Page 41 of Roam

“Of course. I’ve got another client coming in, so I’d appreciate it.”

Roam knew what he was inviting. Letting them take the newest little one to the diner would mean a shopping trip. He had no doubt his kid would return with all sorts of new clothes. Which, he had to admit, was just fine.

Sprite reluctantly handed over Matthew to Stella. He adored Sprite for loving Matthew as much as he did. He could see it in every cuddle she gave him.

The shop door dinged, and he turned to get the next client set up. Today was going to be busy.

SPRITE FINISHED CHECKING out her client and then washed her hands before checking on Matthew. Stella, Meg and Rascal had him at the diner for an hour, then Rascal cuddled him until his client showed up.

Between the three of them, they’d had time to take care of Matthew, grab lunch and all eat, plus take care of their clients. Her back and neck were a little achy with bending over a chair so long today after being off work for a while.

Between her clients when she had time to think, Sprite had worried over Blake’s behavior. She’d been adamant that they had to sleep in their house but refused to tell Sprite why.

At the same time, she’d talked about how much she loved playing with Grant, Casper and Georgia and how neat Roam’s house was.

With the upheaval of Matthew’s addition to their life, she wondered if Blake had just needed Sprite to herself. Or maybe Blake has been worrying about her dad and just didn’t know how to tell Sprite. No one warned parents how they’d have to make the best decision for their kids without all the facts.

Some days Sprite thought she was a pretty good mom and then other days, she was positive she was the worst mom on the planet. But even on her worst days, she reminded herself she was doing better than her own mom had ever done.

Matthew was just stirring in the play pen they’d brought in for him. He opened his eyes and his little mouth started to open. Before he could cry, Sprite had picked him up and cuddled him against her chest. She nestled his head up on her shoulder.

“It’s okay, buddy. I’ve got you,” she whispered.

He was a little early to eat and his diaper didn’t feel soggy. She wondered if it was maybe the different atmosphere at the studio or if he might have been startled when Rascal and his client had laughed a little bit ago.

He snuffled a little against her neck, then settled down. She swayed as she patted his back. She looked up through the doorway and Roam was staring at her, smiling. He finished with his client while she was holding Matthew.

“You look beautiful holding him.”

Roam walked closer, sliding his arm around her so she was leaning against his chest and he had his arms wrapped around both of them.

“Are you as exhausted as I am?” Roam asked.

“Yes! Between the trip, the uncertainty of the storm and work today, I am so tired.”

“Mom said she was dropping off supper for us. She just needed to know if it was all at my house or if she should divide it up for your house and my house.”

Sprite sighed. “I don’t know. Blake wouldn’t tell me what was going on last night. I want to just move us in with you, but I also want the kids to be comfortable.”

Roam dropped a kiss on her head. She adored when he’d kiss her forehead or kiss the top of her head. He was so affectionate. Each gesture made her feel special. She’d never had that before.

“It’s up to you. We could eat dinner together, then everyone could sleep at their own houses or dinner separately. I think you need to choose what you think would make Blake feel the safest.”

“Let’s see how Blake is after I pick her up. Would that be okay?”

Roam nodded against her. “Yep. Mom will be fine with that.”

Chapter Twenty-Four

Sprite had waited until they were in the side-by-side, heading back to their house before she decided to take Blake’s attitude temperature.

“What did you do fun today?”

Blake stared at the landscape, turning her head a little away from Sprite. Could Blake be mad at her? She waited a little longer for Blake to answer and after getting to the house without Blake saying a word, Sprite pulled the side-by-side beside the house and touched Blake’s shoulder when she started to unbuckle and get out.

“You have the right to have feelings. You have the right to be upset, whether it’s with a situation, with me, or with someone else. However, it’s not nice to ignore someone when they try to talk to you. Is that how you want to be treated?” Sprite paused to give Blake a chance to say something. When Blake just tightened her mouth, Sprite decided this wasn’t going on.

“I can’t help you fix something if you won’t tell me what is bothering you. You were so excited to live here and now, you seem upset. I know when I’m upset, it always helps me to share it with someone. Let’s go in the house. Regina has offered to bring us supper. Maybe by the time we finish supper, you can tell me what’s wrong.”

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