart.. I clearly needed to get my shit together. What if something had happened? I knew nothing about Rhys.

So why were you comfortable enough to fall asleep with him in your house?

I didn't have an answer to that, and now wasn't the time to figure it out.

I glanced over at her again and shook my head. Emilia was still asleep? I glanced down at my fitness watch and my eyes widened.

Holy crap! I'd been asleep for almost three hours. I glanced at the basinet and got on my feet, laying my hand gently on her chest. I let out another breath at the rhythmic rise and fall of her chest.

I tried not to panic at the fact I'd fallen asleep and left my kid with a total stranger.

Was he still in the house?

Did I want him to be?

I glanced at Emilia one last time before grabbing the baby monitor I kept in here. When I switched it on and left the room, I immediately heard music playing towards the back of the house and followed the sound to the kitchen. Woah, what was that smell?

I stopped in the doorway, trying to decide how I felt about the whole situation, when I heard his voice. “You may as well come on in. I can hear you breathing out there.”

My brow shot up at his words as I padded into the kitchen.

“You heard me breathing?” I asked, brow raised even as I scanned the state of my kitchen. “Don't you mean you heard my footsteps?”

“Of course,” he nodded. “That's what I meant.”

My eyes narrowed because I had the distinct feeling I was missing something.

“I hope you like baked chicken and rice,” Rhys glanced up, but his eyes didn't quite meet mine. “It's all you had in the fridge.”

I snorted, causing the red staining to appear on his cheeks. “Okay, you didn't have chicken thighs, so I had someone run some over.” He shrugged, but it wasn't as nonchalant as he was going for. “It's no big deal. They came from the family freezer. Didn't have to buy it or anything.”

I was tempted to stay silent, to let him keep babbling. I had to admit; it was very cute.

“It smells great,” I said.

His head came up and his smile this time was genuine.

“I can't remember the last time I didn't eat something that came out of a take out container or from the microwave.” If it wasn't takeout, which thankfully this town had, it was a ready meal I grabbed from the supermarket.

“I'll just go wash up,” I said, and placed the baby monitor on the counter. “Do you mind listening for Emilia?”

The smile he graced me with took over and lit up his face. It was like a ray of sunshine breaking through the clouds after a summer storm. You would think I’d offered the man a million dollars the way his eyes crinkled up at the outside corners, his mouth stretched open to show his teeth.

It was warm and kind and lit a fire in every cell of my body. And I knew that was my cue to get the hell out of there.

“You’ve already managed to get her to sleep longer than I have. If you're not careful, I may not let you leave.”

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