Chapter 563
Elliot, Evan, and Emmett stared at him for a long while before Elliot said, “No worries, we can sleep on our own. Just make sure mom is taken care of, okay p>
Once inside their room, Elliot whispered to Evan, “Let’s give him an extra point. He’s sacrificing something so important to stay and look after mom. I’m really touched p>
Evan nodded immediately, “Yeah p>
Before bed, Elliot asked Emmett to touch up his and Evan’s makeup. Thankfully, Emmett was a whiz with the makeup kit. Otherwise, after all the tears shed today, their makeup would’ve been ruined, and Tarquin and the Bradford family might have noticed!
Outside, Tarquin leaned against the window, calling Lowell. His gaze lingered on Elysia. He told Lowell he’d stay put for now, inquired about the investigation’s progress, and arranged some tasks.
After hanging up, he tiptoed into the boys’ room to check on the trio. Seeing them all asleep, he carefully tucked them in, turned off the light, and left. The hospital room was quiet. He sat by Elysia’s bed, silently keeping vigil. Today had been a brush with death for Elijah, and for him too. If Elijah had died, it would’ve been as if he died too. So, in saving Elijah today, Elysia had also saved him.
He was grateful, moved, and pained. She was exhausted because of him and his son. Tarquin looked at her tenderly, unconsciously lifting his hand to tuck a strand of hair behind her ear. His fingers gently traced her cheek, and his heart skipped a beat. It was like an electric shock. He swiftly withdrew his hand but soon found himself reaching out again.
Elysia’s skin was soft and smooth, a sensation he found himself lingering over. He gently, like a thief in the night, caressed her cheek, her eyebrows, her nose, and couldn’t help but touch her lips p>
The moment his fingertip brushed her lips, a torrent of dreamy images flooded his mind-images of them entwined passionately. In the dream, they were undressed, he pinned her hands above her head and kissed her fervently. Her eyes were closed, her cheeks flushed. Beneath him, she trembled and panted, responding to him with a shy yet passionate eagerness. They kissed, tumbled across the bed, freely indulging in the most primal acts of passion p>
A sob snapped Tarquin back to reality. To his horror, his lips were pressed against Elysia’s! Panic-stricken, Tarquin pulled away. He breathed heavily, shocked and uneasy at having stolen a kiss.
The sobbing sounded again, coming from the boys’ room. Tarquin steadied his heart and, putting the incident aside for a moment, went to check on the situation.
In the dimly lit room, Emmett sat up in bed, crying, while Elliot and Evan, awakened by the noise, tried to comfort him. Tarquin flipped on the bedside lamp, “What’s the matter p>
Elliot explained, “Emmett had a nightmare p>
Through tears, Emmett sobbed, “I dreamt of a monster so big, with three heads and eight arms! Its mouth was bigger than a car tire, and its teeth were longer than me! It was chasing mom and Elijah, trying to eat them, sob sob… I tried to save them, but I couldn’t beat it. It slapped me away, sob sob… I saw it catching up to mom and Elijah, about to eat them, sob sob p>
Evan reassured him, “Don’t worry, I’ll protect mom and Elijah from any monster, no matter how scary. I’ll knock them flat p>
Elliot, frowning, said to Tarquin, “Emmett is as timid as mom. It must’ve been the scare from Elijah’s ordeal that triggered his nightmare p>