Page 33
Leaning forward, I plucked the baby out of her arms, the mix of her sweet scent and Milo’s baby powder both invigorating and oddly comforting. “Eat your food. I’ll entertain the toast monster.”
“He’ll get you messy,” Summer protested, but I was already lifting the baby out of her arms.
“I can change my shirt.” I shrugged. “It’s no big deal.”
I snuggled Milo as he gummed the toast, and Emmett came back from the counter with a bottle for him. I took it, and, lightning fast, the kid dropped the toast and snagged it out of my hands.
“Well okay, then.” I laughed, looking up at Summer. “So much for the toast.”
“I think he mostly likes it because it scratches on his gums. He’s been teething up a storm. Ugh, we should just be born with teeth.”
Breakfast carried on like this was any normal day, except now we had an incredible addition. Milo devoured his bottle while Summer got to eat, and between all us alphas, I was able to pass him off so that I could chow down on some eggs and bacon too.
We’d all gotten dressed and eaten before it was even 7:30, which was good since we needed to head out soon.
“Most of us have to work today—I’m sorry. We tried to sort out bonding leave, but it was all last-minute.” Marshall looked upset, a little crinkle between his brows.
“I’ll be here with you, though, princess.” Emmett beamed.
“But the rest of us will be back starting at five-ish. Noah is usually the first one to get home.”
“Ah, high school hours.” Noah gave a sheepish shrug. “But I do need to finish up some paperwork stuff once the kids are gone.”
Summer shook her head. “Don’t apologize. I know it's hard, especially when you run your own business,” she assured Marshall.
“We can have a lazy day!” Emmett insisted.
“I know we need to do a bit more shopping, too, so I’ll make it a point to find the time.” Marshall nodded to himself, taking his plate to the sink.
“I can hit up the pharmacy for some of that stuff too. Get you an employee discount.”
Summer smiled. “Nice. Love a job that comes with perks.”
“I’ll keep asking if the guys at the shop want to pick up any extra hours too. I’d like to be home.” Marshall’s no-nonsense tone didn’t brook any argument.
Summer just grinned and shrugged, taking Milo as she brought her plate to the sink. “Okay. But, really, you don’t have to feel bad. I know this all happened pretty fast.”
There was no convincing the guy not to be at least a little upset. We all felt the same. Being home with Summer sounded better than any workday, but she was right. This happened quickly, so the adjustment was going to be a thing.
“Hey, I grabbed something from work for you,” I said to Summer as I got ready to head out, going over to the medicine cabinet and opening it to reveal my little masterpiece.
“That is some next-level organization,” Summer commented, taking in all the little mini drawers, each labeled accordingly.
My ears heated, undoubtedly turning red while Emmett chuckled. “We leave the medicine cabinet to the pharmacist,” he said. “I once put some ibuprofen back in the wrong drawer, and he freaked out.”
“It didn’t fit,” I defended, narrowing my eyes at him. “We couldn’t close it all the way afterward.”
“To be fair, the drawers are clearly labeled.” Summer grinned with her brows up. “How did you put it back in the wrong one?”
“Exactly!” I exclaimed, pointing accusingly at Emmett, which made him throw up his hands with a sigh. Turning back to the cabinet, I grabbed the little tube of Orajel, taking it over to Summer, who was giving me a curious look.
“It’s for teething,” I explained. “You said that the little guy was struggling. It’s a gel that you rub on his gums. Just pop some on the area where he’s cutting a tooth, and it should soothe it.”
A smile spread across Summer’s face. “That’s perfect! I can’t believe you remembered from that first day at lunch. Thank you.”
I smiled, shaking my head because who wouldn’t think of the little guy’s teething issues? “Of course I did.”
“It pays to have a legal drug dealer in our pack.” Noah laughed, and I rolled my eyes. “The moment we get a sniffle, he’s got us covered, coming and going. There’s enough zinc in there to melt it down.”