She giggled and decided to play along. “Yup. Looking just for you.” Ellodie got onto the ground with Etta and Lucifer before scooping Etta up and kissing her all over her face. “Mommy’s baby. How are you this morning?”
Etta fussed a bit as Ellodie lay on her back, cuddling Etta to her chest.
“Why you disturbing my baby for? She was just fine doing her lil tummy time,” Lucifer teased as he watched them.
Ellodie smacked her lips. “I swear she only likes you anymore.”
“Nah, that ain’t true, love. Look at her. She’s all over you.”
Ellodie looked down at Etta, who had a fistful of her shirt in her hand and her mouth wide open. With her eyes rolling upward, Ellodie said, “She’s looking for milk, bae. She literally looks at me like a milk factory.”
Lucifer laughed loudly as Ellodie sat up and lifted her shirt so Etta could eat. Although she just pumped before her shower, her breast didn’t seem to ever have a shortage of milk. She was blessed in that way. Breastfeeding Etta had been a beautiful experience, and she already dreaded the day it would have to end. She secretly kind of looked forward to it, too, but she felt bad admitting that, even to herself. She was ready for her body to finally be hers again.
“She loves you, baby,” Lucifer said as his gaze stayed on Etta. “Just like I do.”
Ellodie’s breath caught in her throat as her gaze met his. She didn’t think she would ever tire of hearing those words. “I love you too.”
He grinned. “Bet. So, y’all live here with me now.”
He didn’t say it as a question. It was a statement, which caused Ellodie to giggle. “Is that so?”
He tilted his head from his position on the floor next to her. He lay on his stomach with his arms crossed and his head resting in them. Quick as lightning, he reached out and snatched her foot. When he tugged her forward, Ellodie laughed while Etta fussed. Her mama and daddy were messing up her mealtime.
“Lu, stop,” Ellodie managed to say through her giggles.
“You stop,” he said. When she was close enough, he buried his head into her lap, his hot breath warming her pussy through the thin fabric of her biker shorts.
“Lu—” The word came out in a half moan and a half gasp.
“Hush,” he demanded, cutting her off. He kissed her inner thigh and then rested his head there. “You live with me now, love. I’ll hire someone to pack up your condo and bring your things here. You own it, right?”
Ellodie nodded. “It’s not paid off though.”
“That’s okay. We can rent it out or use it as an Airbnb.”
“You’re sure about this?” It wasn’t something Ellodie needed to think about. She didn’t want to go back to her home. She especially didn’t want to take Etta back there. Not after Wes muddied it up with such terrible energy. The trauma of that relationship could stay there, but she felt like things with Lucifer were going extremely fast. It felt right to her, but she wanted to be sure he felt the same way.
Lucifer sat up and leaned against the couch. “Come here.” Ellodie moved slowly so she didn’t disturb Etta, who was finally eating happily. When she rested between Lucifer’s long legs, she leaned into him and breathed a sigh of relief. Lucifer’s arms had some kind of magic. The entire world melted away when she was pressed up against him, and she felt completely secure and at ease. She didn’t have to do anything but exist when he was around. The day would never come where she tired of being around him. “I ain’t ever been so sure of something in my life, Ello.”
He kissed her head, and she closed her eyes, soaking the moment in. Finally, she murmured, “Okay.”
What else needed to be said? She didn’t want to go anywhere, and he clearly didn’t want her to go anywhere. That meant they were locked in.
They sat like that until Etta was finished feeding. Lucifer held her while she held her daughter. The only sound was their melodic breaths.
“Give her here,” Lucifer said as soon as Ellodie pulled Etta away from her breast.
Ellodie moved slightly to make room for Etta before she handed her over. Lucifer now had them both in his arms, and Ellodie could tell by the serene look on his face that this moment meant just as much to him as it did to her.
Her phone vibrated on the couch where she dropped it earlier. With a groan, she reached for it. She thought it was Yasmine, but when she saw her dad’s photo on her screen, she froze.
“It’s my dad,” she mumbled before glancing up at Lucifer.
He’d called a few times since the botched christening, but Ellodie didn’t have the words to deal with her parents just yet. She wasn’t mad at her dad, other than being annoyed that he married her mother in the first place, but she still didn’t know what exactly to say to him.
“Answer it, love. That man ain’t do nothin’ to you,” Lucifer encouraged.
Ellodie peeped that Lucifer was always team Ellodie, and he supported her no matter what, but there was a bit of a soft spot there for her father. She suspected that it had to do with his own upbringing, and guilt clawed at her. How could she continue to ignore her father, who clearly wanted a relationship with her, when Lucifer’s father never wanted him to begin with?