Page 37 of Room 810

“Time for a nap first, and while you’re resting, I’ll go grab you something to eat and drink from the kitchen. Breastfeeding omegas need an extra thousand calories a day.”

Toby gave me a sleepy smile. “Okay, but don’t be long. I want you by my side.”

“Don’t you worry. I am never leaving you again.”

22

Toby

Thewaterwasperfecttoday, the temperature just right. The waves were gentle, and I sat right there in the sand as the ocean lapped around me—aroundus. I had Jasmine planted in the shallow water between my legs wearing nothing but a swim diaper and a floppy sunhat. Oh, and about a year’s worth of waterproof sunscreen that her alpha daddy put on her before we left the cabin.

Jasmine squealed and kicked her feet, slapping her hands to make little splashes. She stared down at her wet fingers with her boundless curiosity, then put them in her mouth, before making a face at the salty tang. “Doesn’t taste very good, does it,” I said when she looked up at me and held out her hands to show me.

I caught sight of a slightly bigger wave coming, and I lifted Jasmine into the air, the water surging around my waist, which set her off in a fit of giggles. “Oh, you think that’s funny, do you? Papa getting all wet?” I brought her tummy to my mouth to blow raspberries, and she wiggled and squirmed, her belly laughs like music to my ears.

This. This was the joy I’d described to Gabriel, the reason to live life to the fullest.And Gabe is my passion, I thought as I caught sight of him walking down the beach toward us, my heart filled with love. He looked more relaxed than the first time I’d seen him. He still wasn’t a fan of t-shirts, but he’d seen the logic to wearing sandals. His skin had taken on a sun-kissed bronze tone, and those frown lines had been softened in favor of smiles.

“Ready to go?” he asked, joining us.

I passed our daughter up to him, and he spun her around, the two of them wearing matching grins.

“I dunno,” I said slyly as I stood up, water dripping down my legs. “You would know better than I would, since you’re the man with the plan. Am I ready to go?”

Gabe was suddenly distracted by my Speedo. I let him look his fill as his eyes filled with hunger. He reluctantly dragged his gaze back up my body. I wasn’t as lean and toned as I used to be, but Gabe’s lust for me hadn’t diminished in the least. If anything, he was even more voracious than ever.

There would be plenty of time for getting frisky later. With a little growl of frustration, he propped Jasmine on his hip and took my hand, leading the way back up the beach. The dry sand clung to my wet feet and between my toes.

“Our bags are packed and ready to go, and I’ve set out a travel outfit for you, with a good pair of shoes. All you need to do is have a shower and get dressed.”

“And do we have time for you to join me in that shower?” I asked, my voice going flinty.

His hand tightened on mine, his pace picking up, and I knew he was recalculating his schedule before the plane took off this afternoon. “Maybe… as long as we don’t run into any unforeseen complications.”

And we both knew the chances of that were slim to none.

“We can be fast,” I coaxed, forever the bad influence.

Except, when we were almost back at the cabin, we saw Gabe’s mom and dad headed down the boardwalk to meet us. They were here to babysit Jasmine while Gabe and I had a belated honeymoon. Emma was wearing a flowing sundress, while Frederick had stepped off the plane yesterday wearing a neon patterned button-up that had made Gabriel cover his eyes while he got control of his reaction. Dad had thoroughly embraced the island style.

“Nope, there’s no way we have time,” Gabriel grumbled under his breath, before greeting his parents. “Hey! Did you guys have a good time this morning?”

Emma’s face was beaming. “Sucha great time! I took a dance class, and the instructor, Kaia, told me I was a natural! She’s going to put me on stage at the performance this weekend!” She was so tickled, I didn’t have the heart to tell her that we invited everyone to participate.

“And I went surfing with Eric,” Frederick said. “Can you believe it? Me! I might be old, but it seems I’ve got a few moves left.” Then he rubbed at his thighs. “I’m gonna be feeling it for days, though.”

Jasmine held her arms out to her grandmother, and Emma nearly melted into a gooey puddle as she reached back. “Aww, do you wanna come see me?”

For a second, I wasn’t sure if Gabe was going to give our daughter up. He was a tad protective, and this was the first real chance they’d all had to spend some quality time together. Besides, we were about to leave our child with them for four whole days, so he had better find a way to make peace with it.

Most people, when they went on a vacation, headed away from the city to rest on a beach somewhere, or maybe a cabin in the woods, somewhere quiet and peaceful. We were doing the exact opposite. We were about to head back to the hustle and bustle of the big city. Because Gabriel had some unfinished business with The Scarlet Hotel.

He wouldn’t admit it, even to me, but the unwritten review for the hotel was like an itch he couldn’t scratch. He didn’t want to write them a bad review, but they hadn’t yet earned a good review either. The easiest way to deal with it was to give them a second chance.

Gabe paused halfway through passing Jasmine over, then he pulled her back. “Forget it. I’ve changed my mind. Jasmine is coming with us. It’ll be good to test the hotel on their claims to be kid-friendly.”

“What?” Emma gasped, a pained look on her face. Frederick put a protective arm around his wife, and I could imagine the discussion they’d had many times before, not to take Gabriel’s eccentricities personally. It had nothing to do with them.

I held a finger up to get them to hold on a second, then I drew Gabriel away so we could speak privately. “Honey?”

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