Page 70 of Just a Distraction

“Nothing’s wrong with him, Milo. He’s just a toddler. Toddlers cry. I’m guessing he’ll be fine once I get him wiped down and out of the highchair.”

She’s never snapped at me like that, and it takes me a minute to recover. Anyone in her position would be stressed. I take a deep breath, feeling helpless.

He does start to calm down after she gets him out of the highchair and changes his diaper. “You want to take him now?” she asks. He’s on his changing pad on the floor of the living room and when she stands, she places a hand on her back and stretches, like she’s got a backache.

“Certainly.” I pick him up and sit back down on the sofa, settling him on my knee and playing peek-a-boo.

“You can tell me the plans you came up with tonight if you want,” Rose says. She’s sunk into the sofa. She brings the back of her hand across her forehead to swipe the hair out of her eyes.

“Well, there are two paths we could follow. A choose your own adventure, if you will.”

“Naturally.” There’s almost a smile on Rose’s face. Almost.

“Adventure one: we go to the kid’s jumping place in Fairhill. Get a big pizza. Let Callum jump to his heart’s content.”

Her eyes light up. “He’s never been to a jump place before. Do you think he’s old enough?”

“I called the place. They have a zero to two area that sounds awesome. It’s worth a try. If he doesn’t like it, we can leave.”

She nods. “And what’s option number two?”

“Well.” I swallow hard. I love Callum. I really do. But I’m secretly hoping she chooses option two. “I asked my brother Oliver and sister-in-law Sophie if they might be able to babysit him. I know you don’t know them, so I understand if you don’t feel comfortable about that. And it could even be for like an hour. Just enough time for us to eat at the Summit. Or, if you’re comfortable with a longer period of time, we could go somewhere else to eat and take a little more time. We’re all flexible. Sophie’s pregnant, so she wants to spend more time with kids. Her words!”

She frowns. “Is this going to become a problem with HR? Milo, we both work at Tate. If we go out officially, am I going to get in trouble?”

“They only put two and two together just today. I . . . well, actually, my brother Henry figured out that we . . . liked each other . . . a couple of days ago.”

“Why didn’t you say something?” She regards me carefully.

“I should have. I’m sorry I didn’t.”

“And what about HR? Are they going to be upset?”

“I asked Sebastian that and he said it’s okay because I’m not officially hired on. I’m technically an independent contractor.” I smile big.

She reaches out for Callum, and he goes to her, leaving my arms for hers. “You are such a snuggly boy,” she whispers lovingly.

“I need to explain something,” I offer, swallowing down my discomfort. “You know that the night we met, I knew you were somebody special. The kiss sort of solidified that. As I explained before, when I saw my family the next day, they could tell something was up. I was a starry-eyed mess.”

“Were you a hot mess?” The whisper of a smile gracing her face.

“Yes, I was such a hot mess! I was not myself. At all. I was worried you didn’t like me back and that I’d never see you again, since that’s sort of how we left things.”

She spins around with Callum against her chest, making him laugh. “I remember.”

“So anyway, they commented on how I looked like I’d seen an angel. I wasn’t ready to share any of this with them, you know? Some things are just too personal to share. But they kept badgering me about what was wrong. And they started making up stories about this angel I’d met who completely changed me and started calling you Gloria. You know? Like in Handel’sMessiah, the glory of the Lord? They kept saying it was like I was born again or that I was singing praises to God.” I smirk. “They were being dramatic and went way too far.”

“Oh really? You think so?” She laughs, and her grin is powerfully sweet.

“But it was warranted. I was a complete wreck. I was so into you.”

She perks a smile. “I was into you, too, even though I didn’t think we should see each other again. Did I ever tell you I quit my job the very next shift? You sort of woke me up to the fact that I had to distance myself from Blaine and the rest of his family if I was ever going to have a clear head or be able to truly move on.”

“The very next shift?”

She nods. “So they knew me as some mysterious woman named Gloria, huh?”

“And I let them keep bringing you up in that way. I mean, I didn’t know what was going to happen. I didn’t know you’d end up working at the resort all those months later. So anyway, Henry figured out you were Gloria and insisted I say something to Sebastian. And I was tired of it being a secret, you know? I want everyone to know you’re my person.”

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