My Baby's Daddy

Chapter 66

The downpour didn’t look like it would stop anytime soon. Looking over at the man on the couch, Anastasia offered, “I’ll get you an umbrella right away.”

However, Elliot eyed her in mild amusement as he said matter-of-fačtly, “I’m staying here for the night.”

Stunned, she blinked at him for a moment and asked, “Why?”

“Because Jared needs me.” As if to make a point, Elliot stroked Jared’s head with his large palm like he was some kind of guardian deity, and the little one looked up at him with an imploring expression and begged, “Mr. Presgrave, Mommy and I are terrified of lightning and thunder, so can you please stay with us and keep us safe for the night?”

Anastasia immediately interjected, “Absolutely not, Jared. I’m more than capable of keeping you safe during the storm.”

“But you’re terrified of thunder too, Mommy!” Jared argued, mercilessly calling her bluff.

“I am not. I’m just—” She was about to make her case when the universe, determined to prove her wrong, called upon yet another bout of lightning that slithered past the sky and tore through the night. As always, this was followed by another violent clap of thunder.

She shuddered, flinching as she clasped her hands to her ears quickly.

eyes. Flushing, she mumbled

as soon as

tightly Jared was clinging onto Elliot, Anastasia nodded and said in resignation, “Fine, then. You can’t go back to your car anyway, what

him in the living room with Jared and headed back into her bedroom. When she saw the undergarment that he had retrieved earlier, she was seized with the urge to kick herself. Of all the

was relentless, and the storm outside the window raged on. There was even a weather alert that urged everyone to stay safe because it was likely that the thunderstorm would go on

the whole night? If everyone finds out that we

of abodes. With the apartment’s limited space, she didn’t have an extra room to put Elliot in, and the

waned in its ferocity, Jared was dragged into the bathroom by his mother so that he could wash up for bed. A while later, Anastasia emerged from the room with a better part of

a new message. Jared immediately grabbed her phone and keyed in the pin before reading the text. “It’s a message from

as it read, ‘Anastasia, are you and Jared alright? Do you need me to go over and

so he set the phone down and busied himself with his Legos once more. Elliot reached for the pink phone, and with

from his enthusiastic efforts. ‘You know I’m just worried

you can’t. It isn’t suitable for you to drop

be suitable? I stayed over at your place plenty of times while we were

was as stormy as the sky outside as he thought,

be more than happy to