Page 38 of No Saint

“Hi precious boy,” I smile.

Instant dimples sink into his cheeks, and he babbles sleepily.

Most of the day had passed already and it was almost time for his dinner and bath. I shouldn’t have let him sleep so late but he was getting so big now, the moments where I could just hold him would become few and far between.

I’ll deal with the consequences of this decision when I’m fighting with him to sleep at three AM.

“Should we find some food?” I ask, voice higher but quiet.

No one had disturbed me today. No knocks at the doors or barging right in, no unwanted visits from myhusband. It was unnerving but not unwelcomed. I had at least expected Camille to demand some time with her grandson but even she left me alone.

The moment his sleepiness dissipates he’s wiggling from my arms and crawling across the bed. I catch him before he can take a tumble and then set him on his feet, letting him waddle his way out of the room. There were a few guards stationed along the way but no faces I recognized. I keep close to Lincoln to make sure he doesn’t take any turns or tumbles and then lift him to carry him down the stairs.

The house is eerily quiet when I reach the ground floor.

“Hello?” I call out, clutching Lincoln tighter.

“Mrs Saint!” Colt calls from behind, causing me to startle. He jogs towards us.

“Colt?”

“Mr Saint said you’d be appearing around now,” he checks his watch, “Wow, he was accurate.”

“Excuse me?”

“Nothing.”

“Where is everyone?”

Colt looks away, not wanting to speak on the matter, and I roll my eyes, it’s not like I truly care anyway, they could keep their secrets.

I turn my back on Colt and head through to the kitchen, hearing his steps follow.

“If you’re going to babysit me the least you can do is watch him while I make him dinner.”

“There’s a chef,” Colt frowns.

“I will make him dinner,” I tell him, “No one else.”

I place Lincoln down by his feet and grab a stuffed toy someone had obviously picked up from the den and left here. He takes it with eager hands. Colt places himself down in a chair besides my son, watching him.

I get to work, grabbing some broccoli and chicken from the fridge and then finding dried egg noodles in the cupboard. I portion out a meal for Lincoln and cook it all up before I pluck him from the floor and sit him in my lap, passing him a spoon so he can feed himself. Well feed himselfandthe floor.

The tense silence in the room presses between us, the only time it’s interrupted is when Lincoln squeals or throws his spoon which Colt silently picks up and replaces every time.

“You’ve been here all day?” I ask eventually, unable to stomach the silence.

“Yes.”

“I didn’t hear you.”

“Mr Saint said you wouldn’t want to be disturbed though I was getting worried as you hadn’t left your room all day, not even for water.”

“You sent drinks up.” I accuse.

“I did.”

“Thank you.”

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