Chapter 33
"You're back?" I yelled across the house as I got to work juggling making a bottle and holding Nabia in my arms.
"I got a car seat, some more diapers and clothes as well as more formula," Kieran said as he came into the kitchen. I passed Nabia to Kieran as I finished making the bottle. I had to google it the first time last night but I was going on autopilot now.
"You look exhausted, Cami," Kieran noted.
"Nabi woke up like eight times last night," I responded. Kieran smiled lightly as Nabia started baby talking.
"Go get dressed. I'll feed her and get her changed," Kieran offered. I handed the finished bottle to him before going back upstairs to shower and change. I used makeup to hide the dark circles under my eyes. I left my hair down in its natural waves before going back downstairs. Kieran had Nabia dressed in a cute onesie and pink tutu. Without the cap on her head, I could see she had a full head of dark hair that contradicted her hazel eyes. Kieran was playing with her on the couch.
"She can hold her head up by herself?" I asked, watching them play together.
"She's seven months old officially. She was born February 10th. Gemma told me at least that much before she passed," Kieran replied. I smiled sadly before grabbing the diaper bag Kieran had put together.
"Ready?" I asked, trying to change the subject. I knew it was going to take some time before Kieran truly got over her passing. I didn't know her as well as Kieran, but she was still my birth mother. Even I was sad about her passing. It was probably a hundred times worse for Kieran. He nodded before standing and putting Nabia on his hip. He strapped her into the car seat before we headed to the office. Kieran carried the whole infant car seat carriage into the office. The employees watched us curiously as we entered but only Amanda was brave enough to approach us.
"Mr. DeVoss! You're back! Camilla held down the fort well while you were gone. She even managed to reign in Taylor. Who's this?" Amanda asked hesitantly with a smile. Kieran smiled slightly before setting the car seat down and taking Nabia out.
"Someone you all haven't met yet. I didn't purposely keep her hidden, I just didn't make it public at the time. This is our daughter, Nabi. She's a little under the weather, so she had to come to work with us," Kieran said. Kieran passed her off to me and I placed her on my hip.
"You have a daughter?! I would've never guessed. It doesn't look like you recently gave birth at all," Gray said in surprise as he came closer to look at Nabia. I pursed my lips together in a tight smile. If only they knew. Nabi made a noise before trying to play with my necklace. I smiled gently at her and kept her from fully grabbing it.
"I'll take Nabi to the office and set up her play mat," I said awkwardly to Kieran before taking her into Kieran's office. Kieran got a little mat that could be laid out with a few toys. I laid her on her back with the toys before going to Kieran's desk and organizing the files for Kieran. Eventually, Kieran came into the office and walked around to come wrap his arms around me from behind.
"Thank you for taking care of everything while I was away," he said softly. I smiled gently before setting the files aside.
"I organized everything by importance. And this is Taylor's new contract," I said, holding up a file. Kieran smirked and let go of me before taking the folder from me. I went back to sit on the floor next to Nabia. She was kicking her legs and arms excitedly as she grunted. Honestly, she was growing on me. She was adorable, and she was my little sister after all. She even kind of looked like me.
"Nabi, I'm going to do my best to try and keep you safe," I promised her quietly. Giving the pretense of being her mother only fit the narrative to everyone else, but I was slowly starting to see her as my sister and a person I wanted to protect. If nothing else, I wanted to protect her because she was just like me. She was also a hybrid. I didn't want her to grow up living like I did. I wanted things to be easier for her. I didn't want her to grow up scared and confused like I was.
"Morning meeting. You want to bring Nabi and catch me up on everything?" Kieran asked. I nodded before picking Nabia up and standing. I followed Kieran to the conference room and took a seat while we waited for everyone else to come.
"Can I hold her?" Amanda asked. I smiled before passing Nabia to her waiting hands. Amanda cooed at her until the meeting started. I briefed Kieran on everything he missed before everyone went around the table. Amanda kept Nabia entertained and quiet during the meeting. She was actually great with Nabia. After the meeting ended, I walked with Amanda as she held my little sister.
"You're really good with Nabi," I smiled lightly. Amanda chuckled before rocking her gently.
"I love kids," Amanda admitted. She handed Nabia back to me before going to find her own desk as I went back to the office. Kieran followed us back to his office.
"For the odd day, I don't mind letting Amanda babysit as long as everything is fine and she's okay with it," Kieran mentioned.
"Do you think she'll be okay... handling a hybrid?" I asked a bit quietly. Kieran smirked.
"As babies, it's not a problem. As you might recall, the problems only started happening around eight years old or so," he reminded me. I nodded thoughtfully.
"We still have to try to find Caitlyn," I sighed. Kieran placed a hand on my head gently.
"One problem at a time. Let's try to get used to having Nabi with us first," he suggested before putting her in his arms. I nodded and smiled slightly as I watched them. Kieran was surprisingly good with kids. I could feel my heart melting a little more for both of them.