Page 86 of Rent Free

“What are you looking at?”

I gasped and twisted on the bed, finding myself staring at Atlas and Gable.

“Uh,” I resisted the urge to reach for the laptop and slam it shut.

Old habits died hard.

I hated when people—Sage most importantly—read over my shoulder and knew what I was doing.

“Are those daycares?” Atlas asked, looking stunned.

I immediately started backpedaling. “It’s not that I’m not willing to watch him whenever I’m off, but I have to keep my job with Maven. I gave her a promise when I started working, and I don’t break my promises. No matter what. It’s something that I had to do a lot growing up with Sage, and it gives me PTSD if I don’t follow through. And, just sayin’, but you’re going to be working throughout the days sometimes. Your family all have lives, too. I know that…”

Atlas came forward and caught my sock-covered toes. “It’s okay. I understand why you’re looking. Thank you. Have you found anything?”

I sat up with my laptop and said, “A few. Want to see?”

“Come out to the kitchen, I brought tacos from Tacos Goyo. I figured you ate, but I brought some anyway, just in case,” he babbled.

Babbled.

It was… cute.

“Sure,” I said, closing my laptop and bringing it with me.

The two men worked in tandem at the counter to divide the food.

I watched them place not one, not two, not three, but six tacos on my plate, and started shaking my head.

“Not that I don’t appreciate the food,” I said carefully. “But there’s no way in hell I’m eating six tacos. Feel free to grab three back.”

“Nice.” Gable took two, but Atlas left the other for me.

“I’ll take the last one if you don’t finish,” he offered, carrying my plate and his to the table. “How did he go to sleep?”

“Like a dream,” I admitted. “I hate to admit this, but it’s like he just expects to be put in there with the door closing on you as you leave. It’s likely he goes to sleep on his own without help. But I’ve rocked him to sleep both nights, and he’s been a little snuggle bug the entire time.”

“I walked out this morning and he was wide awake, just sitting in his bed waiting for me to come in there,” he grumbled, looking upset. “I have to wonder if it’s normal for Emory to just leave him in there for who knows how long while she sleeps. Or hell, just any time she doesn’t want to deal with him.”

“Don’t overthink it,” Gable urged. “Just think about how great he sleeps and leave it at that. Just make sure you let him know he can come wake you up if he gets up before you.”

“I did that,” Atlas agreed. “I just hope he actually remembers.”

“What happens when you have to be at work early in the morning?” Gable asked. “What’ll y’all do then?”

Atlas looked slightly green for a long moment before I said, “I have a solution for that. I have to be at the bakery at five to get the baked goods cooking. Maven usually meets me around eight or nine. However, she’s been going on and on about opening later so we don’t have to be there as early. I can talk to her about that. If we opened at eight or nine, I could get there at seven or eight. Then I could take him to daycare… as long as it’s close.”

“Or I could take him on my way into work in the morning,” Atlas said. “What ones did you find?”

I pulled my laptop open and showed him my spreadsheet.

He pulled out his phone, as did Gable, and the three of us carefully marked a few of the daycares off the list.

“This one allows drop off at four in the morning,” Gable said. “And all have really excellent reviews.”

“I like this one, too. Drop off is at five.” Atlas pointed at the third on the list.

“I’m partial to this one,” I said as I showed him the one I’d secretly chosen. “Drop off is at six. I could technically do drop off before I head into the bakery to start morning prep. Then they’ll bus him to the station after school lets out. It’s Montessori…”

---