Sophia’s POV
Alexander looks at me with brows raised in surprise while the two kids pause before Daisy jumps in delight. “Thank you, Auntie.”
I smile, wondering why she is so happy. It is just for a night, and he won’t even sleep together with them.
I ask, looking at Alexander, who has now stood up from his earlier position. “Should we move them to the guest room then?”
He shakes his head, however. “Can’t they just stay with you?” He turns to them and asks, “Don’t you want to stay with Auntie?”
I think they would not want to, considering how they were so persuasive for their father to stay around. But they bob their heads negatively as they respond, “We’ll stay with Auntie Sophia.”
Alexander nods, clearly pleased, and I can’t help feeling that he has deliberately tossed them to me to get a break. But I am not even offended in any way. In fact, I am pleased. It is a chance for me to get to know the kids better.
I smile as the clock chimes nine. “It’s late already. You should get to bed.”
We tuck them in again, and I lead Alexander out to the next room for him to settle in. As I open the door and turn on the light, he follows me in and says, “Thank you.”
I turn to look at him, and he adds, “Thank you for your help tonight. And I’m sorry for bothering you.”
I nod at him, showing that it isn’t a problem. “It’s not a bother. Moreover, I like the kids.”
He smiles for the second time today out of nowhere, and my breath hitches as I stare at him. God, why is he smiling so suddenly and out of nowhere? My poor heart is about to fly out, and not to mention, he doesn’t seem to realize what he is doing to my poor heart.
“If there is an issue, you can just wake me up. I’ll be there in a jiffy,” I hear him say, but I am too lost to even hear any of it.
He looks at me quietly when I don’t respond, and just his gaze fixated on me only serves to accelerate my racing heart, and I struggle to keep myself in check. I can’t tell if he knows what he is doing by looking at me with such eyes. It is just like that same day at the mask party. He suddenly kissed me out of nowhere, and I can’t erase how his lips tasted from my head.
He takes a step forward suddenly, and I can practically feel my eyes widening. I can tell he is about to say something, but for some reason, my heart is beating faster and louder than ever. I can practically hear it right beside my ears, and I fear he is going to hear it, too.
Almost immediately, I turn and rush out of the room, closing the door behind me.
As I leave his sight, I lean on the door, lifting a hand to my chest, which is still beating hard. I know my face is totally flushed, so I branch to the kitchen to take some water and wash my face before returning to the bedroom.
When I enter, I find the kids still awake. Daniel is still lying straight the way we left him, but Daisy is sitting at the edge of the bed, jingling her toes at him.
When they see me, they quickly try to pretend to be asleep, but I already caught them, and I can’t help laughing at their antics, especially how Daisy looks like a rolling ball as she quickly tries to roll into the blankets.
I smile. “Are you not sleepy yet?”
They nod, and Daisy mutters from underneath the blankets, “Auntie, can I have some water?”
I blink, remembering I forgot to fill water into the bedside jar nor did I remember to turn off the TV I was watching.
I look at her. “Hold on, I’ll be right back.” I grab the jar and go out to fill it in the kitchen, turning off the TV along the way as I return to the room. All the while, I am hoping Alexander will not just open the
Door of his room and come out while I am there. Thankfully, he doesn’t.
I return to the room and settle the jar on the table, giving the kids a glass of water each before we all tuck ourselves into bed, getting ready to sleep.
But more than thirty minutes later, Daisy and I are still awake. Daniel had long dozed off, but she is still wide awake and turning from time to time.
I can tell that she is having trouble falling asleep. The young girl seems restless, and her mind is probably filled with thoughts of her father not being there with us.
“Daisy, is there anything on your mind? Is that why you can’t sleep?” I ask softly.
Daisy hesitates for a moment before nodding. “I miss Daddy. He always sings for me before I go to sleep, and I feel safer when he’s around.”
I gently reach out and pat her head, trying to soothe her. “I understand, sweetheart. It’s okay to miss him. But you know what? Since your dad isn’t here right now, I can try singing for you instead. Would you like that?”
Her eyes light up at the suggestion. “Really? Can you sing like Daddy does?”
I chuckle softly, feeling a bit unsure about my singing abilities. “I’ll do my best, but I’m not as good as your dad. What would you like me to sing?”
Daisy thinks for a moment and then says, “Daddy always sings ‘Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star.’ Can you sing that for me?”
I smile warmly and nod. “Of course, I can do that.”
Taking a deep breath, I begin to sing the familiar lullaby. My voice is soft and gentle, and I try to make sure my voice is not that loud and won’t wake others up.
When I finish the lullaby, I open my eyes to check on Daisy. To my relief, the little girl is starting to drift off to sleep, her eyelids growing heavy.
But just as I am about to turn over and cover myself with the blanket, Daisy suddenly grabs my sleeve and whispers, “Mommy.”