Page 84 of Even if It Hurts

“I know,” Lainey whispered as she subtly rocked back and forth, almost immediately taking Kaia’s screams down to exhausted cries. “Just such a hard night.”

“I’m surprised she didn’t calm down for you earlier.”

Lainey gave me a dry look, but the corners of her mouth kept tipping up. “You act like I’m magic with her.”

“You have been,” I said pointedly.

I barely caught the sound of her scoff over Kaia’s whimpers. “Then you haven’t been watching the cameras while you’re gone.”

“Someone told me it was intrusive.”

At that, her head tipped back with a laugh that pulled at every part of my ruined soul. Even in the darkened room, I could see the way her eyes danced when she looked at me again.

With a lift of a shoulder, Lainey said, “I’m surprised you listened to me. However, this sweet girl and I haveplentyof these moments when you’re gone. But tonight...I think tonight’s different.”

Just when I started pushing from the doorframe, a whisper of alarm sliding into my veins, Lainey released a rush of air and explained, “I think Kaia’s getting ready for a growth spurt. She just seems so uncomfortable and wanted to be held all afternoon, but she doesn’t seem sick.” With an adoring smile at my niece, she said, “She’s also been fantastically grumpy, just like her uncle.”

A rough sound rolled up my throat at the innocent words that had me spiraling down that path of all the reasons why I shouldn’t be the one with custody of Kaia. Why she shouldn’t haveanyof my qualities.

Wyatt.

My failure.

Danger.

Forcing back the urge to get as far from Kaia as I could, I asked, “What do we do?” The question came out gruffer than I’d meant it, and from the way Lainey’s head snapped up and her expression fell into something thoughtful and somewhat careful, she’d heard it.

“Um...” She lifted a hand before returning it to Kaia’s back. “I tried very gently massaging her arms and legs earlier. I’d hoped the bath would help, but it didn’t. You have an infant acetaminophen and the dosage chart from her pediatrician, but we never discussed that, so I didn’t feel comfortable giving it to her.”

“Lainey.” Her name left me on a stunned breath. At her questioning silence, I nodded to where she was holding Kaia. “I leave her with you every day. Itrust youwith her every day. I let you take her places.”

“Right...” she murmured, drawing out the word and nearly making it sound like a question.

“So, I would trust you to give her medicine if she needed it.”

“We never talked about it,” she maintained.

“Then call me.”

“Cameron said I couldn’t call you during your security...”—she waved a hand through the air as if searching for the word—“things.”

Despite my initial irritation with what she’d been saying, a whisper of a smirk pulled at my mouth. “Security things?”

An exasperated sound left her. “Whatever they’re called.”

“Details.”

“Exactly.”

My smirk widened before I could catch it. “No, they’re calledsecurity details.”

“Oh,” she mumbled before rolling her eyes as if it didn’t matter. “Okay, Cameron said I couldn’t call you during your securitydetails.”

I wavered before saying, “Because most people can’t. We set our phones so only we can get ahold of each other during details. But your number will go through. So, if you need me for anything, especially if it has to do with Kaia, call me. It doesn’t matter where I am or what I’m doing. Understood?” As soon as her head dipped in a nod, I added, “And I trust you with Kaia—that includes giving her medicine she needs. So, let’s go.”

I stepped back from the doorframe but waited for Lainey and a softly whimpering Kaia to slip out of the room first. Letting them lead the way through the apartment to where the medicine was stashed in the kitchen.

If I was being honest, I hadn’t known it was there. I wasn’t the one who bought it or put it away.

---