Page 13 of Luke

“We don’t want to make you exert yourself,” Luke replied kindly. “It’s quite a trek.”

“Alright.” Bryce conceded with a shrug. “But just bring the car seat too. I’m sure I’ll need it.”

Luke grinned. “Sounds good.”

As Beau made his way toward the SUV with a smirk on his face, Luke couldn’t contain his laughter.

“What’s so funny?” Beau asked, frowning.

“You get Bryce,” Luke explained between chuckles. “I’ll carry the baby in the car seat.”

Beau narrowed his eyes. “Car seat?”

“Yeah,” Luke clarified, trying not to burst into laughter at Beau’s expression. “Bryce wants it, so she has something to put the baby in.”

Beau’s eyes narrowed. “So, all you have to do is carry the car seat? That’s not right, Luke. You know I would’ve done that too. I just didn’t want to carry the baby.”

“She’s a baby, not a stick of dynamite,” Bryce interjected with a stern glare at both men.

Feeling slightly foolish, Beau and Luke quickly apologized. “We meant no disrespect, ma’am. We’re just not used to handling babies,” Beau explained.

Bryce let out a small sigh of frustration. “I understand. Can we please go inside now? It’s freezing out here. I’ll need the baby’s things from the back of my vehicle.”

“Of course, ma’am.” Luke opened the back door, placed a blanket over the car seat, and carefully removed it with the sleeping baby. Beau motioned for Bryce to slide closer to the edge of her seat before lifting her up with ease and startingtoward the stairs.

“I hope I’m not too heavy,” she couldn’t help but feel self-conscious about being carried.

“You weigh nothing,” Beau reassured her with a chuckle, glancing back at Luke. “Come on, open the door. It’s cold.”

Luke followed close behind, carrying the car seat as he checked on the baby who was sound asleep and bundled up against the cold. He unlocked the door, they entered the apartment, and Beau gently placed Bryce on the sofa. She looked around, taking in her surroundings.

“This is so cute,” she remarked with a smile.

The apartment was designed as an open space, with only a bar separating the kitchen from the living room and a hallway that likely led to the bedroom. The large front window flooded the space with natural light.

“How many bedrooms does this place have?” Bryce asked curiously.

“I think two,” Luke replied thoughtfully. “Connie didn’t say.”

“Well, I need to use the bathroom, so I’ll go take a look,” Bryce said, slowly scooting to the edge of the sofa and using it for support as she stood up. She couldn’t help but chuckle at how Luke and Beau hovered around her protectively.

“I’m fine, just sore,” she reassured them with a small grin. “You can just set her down on the floor, Luke.”

“Are you sure?” he asked hesitantly.

“Yes, she’s not going to get up and walk off,” Bryce teased with a playful smirk.

“Very funny,” Luke muttered under his breath, looking embarrassed.

As she walked down the hallway, she noticed three doors. The middle one had a door on either side. She opened the door, and her face lit up when she saw the bathtub. She was able to take a sitz bath to help with healing and planned to do that. However,she could take a shower, and she wanted to do that soon. She was sure it was going to feel so good.

She peeked into the other rooms and saw that they were both bedrooms. Her heart skipped a beat when she saw the white bassinet in one of them.

“I wasn’t sure where you wanted the bassinet, so if you let me know, I can move it for you.”

“Put it in the room on the left. I want my baby close to me.”

“Yes, ma’am.” Luke entered the room, picked up the bassinet, and carried it into the other room. He turned back to her. “Is that okay?”

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