CHAPTER 114: SHARING THE NIGHT

Zeke keeps coming to Cassidy’s apartment every day. On Thursday night, he is sitting on the sofa, his eyes focused on Claire, who’s playing quietly nearby.

Then, Cassidy tells him that Claire’s stitches can finally be removed because the wound is completely dry now.

"Is that so?" Zeke asks.

She sits across from him, her voice calm but careful. "Yeah. I already talked to Dr. Myres over the phone," she says, glancing at him. "And I asked if we needed to go to the hospital to remove the stitches."

Zeke looks up, waiting.

"He said there’s no need," she continues. "We can go to a clinic or just have a private doctor come here."

Zeke nods in understanding. "I’ll have my personal doctor come here," he says. "Claire won’t have to go anywhere."

Cassidy responds quietly, "Okay."

Claire walks over to them and climbs onto the sofa, leaning against Zeke. In her small voice, she asks, "Daddy, can you sleep here tonight?"

Zeke freezes. He didn’t expect that. His eyes dart to Cassidy, who is now pretending to study her nails with intense focus.

"You want Daddy to sleep here?" he asks gently.

Claire nods.

"But there’s no bed for me," Zeke says.

Claire looks up and says, "You can sleep with me. My bed is big."

The corner of Zeke’s mouth twitches. Big for a child, maybe. Not for someone his size.

He smiles and says, "Your bed might break if Daddy sleeps on it."

Claire pouts, clearly disappointed.

Zeke’s heart aches a little at her sad face. He sighs. "But this sofa is big. I can sleep here instead."

Claire shakes her head. "No, Daddy. It’s cold out here."

Zeke lets out a soft chuckle. "You’re worried I’ll get cold?"

She nods again, her face serious.

Suddenly, Claire gets an idea. Her face lights up as she exclaims, "You can sleep in Mommy’s room. Her bed is big, not like mine."

Cassidy immediately starts coughing at her daughter’s bold suggestion.

Zeke is just as flustered as Cassidy. His eyes widen as he stares at her, and she stares right back. At the same time, they both quickly look away, faces flushed and clearly embarrassed.

While Zeke is still trying to figure out what he should say to Claire, the little girl grows even more excited.

With a big smile, Claire says, "My friends’ mommies and daddies always sleep in the same bed. Even Uncle Thiego and Aunty Georgia do that! And sometimes, my friends sleep with their mommy and daddy too, all together in one bed!"

She turns to Zeke, her eyes sparkling with excitement. "We can all sleep together in Mommy’s room. I want to sleep with both of you!"

Zeke doesn’t know what to say. He isn’t sure if he should tell Claire the truth—that her mom and dad are already divorced.

But seeing how much Claire wanted it, Zeke couldn’t bring himself to crush her little dream.

Then suddenly, Cassidy speaks, her voice calm. "You really want to sleep with Mommy and Daddy?"

Claire nods and turns to her.

"Okay. The three of us can sleep in Mommy’s room tonight. You can sleep in the middle."

Zeke immediately looks at Cassidy, stunned, unable to believe what he just heard.

Did she really just say that? Is she serious?

"Hooray!" Claire shouts in delight. She stands up on the chair, bouncing with joy.

Zeke’s eyes lock onto Cassidy, searching her face for confirmation.

Cassidy lets out a soft sigh, then gives a small nod, quiet, but unmistakable. She meant every word.

Cassidy then turns to Claire and asks gently, "Are you feeling sleepy yet?"

Claire isn’t really that sleepy, but the excitement of sleeping with both her mom and dad makes her nod eagerly.

"Alright, sweetheart," Cassidy said with a soft smile. "Go brush your teeth first, then we can all go to bed. Ask Grandma Clara to help you, okay? Mommy needs to talk to Daddy for a bit."

"Okay, Mommy!" Claire replies cheerfully before skipping off, leaving Zeke and Cassidy alone in the living room.

Cassidy and Zeke fall into a brief silence. Then Zeke asks softly, "Are you sure about this?"

Cassidy rubs her temple, exhaling slowly. "I just... I don’t want to disappoint Claire. And I don’t want to break her heart by telling her her parents aren’t together anymore. I’m sorry if my decision made you uncomfortable."

Zeke shakes his head. "No," he says gently. "I feel the same way. I don’t want her to get hurt... or to grow up thinking she doesn’t have a complete family."

Cassidy says softly, "Claire’s still a child, I just want her to grow up happy. If she finds out that her parents are divorced, it would break her heart. I’m not ready to tell her yet. Maybe when she’s a little older and can understand, we can start explaining it to her."

Zeke nods in agreement. "You’re right. It’s best we don’t tell Claire about the divorce just yet. Besides... she just found out I’m her father, and she looks so thrilled. I don’t want to take that away from her."

Zeke suddenly remembers—if he’s staying over at Cassidy’s apartment tonight, he’ll need something to wear. No pajamas, no fresh clothes.

"I need to make a quick call," he says quietly, stepping away before Cassidy can ask.

He heads toward the kitchen, reaches into his pocket, and pulls out his phone. With practiced fingers, he dials Nolan, who’s waiting in the car downstairs.

Nolan picks up on the second ring.

"Boss?"

"Get me a men’s pajama set, size L, now. And bring my office suit from the villa tomorrow morning. You can ask Mr. Nelson to help you."

"Understood."

Zeke ends the call and slips his phone back into his pocket. Without a word, he walks back to the living room, just as Claire returns from brushing her teeth.

Zeke says quietly, "You and Claire can head to the bedroom first. I’ll stay out here, someone’s bringing my pajamas."

Cassidy nods. "Alright. I want to wash my face and get ready anyway."

She walks off with Claire, leaving Zeke alone in the living room.

Twenty minutes later, Nolan arrives with a neatly packaged pajama set he picked up from the nearest department store.

As Zeke walks toward Cassidy’s bedroom, his heart pounds a little harder. They’re going to share a bed again.

The thought sends a strange flutter through his stomach, something between nerves and anticipation.

Zeke knocks softly on Cassidy’s bedroom door. It opens a second later by Claire.

"Daddy!" she beams, grabbing his hand without hesitation. "Come in!"

Before he can say anything, Claire tugs him inside and makes him sit on the edge of Cassidy’s bed.

He chuckles softly, letting her take the lead.

Cassidy isn’t in the room. He guesses she’s still in the bathroom.

Zeke takes a moment to glance around. The room is spacious. Elegant. Minimalist. Everything feels clean, warm, and... familiar in a strange way.

Just like her.

A few moments later, the bathroom door opens.

Cassidy steps out, wearing her pajamas.

Zeke quickly averted his gaze.

She was wearing shorts tonight, different from the long pajama pants she usually wore. Her bare legs caught him off guard, making something flutter uncomfortably in his chest.

He focused on the far wall, pretending to be unfazed, even as the back of his neck warmed.

Cassidy turns to him and says calmly, "You can use the bathroom now."

Zeke immediately stands up, almost too fast, and heads toward the bathroom without a word, grateful for the excuse to escape.

***