Page 22 of Doubling Down

“Because I need to watch over them. Ezra obviously picked up whatever bug that little cutie has.”

“This might be bordering on kidnapping,” Dane pointed out.

Eric scowled at his friend. “I’m a cop. I’m not going to kidnap anyone.”

Dane lifted a brow.

Fuck! Was he right? No, of course not. Eric was going to ask Ezra’s permission. He just wanted to make sure that once Ezra agreed to come home with him that Eric was ready to leave.

It wasn’t hard to figure out what the baby would need to come home with him. Eric hoped he wasn’t crossing boundaries when he searched through a pile of clothes on the floor folded neatly and appearing clean. If Ezra or Annabelle needed anything else, then Eric would go out and buy it for them.

Eric stuck his arm through the strap of the backpack then turned to Dane. Annabelle was content babbling and smacking Dane’s chest as the big man held her close.

He really wanted to take another picture.

“Don’t even think about it,” Dane warned.

With a shake of his head, Eric strolled across the room. He stopped when he reached Dane.

“Are you sure about this?” Dane asked quietly. “You didn’t know about the baby, did you?”

“No, I didn’t,” Eric admitted. And he would wrestle with the unfamiliar feelings that he was pushing down later. “It doesn’t change anything for me. He’s mine.”

Dane stared at him hard until he nodded. “Okay.” They returned to the living room.

Maverick sat on guard halfway between the couch and the front door which was still open. Fuck! It seemed like the dog had more sense than Eric did at that moment. Eric was a cop! He should know better than leaving his boy so vulnerable. Sure, there were cops all over the complex, but Eric was not thinking straight. He just wanted to get Ezra and Annabelle home.

“Hey.” Eric leant over his boy.

Ezra jerked awake. “Annabelle?”

“Dane has her. Do you have a car seat?”

“Where are we going?” Ezra looked around frantically, but Eric could tell that his eyes weren’t clear.

“I think you’re sick too?” He placed his palm on Ezra’s forehead. Fuck! Ezra was burning up.

“Maybe. My throat hurts.”

Did Ezra need a doctor? Eric wasn’t one to panic but this was a new situation. There was someone at home that could help him though.

“Car seat?” Eric asked again.

Ezra nodded.

“Come on, baby. We’re going to fix everything. I promise.” Eric helped Ezra off the couch.

Dane was walking around the apartment turning off lights as Eric directed Ezra out with his arm around Ezra’s waist. He spotted a set of keys hanging on a hook by the door. Eric grabbed them. The timeline for romancing his boy had completely gone off track but Eric would just roll with it.

* * * * *

Ezra

Confusion. Burning. Motion sickness. Anxiety. Ezra was pretty much lost and the only thing keeping him from losing his shit was the fact that he could hear Annabelle talking happily behind him about lights or something. Well that, and the attractive and attentive guy driving the big SUV. Ezra didn’t even know where they were going. Had he asked?

“Where are we going?” Why was his brain mush?

“My house,” Eric said. He gripped Ezra’s knee.

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