“Don’t look.” Enrico pushed his face away.
Gabriel wrapped himself around him again, picking at Enrico’s robe and not letting go, Paige sat watching the two of them with a smile in her eyes.
She loved times like this, clean and nice, washing away all the bitterness of the past.
Gabriel loved just pestering Enrico like that and eventually fell asleep directly on Enrico’s chest, Enrico half laying on the bed, looking at the child in his arms without moving.
“Gotta carry him to brush his teeth.” Paige said softly, not brushing his teeth after eating candy was a no-no.
“He’s asleep.” Enrico looked at her.
“Don’t worry, he operates better when he’s asleep.”
With that, Paige lifted the covers and got out of bed, walking around the end of the bed to Enrico to try and hold Gabriel, who was already sitting up with Gabriel in his arms.
“I’ll do it.” Paige tried to reach for it, still recovering from his broken bones.
“We’ll just hold him alone and brush his teeth alone?” Enrico said and carried Gabriel out of bed.
There was something odd about the way he was holding the baby, and Paige thought about it as if Beau the butler did the same thing when he served food, holding both hands straight up.
It seemed that holding a child was something you had to learn slowly.
The two of them went into the bathroom one after the other, and Paige switched Gabriel around so that he was sitting on his butt on Enrico’s arm, resting his little head against Enrico’s shoulder so that he could barely be held in one hand.
They didn’t have toothbrushes for little kids in the bathroom, and Paige had Olivia send a set.
By the time she got back to the bathroom, Gabriel had both little arms around Enrico’s neck, sleeping soundly as Enrico stood motionless.
Paige walked over and caught water in a glass and lifted her hand to pat Gabriel’s little face, “Brush your teeth and open your mouth.”
“…”
Gabriel closed his eyes and craned his neck, somewhat reluctantly.
Paige simply screwed him in the face, Gabriel then opened his mouth, Paige handed the glass of water directly to his lips and poured some water into it, Gabriel closed his eyes and rinsed his mouth, tilted his head and spat.
Spit in the sink with pinpoint accuracy.
“…”
Enrico glared at him.
That was okay?
“He was just sleeping, not asleep, and when I tapped him, he woke up a little, but wouldn’t open his eyes.”
Paige knew Gabriel’s routine like the back of her hand.
Gabriel was reluctant to take a shower and brush his teeth for a while, so every time it got dark, he immediately fell back down and pretended to be asleep and couldn’t be woken up no matter how hard he screamed, and then she found out and fell asleep and picked him up to take a shower and brush his teeth, too.
At first, Gabriel had trouble keeping up the pretense, but then he got used to it and really reached the point where he could sleep and brush his teeth as well.
Enrico just watched as Paige brushed Gabriel’s teeth, and Gabriel cooperated the whole time with his eyes closed, even tilting his little face up when Paige wiped his face.
“…”
Who the hell does that follow?
Enrico wondered once again.
After brushing his teeth and washing his face, Gabriel, as if he too knew the task was complete, wrapped his little arms around Enrico’s neck and leaned his little head back as he continued to dream about traveling the world.
Paige washed her hands and took Gabriel out of Enrico’s arms, stepping out of the bathroom and placing the baby in the center of the queen-sized bed.
As soon as she touched the bed, Gabriel immediately closed his eyes and adjusted his position, flopping down on the bed and scrunching up his legs in a comfortable, cozy sleep.
Paige was about to lift the covers and get into bed when she saw Enrico standing beside the bed, staring at Gabriel, with no intention of getting into bed.
“What’s wrong?” Paige questioned him in a whisper.
“He’s sleeping between us?” Enrico wrinkled his nose.
“Weren’t you the one who carried him … over here?” Paige thought he’d backtracked.
“He won’t be crushed?”
Enrico looked at the little man on the bed who only resembled a tiny frog and fell into question.
Too small.
So small that he could be smothered by the covers over his head.
Paige couldn’t help but laugh, “It’s not like he’s a newborn baby, he won’t, he’ll struggle if he’s crushed and uncomfortable.”
How could one be crushed to death.
Hearing this, Enrico’s eyes look deeply at her, “What if he’s too lazy to struggle?”
It’s not like this Gabriel can’t do it.
“…”
Paige looked across the queen-sized bed at the long, lanky Enrico, and suddenly found it a little endearing to see him looking grave and thoughtful.
Gabriel was too big of a surprise for him, and it wasn’t easy for anyone else to adjust to.
Instead of getting into bed, she squatted down beside the bed, propped one hand on the edge of the bed to rest her chin, and deliberately whispered, “What then? We can’t send him out of this room, sleeping and waking up in two environments would be psychologically stressful for a small child.”
Enrico stared at the little man on the bed, lost in thought no less than the big decisions of the Consortium.
Paige watched him, forcing a smile.
After a long moment, she whispered at him, “Come here.”
Enrico looked at her, circled along the bed, and walked over to her and half-squatted down, one eye on her, also lowering his voice, “Something wrong?”
“No.” Paige slowly moved closer to him and stared at his handsome face in the light in a very small voice, “I just didn’t realize that this is what it’s like for you to be a father.”
“What look?” Enrico also pressed his voice.
“The cute look.” Paige said honestly.
“…”
Enrico’s face darkened.
Who would describe a father as cute? She was really getting loose.
He half-squatted beside her, and as soon as he grasped her thin arm, gritting his teeth, he was about to reprimand her when Paige suddenly tilted her face up and kissed him on the lips.
Enrico’s anger subsided.
“If you’re too afraid to go to bed, I’ll sit here with you until morning.” Paige whispered before leaving his lips.
Enrico cupped her face in one hand and was about to kiss her when he suddenly turned his head, only to see that the little frog on the bed had opened his eyes at some point and was lying on his back staring fixedly at them, his eyes wide and round.
And Paige’s face was pressed against Enrico’s warm palm, their lips less than two centimeters apart.
“Why are you guys hiding there and kissing?” Gabriel asked, looking at them suspiciously, his voice still dripping with sleepiness.
“…”
“…”
Paige was depressed, wasn’t this Gabriel the one who wouldn’t be happy to open his eyes once he was asleep, or if it was thundering?
Enrico looked to the little one, “About the early childhood teacher …”
Hearing the word “early education teacher”, Gabriel immediately closed his eyes, and his little mouth didn’t forget to make a sound, “Hoo-hoo-hoo-hoo! “Hoo-hoo-hoo.”
He fell asleep, Gabriel fell asleep.
Satisfied, Enrico withdrew his eyes and looked down at Paige, “Shall we continue?”
“…” Paige is silent.
…
That night, Paige literally slept with Enrico sitting on the floor next to the bed, with Gabriel having the king-size bed all to himself.
The next day, Paige woke up, had a quick breakfast, and left for Temple in Heaven.
Enrico, on the contrary, didn’t have to go so early today after dealing with business all day yesterday.
In front of the large floor-to-ceiling windows of the manor, every floor was drenched in sunlight, bright and blinding.
Enrico sat on the single couch next to the floor-to-ceiling window, one hand clenched in a false fist against his head, eyes closed in false sleep.
He had slept sitting up for two consecutive sleeps, and his head ached from the quality of his sleep.