Page 56 of The Desire

“Blaise is coming down with a cold, so Edinburgh is off the table. Do you think I should call a doctor?” In my head, I’m working out what I will reply to Elouise, but before I get a chance, I look up as I hear Tori start speaking.

“Hey, babe, how sick is he?” Phone to her ear, I’m annoyed at her for calling and even more frustrated because I can’t hear the reply.

“What’s she saying!” I growl at Tori.

Rolling her eyes at me, she takes the phone from her ear and hits the speaker so I can hear too.

“Can you repeat that for the grumpy bear who is sitting at his desk throwing daggers at me but also sweating bullets that his baby is sick?” Tori’s sarcasm is not funny right now.

“Hey, Rem, he’s fine, no need to panic. It’s just a little sniffle, but I don’t want to risk taking him away. Plus, we want him to enjoy his first trip.” Her voice is what I needed to hear. She sounds like everything is under control.

“Great, I’ll call Sally, and she will be happy to look after him for a few days so you two can go as planned and enjoy some time away from the child. You deserve a break, Lou, and you can sightsee while Rem is working.” Tori starts texting on her phone while we are still on the call.

“Wait, what? Tori, stop right now. I’m not making Sally look after my sick son.” I stand because I feel like I’ve been pushed to the side on this decision about my own son.

“She said she would love to. She’ll be over tonight with Broderick, and they will stay for a few days.” Tori is just speaking to us like we are part of the staff.

“Tori, I can’t leave him. It’s my job to take care of Blaise,” Elouise shouts down the phone at her. And I know why.

She too is feeling the panic of the two of us alone for a few days and what will happen. Well, even if she isn’t thinking it, I sure am.

This is going to be a disaster, I can just tell.

“You don’t want to disappoint Sally now, do you? She is already so excited.” As Tori is looking at me with a stupid smirk on her face, my phone vibrates in my hand with a message from Sally.

Far out, how can I get out of this now? She is already packing her bag.

“My son, my house, my nanny, Tori,” I say, letting her know I’m not happy about her stepping into my life.

“Whatever, and you’re welcome.” Taking me off speaker, she walks back out of my office before I even have time to continue this conversation.

This is going to be hell, and I’m already trying to think of how I can get out of it, while at the same time, an email from Nic appears on my screen about the negotiations for the castle and how he needs my answer from up there tomorrow ASAP.

I’m screwed.

Looks like I’m taking Elouise to a castle and then locking myself in the dungeon.

It’ll be safer for both of us.

Chapter Twelve

ELOUISE

“Why are you protesting so much?”

Tori’s voice keeps repeating in my head as I’m sitting on the jet trying to read a book while watching Rem engrossed in his computer, working.

It’s not like I could tell her.

I hate keeping secrets from her, but this one would blow apart the group, and I’m not going to be responsible for that.

Rem hardly spoke to me last night, spending all his time with Blaise until bedtime and then continued lying with him for a while after he fell asleep. As much as I was freaking out about the trip on the inside, watching him with Blaise, stretched out on the bed, arm wrapped around him and protecting him from a sickness that he had no control over, it had my ovaries exploding. My heart skipped a beat at what a great father he is.

His back was turned to me because he was just intent on watching Blaise sleep. I know I shouldn’t have been standing there watching him, but it was like I was in a trance, and I couldn’t move.

My body reacted to the sight of his broad shoulders, that then chisel down in the perfect way to his waist. His shirt pulled tightly against his arm as it was outstretched over the top of Blaise’s body, which meant the muscles on his back were showing, and I just wanted to feel them under my hands again.

That’s the problem when you’ve had something, then you know exactly what you are missing.

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