Page 88 of Daniil
Chapter36
Courtney
With his firsttwo teeth coming in, Micah is grumpier than I’ve ever seen him.He goes to sleep crying, wakes up crying, and today he cried the whole time I was feeding him.I’m almost as cranky as he is at this point, and two doses of baby Tylenol hasn’t helped to soothe him.
When I hear the whir of the electronic door lock announcing Daniil’s arrival, I’m nearly in tears.
“Hey.”He looks surprised to see me pacing with Micah, trying to keep him from sobbing.“What’s going on?”
“It’s been a rough day,” I admit.
“Let me have him.Go sit for a bit.”He takes the baby from me and puts him on his shoulder.And of course, he instantly settles down, though he’s still hiccoughing.“That’s a good boy—what’s the matter, eh?”He starts murmuring to him in Limaji, and while part of me is annoyed that I can’t understand, I’m also fascinated at the way Micah seems to be hanging on every word.
The bond between them is unmistakable.
A tiny flutter of guilt wafts through me as I recall my decision not to tell Daniil he had a son.I would have been doing both of them a disservice, keeping them apart.It was a difficult predicament then and it’s even more difficult now, just for very different reasons.
“I was thinking I’d take the two of you into town,” he says, walking back and forth as he bounces Micah.“It doesn’t get dark until late, and I figured if he pooped out, he could sleep in his stroller.”
“Out?”I ask wearily.“I’m in no shape to go anywhere.”
“It’s only four-thirty,” he says.“And maybe the fresh air and different sights will help.It can’t be any worse, can it?”
I glance up.“Where are we going?”
“There’s a street fair in the main square.Vendors, food trucks, and all the cafes and restaurants will stay open late.There will be ice cream, things for the kids to do, a fountain for children to play in—Micah might enjoy that.”
“Is it…safe?”I ask.“For you, I mean.”
I’m exhausted, but getting out sounds better than sitting here any longer.
“I can take care of myself.But Marcus and Harlow are going to come.I think Jesper is going to bring the kids too.”
A million protests race through my mind, but I force them back, focusing on him.
“Where are we with your relationship to the baby?”I ask.“Is he your son or mine?”
He hesitates, looking down at Micah and then over at me.“Sweetheart, there’s no doubt this child is mine.Anyone that sees us together is going to know that.”
“What does that mean for us?”
“It means I want us to make this work, Courtney.”He fixes those gorgeous aqua eyes on me.“I’m not going to pretend I don’t want this—want the two of you with me.I know you’re not keen on living here, but I’m asking you to give it a chance.Givemea chance.”
“I’ve been giving you a chance since the day you showed up in Vegas,” I reply gently.
“Have you been unhappy here?”he asks.
“Not unhappy—bored.”
“Whatever you want to do, Courtney, I can make it happen.You want to fly helicopters?I have the power to make that happen.”
I blink.“Wh-what?”
“I have the power to give you a ranking position as a pilot in our military.If you want that.Or I can buy you a damn helicopter to fly whenever you want.You could even take over flying the king back and forth when he uses the military helicopter.There are a lot of options for you if you’ll just?—”
“Daniil…” I reach for him blindly.I’m dumbfounded and overwhelmed, in a good way, and I nestle against him.His free arm closes around me and Micah wiggles between us.Standing here like this, the three of us pressed together, makes me forget all the reasons I wanted to keep my distance from this incredible man.
He’s done nothing but bend over backwards to make me feel welcome, safe, and wanted.By him, by his family and friends.I don’t feel like the outsider I thought I would be in a palace filled with royalty.It’s just…family.Friends.Co-workers.
