Protecting Love (LarssonSiblingSeries #3)

CHAPTER TEN

Betty

I'm halfway up the pathway when the door swings open, and Finn steps out with a crying little boy hanging from his arm, toys blocking the doorway floor. Jeez, he wasn't kidding when he said things were out of control. I step onto the porchway and follow Finn and the screaming child inside.

"It won't stop crying. What am I doing wrong?" Finn says.

"Him," I correct, taking the toddler from his arms. "Hey, now, little man. Why so many tears, huh?"

"Mummy!" the little boy wails, wriggling in my arms. "I want mummy!"

I make a hushing sound and move his body, so he lays across my thighs and let him rest his head against my bent elbow. "Shh, it's okay, sweetheart. It's okay."

Quiet.

Finn steps forward. "How did you manage that? Christ, I tried everything."

I wink. "I must be a natural."

I smell his aftershave when he scoots closer. "Yeah, I think you might be right."

Finn grabs a half-eaten soft fruit bar from the coffee table and waves it in our direction. "Do you want the rest of this Issac?"

Issac scrunches his nose up tight and turns his face into my shoulder, kicking his legs out to the side.

"What did I do?" Finn says, letting the food drop back on the coffee table.

I take in his deep-set frown and angry aura and wonder if the poor little guy is intimidated. "Take a breath. You look like you are about to punch something. I think you are scaring him. You have a case of resting bad-ass face."

Finn's expression softens and then he lets out a faint chuckle. "That's a new one."

I let Issac climb off my lap and slide down the sofa, watching him toddle over to his toys on the floor. "It's true. You look like you chewed a wasp. What's wrong?"

"Don't mince your words, Betty," he snorts, throwing himself down on the sofa next to me and my silly heart booms in my chest. "Babysitting isn't in my Wednesday night plans."

The music channel plays on in the background, and I get an idea. I fall forward and scoop Issac in my arms, starting to dance around the room in a goofy fashion. Issac squeals with laughter and grips onto my jumper, bouncing around when I jump up and down. Finn grabs the remote from the arm of the sofa and turns the music up, sitting back straight after to watch us with a small smile. I sing at the top of my lungs and gaze down at Issac who is staring up at me with wide eyes.

I put Issac down on the floor and take hold of his chubby hands, bending my back, so I'm at his height and then lift our arms up and down watching his cheeks bloom with joy. I shake my bottom, making sure it's in Finn's direction. I'm in my good jeans. You're welcome, Finn. Issac makes a kissy face in my direction and then almost trips over the rug. I pull him upright and carry on shaking what my mama gave me. I can feel eyes on my back, so I tilt my head to the side and spot Finn staring...hard.

"Aren't you joining in?" I shout, showing my teeth in a smile.

"No," he coughs, spreading his arm across the back of the sofa. "I'm good here."

I reach for Issac and spin him in a circle, dumping him on Finn's lap and watch his eyes bug out when Issac starts to jump all over him, clipping his elbow into his eye with a good force - enough to cause some damage. I wince when Finn covers it with his palm as a dancing Issac giggles out loud.

"Motherfucker!" Finn booms, lowering his head in pain.

"MudderFudder," Issac squeals, leaping off Finn's knee to run in circles near the fireplace. "MudderFudder! MudderFudder!"

I'm toast.

And, a horrible babysitting substitute.

Oops.

I switch off the television and dash after Issac as he tears through the house, looking like a Tasmanian devil, loving life. The squirming bug wriggles in my arms when I catch him, narrowly missing my jaw with his nails as he continues to shout the swear word Finn previously bellowed. Finn is halfway up the staircase when I reach the living room, giving me some serious you're dead eyes. Is it strange that the expression excites me a tiny bit? Yeah, probably considering the man is two hundred pounds of pure muscle.

"Issac, that's a naughty word, and we don't say them," I say, trying to get him to sit still on the floor with his toys.

A soft giraffe toy comes flying straight at my face, catching me in the nose. "MudderFudder!"

"We don't throw toys either," I respond, sitting the teddy to the side of the play mat.

"Play with me?" he pushes his aeroplane my way, making a WHOOSH noise.

I nod, and take it from his hands, caught completely off guard when he decides to throw the plastic car at my eye. It burns, and I cry out, "OUCH."

Light footsteps.

"Hello, Finn?" an unknown voice speaks into the room, and I try to open my watering eye, closing it when it hums with pain, spotting a red haired woman staring at me. "Where's Finn and why are you looking after my child?"

I attempt to get up from the floor just as Finn comes into the room. "Emma, just in time. Never let me babysit your kid again. I'm shit at it."

My mouth drops open at his honesty along with the woman who is named Emma. She bends down to collect the toys from the floor. "It seems like you did a great job to me."

I blink as it feels like there are shards of glass under my eyelids. "Children are a handful."

Emma narrows her eyes at me and I back up.

If looks could kill, I'd be ten feet underground.

"I'll walk you out," Finn says, something off in his tone.

"Okay, thank you," Emma brightens, staring up at his face like he holds the secret to eternal youth.

I fall back onto the sofa and pull my feet to the side in exhaustion, reaching over to finish off the tortilla chips in the bowl on the coffee table.

Finn

I type in Vasectomy into Google and weigh up the pros and cons, thinking if tonight were anything to go by, I would die before becoming a dad.

Devil. Child.

...

Thank you so much for reading my lovelies!

I'm going to try my hardest for a double update today, so stay tuned for more Larsson fun.

Lots of love,

Holly ♥️