Page 54 of Christmas with the Denton Billionaires

His chest went tight, and he couldn’t say why.

All he knew was that it felt a little too right to have the two of them here.

* * *

He and Jules whiled away the evening between diaper changes, feedings, and preparing the most lavish feast they could with the scant ingredients in his fridge and pantry. Though Jules was horrified by how empty his kitchen was, he reminded her that he was a bachelor living inside a super-stocked hotel—which meant a certain co-dependence on the amenities of the main floor.

Despite a fantastic and surprisingly fun evening together playing house, they both went to bed early. Jules offered to keep Noelle’s crib in her room that night, and Mitch had to bite his tongue against the suggestion that they share a bedroom. He’d known this woman for less than a day. They’d broken a lot of unspoken rules by sharing his penthouse on the first night of caring for this baby, and he didn’t want to push the envelope too far.

But something about Jules felt familiar. The thought haunted him even through his sleep, showing up in the form of strange dreams and a sort of distant alertness, waiting for Jules to appear in his room or for the cry of the baby.

In the course of a day, he’d turned into a watchful surrogate father. That one night of sleeplessness was as close as he’d ever gotten to the newborn phase. Yet.

The next morning, he awoke later than normal and immediately wondered how Jules and Noelle had fared overnight. He also needed to check the weather. He pulled on pajama pants and a cotton T-shirt before wandering out into the penthouse. It was nearly seven, and the sunrise was just cresting. The entire penthouse was full of milky blue light, caught between night and dawn.

Mitch yawned, scratching at his chest as he headed for the kitchen, but stopped suddenly when he saw the swaying figure of Jules in the kitchen.

“Good morning,” he said quietly. She turned to face him, Noelle’s tiny body cradled in her arms. “Is everything okay?”

“She woke up for a feeding, and I’m just rocking her back to sleep,” she whispered, but she looked tired. Really tired.

“Let me take her.” He held out his hands so it wouldn’t be a question, and Jules gladly passed her over, yawning as she did so. “You go back to bed. I’ve got her.”

“You sure?”

Mitch nodded. Even though he wasn’t entirely sure, he’d figure it out. Jules wandered off, and he kept rocking Noelle, who had her lips pinched into the cutest little pout. Her one fist was clenched up by her face, and every so often she’d wriggle or twitch.

Mitch wandered toward the big windows in the hallway. The entire city was blanketed in white, and he stood for a long time looking out over the quiet, snow-covered city. Moments like these—bathed in the hues of dawn in mid-December, observing the city in one of its rare quiet hours—was part of what he loved most about living in this penthouse.

“If only you were awake to see this,” he whispered, looking down at Noelle. He smiled at her, but it faded quickly. Noelle might never see a dawn from a vantage point like this. Who knew where she’d end up, once Children and Family Services came to get her.

The thought stuck with him as he wandered into the living room and settled down with her in his arms. He kicked up his feet and settled into the cushions. With his baby-bearing arm propped on the armrest, he found a comfortable position easily.

He must have drifted off. A sing-song voice called out to him.

“Miiiitch.”

He jolted awake. Noelle still slept in his arms, but Jules leaned over the back of the couch, smiling at him. She looked significantly more rested now, with bed-tousled hair and an easy grin.

“Hey. Hi. Wow.” He yawned, sitting up slightly. “What time is it?”

“Just after nine. You were sleeping like a baby. LikeNoelle.”

He rubbed an eye, trying to orient himself. The weight of Noelle in his arms must have allowed him to drift off to sleep. Normally, he didn’t sleep this late—much less go back to sleep after he was up for the day.

“How do you feel?” he asked, shifting Noelle to the flat couch and lining the side with pillows like he’d seen Jules do. “Rested?”

“Much better now.” She squeezed his shoulder. “Thanks for letting me tap out. I needed the morning nap.”

“No problem.” He pushed to standing and stretched out. “How’s the big bad snowstorm look?”

“From what I can tell from your eagle’s nest up here,” she teased, “New York is blanketed in a winter wonderland.”

Mitch wandered back to the windows to look down, and spotted cars completely covered in snow lining the streets. “Looks like the snowplows have been busy. I wonder if we can reach anyone with Child Services ?”

Jules nodded, running her fingers through her loose hair. Dressed like this—in his old Boston U T-shirt and his soft shorts—she made it hard to want to leave this sweet little cocoon. Even though they needed to get Noelle into the appropriate hands—especially if they weren’t willing to come to them—although a part of him just wanted to keep up this happy-family charade for as long as possible.

It was a nice counterbalance to the cold and lonely reality that normally filled this penthouse. A single workaholic bachelor, returning to an empty home every night.

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