Touch of Darkness by C.T. Adams

Author:C.T. Adams
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9780765359629
Publisher: Tom Doherty Associates

16

It was probably because of the nap, but I was wide awake at 2:30 in the morning. Tom needed his sleep. He would be going on shift in the morning. Being exhausted can be actively dangerous for a firefighter, so I slid carefully out from under his arm and pulled on some clothes. As quietly as I could, I padded downstairs.

Mary had left the downstairs hall light on. It was enough light for everyone to be able to find their way around, but dim enough to allow for sleep.

Bryan was sacked out on the couch, mouth open, snoring softly. Rob was curled up on an air mattress on the floor next to the bassinet.

I didn’t know when they had arrived, but it didn’t matter. They were here now. It made for quite a house ful and I promised myself I’d find somewhere for Tom and me to live before we wore out our welcome.

I didn’t see Dusty, but I figured out where she was by following the sounds of soft crooning coming from the direction of the kitchen. Ah, right: middle of the night, baby, feeding. I padded across the carpet in the direction of the noise, hoping that maybe she’d have fixed some coffee. Probably not. I didn’t smell any. But hey, it was worth a shot.

I stepped through the swinging doors and found her sitting at the kitchen table. She was wearing a long white nylon nightgown that had an elastic top. One side had been pulled down, and the baby was breast-feeding. From the noises Robby was making you’d have thought he was famished. She looked down at him, her expression so content that I felt a stab of intense jealousy.

“Good morning,” I whispered, my voice light, pleasant, hiding the darker emotion as best I could.

“Pfft. It’s morning, anyway.” She looked up and gave me a smile that made me feel guilty as hell. “It’s a little too early to be good in my opinion.” She pulled him away from her breast, and he wiggled, his face screwing up to cry out in protest, little fists shaking in rage at the unfairness. But she knew what she was doing, because almost as soon as she set him against her shoulder and began patting his back he let out the kind of belch that would do a beer-guzzling frat boy proud.

“That was a good one, Robbie.” She kissed him on his forehead and moved him back into position. He settled back in, feeding more calmly this time, and she reached over to take a sip from a glass of milk.

She gave me sad eyes. “No coffee for me any more. It makes him hyper.”

“Ugh. That sucks.” I pulled out the chair directly across from her and took a seat.

“Tell me about it.”

“Still, it’s worth it.” I nodded toward the baby suckling at her breast.

“Absolutely.” She smiled down at him contentedly for a moment before looking back up. “Oh, I almost forgot. There’s a present for you at the end of the counter.

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