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“Yeah, but you don’t hang out with friends.”
“Well, she’s Cole’s wife, who happens to be friends with Ryan and Sebastian. Occasionally, we see each other.”
“And you were both attacked by the same serial killer,” I pointed out. “I thought you might want to leave that part of your life behind.”
She narrowed her eyes at me, walking over to the bed and climbing up over my body. “Aren’t you the one telling me that I have to face my fears?”
“Yes, but I didn’t mean you should remind yourself of them on a daily basis.”
“It’s fine,” she smiled. “And Alex doesn’t get out very much. What happened to her…if I can help in any way—even by visiting so she doesn’t have to leave the house as often—I’ll do it. Besides, I need a break from the kids.”
“They go to training every day. Except for the demon.”
“Stop calling your son a demon.”
“I can’t because he’s a demon. I swear to God, Cara, his eyes freak me the fuck out.”
“Sebastian already talked to me about you and your fear of our kid. He thinks you’re really afraid of what that kid represents.”
“And what’s that?”
She pressed a kiss to my lips, then ran her thumb over the bottom one. “That you’re being taunted by your past. That in your mind, your child represents your failures, and if you don’t find a way to stop those failures, you’ll fall into a dark hole that no one can save you from.”
I grunted. “He got all that from a demon kid?”
“Personally, I think it’s all rubbish.” She pushed off my lap and walked toward the bathroom.
“Yeah? And what do you think it means?”
A coquettish smile passed her lips. “I think it’s your brain trying to manifest a way out of getting up with him at night. But what do I know?”
And then she walked into the bathroom and closed the door. I bristled at her assessment. I was a great dad. I wasn’t trying to get out of anything. When something needed to be done, I took care of it. I got up in the middle of the night to help her because that’s what a good husband did.
Satisfied with my own thoughts, I got out of bed, ready to slip into the shower with Cara when I heard none other than the demon kid wailing in the other room. I thought about leaving him. Hell, it wouldn’t hurt him to cry for a minute or two. If I walked out, Cara would get him. But that would prove her point that I didn’t want to take care of him, and I couldn’t allow that to happen.
“He’s just a kid,” I muttered to myself.
Walking down the hall, I turned on all the lights I could. Even with the morning light streaming in, I wanted to make sure there was no way his beady eyes could somehow burn a hole into my head. I flipped on the light and smiled at him because that’s what you did when you were terrified of your own kid.
“Hey there, little guy. How are you this morning?” Very carefully, I walked across the room with measured steps, making sure not to take any sudden movements. After all, that’s when evil things attacked. “I’m not here to hurt you. I only want to check your diaper.”
The kid was only whimpering now, looking up at me with this pitiful expression that I knew to be a lie. He only wanted me to think he was complying with me. But the moment I got too close, he would go in for the kill.
“I’m going to very carefully pick you up out of the crib and lay you down to change your diaper, okay? There is absolutely nothing to fear.”
Reaching in, I grabbed him and held him away from my body, making sure he was far enough away that he couldn’t do me any harm. At least, I hoped not. I made it all the way to the changing table without a single thing happening. I breathed a sigh of relief and laid a hand on his tummy while I grabbed the wipes and a new diaper from the shelf underneath.
“Alright, now I’m going to undo your jammies. Okay?”
“Why are you talking to him like you’re terrified?”
I jumped a foot, spinning around to face Cara while holding the demon still. “You scared the shit out of me.”
She strolled in, tucking her towel against her breasts as she smiled at her spawn. “Hey, Kane. How’s momma’s little boy?”
I snorted. “Little boy my ass,” I muttered under my breath.
“What?” Cara asked, spinning around to face me.