Page 28 of Trading Yesterday

“Sure.” He winked at Remi. “Okay, little miss. I’ll see you in the morning, and if the nurses tell me you’ve been very good, you can get out of here, okay?”

“I’ll be good.”

“Okay, that means lots of sleep. After the toast, get some rest.”

As the doctor left, my phone started ringing, and I fumbled to get it out and shut it off but didn’t get it accomplished before it startled Chase awake. It was Jensen. The first I’d heard from him since our huge fight over contacting Chase just before he left on this last trip. It was a conversation that needed to happen, though this wasn’t the time, so I silenced my phone, glancing guiltily up at Chase.

Remi saved me. “Dr. Radar said I can go home tomorrow if I’m good!”

He flashed a brilliant white smile that contrasted beautifully with his tan skin and green eyes. “That’s awesome news! You better be good, then!” He leaned in to kiss her forehead. His eyes flashed to mine. “Sorry I missed the doctor. I didn’t realize I was so tired.”

“It’s understandable.”

“I told Dr. Radar you’re lagged, Daddy.”

He huffed out a laugh. “Yeah, I’m lagged alright.”

I smiled. Remi had eaten about half of her toast and it was clear that was all she was going to manage.

“Do you want me to take you back to your hotel so you can take a nap? Remi is on orders to rest up today, too, so…” My words fell off uncertainly.

“What are you going to do?”

“Well, I thought I’d go home and clean after she falls asleep.”

We were standing on opposite sides of the bed and the hospital room seemed small. I reached down and pushed the button that would lower the head of Remi’s bed down a bit. “Time to close your eyes.” I picked up the remote and clicked off the TV and Remi nodded. “You wanna go home, so let’s do what the doctor says.”

“Okay, Mommy.”

I bent to kiss her head, and I touched her nose with mine. “I love you.”

“Love you, back” she answered automatically.

“Are you hungry, Chase? It will take a few minutes for her to nod off, and you can grab a sandwich before I run you back.”

The start of a beard was starting to grow on his strong jawline and it left a subtle shadow that only made his eyes more striking. I could see he was tired.

“I guess.” He hesitated, but only briefly. “Is there a way I can help you? Can we just hire someone to clean the house?”

“It’s kind of short notice. I’m not sure we could find a cleaning company that is available. Plus, it’s expensive. I can do it.”

“When?” he shook his head. “And forget the money. I’ll cover it.”

It was generous and a huge part of me wanted to take him up on it. The time at the hospital had a way of making keeping the house clean impossible, and this job would be a big one.

“I don’t expect you to do that.”

“Look, it’s not for you. It’s for Remi.” He dismissed my objection.

Chase’s tone wasn’t loud and he wasn’t scowling at me, so why did I feel like he’d just slapped me in the face? When he put it that way, what could I say? He was right. I doubted I’d have time to get everything done and to the degree it needed to be done by myself. Plus, Jensen was coming home and Kat would arrive in another hour. I flushed, knowing I needed to tell Chase.

He mistook my pause for acquiescence. “Great. I’ll grab us something to eat, and you can line up the cleaning company in the meantime?”

I didn’t know what to say. “Chase…?”

He ignored me and got on his knees by the bed to talk up close to Remi. “Hey, princess. I’ll see you later when you wake up, okay? Get some good dreams and I’ll bring you some ice cream later. ” His hand cupped her little face and kissed her on the temple, then rose up to leave.

“Mm’ kay,” Remi answered. “Love you.”

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