Page 20 of Falling for Lucifer
“Nah.” Daniel shook his head. “I’m a good judge of character. I ain’t gon’ hold you. I thought I might not like you ’cause you been MIA, but I was wrong, and I’m man enough to admit that. Thank you for makin’ my baby happy.”
Lucifer was also a good judge of character, so he could automatically tell two things: Daniel was honest with his words, and he was a good father.
Lucifer wondered what it was like to have a good father. He got the impression that Ellodie didn’t understand what she had. It was precious, and the little boy in him yearned to have the love of a father. Not his father. That ship sailed, but a father figure might do.
He shook his head, trying to focus his tipsy thoughts. He did a good job of not thinking about his father, and he wanted to keep it that way, especially now when he was in the company of so many people.
Luckily, Ellodie chose that moment to speak up as she looked up at him. “Can you grab the portable bassinet from my car?”
He didn’t know what the hell a portable bassinet looked like, but he nodded anyway. “Of course.”
Ellodie pulled her keys out of the hoodie she put on. The T-shirt and jean shorts had been cool earlier, but the temperature dropped once the sun went down.
“Night, Daddy,” Ellodie said before giving her father a hug.
“Good night, sweet pea. I’m glad today went so well for you and Etta. You deserve it, for real.” Daniel kissed the top of her head.
Lucifer watched as Ellodie sank into the hug, and he got the sense that they didn’t have a lot of moments like this.
“That’s because that wife of yours stayed out my way for the most part,” she muttered.
Daniel only chuckled before he kissed her head again and released her. Uncle Martin and Yasmine weren’t as coy though. At the mention of Kamilah, they both went in.
“The Wicked Witch of the West was on her best behavior today, wasn’t she?” Yasmine asked.
“That’s a cute name, baby girl. I normally just call her bi?—”
Uncle Martin’s words cut off when Ellodie giggled and turned on her heels. “Night, y’all.”
They replied with a chorus of, “Good night,” before Lucifer heard Uncle Martin mention another shot. By that time, he was thankfully at Ellodie’s car, because there was no way he would take another shot that night. One thing about the Glover family, they could drink with the best of them.
“It’s in the trunk,” Ellodie said as she pressed the button on her keys.
The trunk opened, and Lucifer saw a box with a picture of a bassinet on it. He picked it up, and she closed the trunk before locking her car.
“This new?” he asked.
She nodded. “Yeah. I haven’t had a chance to bring it up to my condo yet, but it worked out because I don’t want Etta to sleep in the bed with us. Not after all the horror stories I’ve read.”
“That’s dangerous?” he asked. “I thought people always slept with their babies.”
She shrugged as they walked toward the front door. “They might, but I can’t. I let her sleep on me when I’m awake, of course, but if I’m sleeping, she’s in her bassinet right by the bed.”
Lucifer nodded as if it made sense, but to him, it didn’t, really. There was a lot he didn’t know about babies, though he loved kids and had a way with them.
Once inside the house, Lucifer followed her to the grand staircase. The way her ass sat up just right in those shorts had him bricked up. That was the perfect time to give himself a pep talk.
Ain’t nothing happening tonight, big dawg. I have to be on my best behavior. We’re only doing this for her pops.
They walked down a long hall past several rooms before she gently pushed open a door on the left.
Inside looked like a teenaged version of the nursery back at Ellodie’s house. The color pink was everywhere, from the soft pink carpet to the matching curtains over the large window and the pale pink bed spread. He chuckled, but it faded away when he spotted Kamilah holding Etta and sitting on the bed.
“What are you doing in here?” Ellodie asked in alarm, which put Lucifer on high alert.
Kamilah’s eyes lifted to meet Ellodie’s, and Lucifer saw nothing but hate in them. He recognized that look from his own father, which caused him to step forward so he stood slightly in front of Ellodie.
“Spending time with my granddaughter. What does it look like?”
