The Best Deceptions (Want You Bad sequel)

Chapter 32

***Shorter than intended, but it's all I could do. The next chapter (might be split into two) is already almost done because I'm too excited for this wedding. Anyway, love you all, and thank you to anyone who has commented on this story and hasn't had anything rude to say about Sutton. ***

"Louis, I need you to be able to take Levi today. Please, please, please tell me that you can." I didn't want to sound like I was begging, but I was desperate.

"Erm, I would have to move some stuff around, but I can try. Why, what's happening, Nat?"

"Calliope is super sick, and I don't want Levi to catch it."

"What kind of sick?"

I held back my sigh. It wasn't Louis' fault that I was stressed. "It's coming out both ends." I heard Louis cringe. "She's sleeping right now, by some miracle, but Levi is upset because he can't play with her. Sutton is in the studio today or else he would be able to distract Levi. I'm just having a hard time today."

"I'll see what I can do, but-"

"Mommy," Levi walked up to me, holding his stomach. "My tummy feels-" He stopped talking as he started to get sick, all over my legs.

This time I did sigh. "Never mind, Lou. He's sick too. I gotta go." I slid my phone into my back pocket and crouched down to console Levi, who was now crying. "Hey, it's gonna be okay, baby. Wanna go take a shower?"

He nodded and rubbed his eyes. "I'm sorry, Mommy."

"Why are you sorry?" I scooped Levi up, grabbed the baby monitor, and made our way to the laundry room.

"I threw up on you," he started to cry.

"Aww, Levi, sweetheart, you can't control that." I began removing our clothes and tossing them straight into the washer. "Besides, Mommies get thrown up on sometimes; it's part of our job."

"No," Levi giggled. "That's yucky."

I laughed as I took us to the bathroom. "It's a little yucky, yeah, but that's why we're gonna shower really fast."

"Then I nap?" Levi yawned.

"Absolutely! Then you nap." And Mommy gets to clean up the mess, yay.

However, once we were showered and I had put Levi down for his nap, I could already smell bleach as I came down the stairs. "Uhh, hello?"

Garrett popped his head around the doorframe. "Natty Light! What's up?"

"'What's up?' Why are you in my house?"

Garrett laughed. "Louis called me and said the kids were sick and he felt bad because you seemed overwhelmed. So I came over with my spare key, and now I'm cleaning up after the little dude. At least, I think it's him, because if Baby P made this size of a mess, we're gonna need a bigger boat."

I rolled my eyes as I entered the room. "No, it was Levi. He got it on me, too. Baby P has been snoozing. Thank you for coming over, though. You didn't have to."

"Oh, I wasn't going to. I thought about calling Sutton, but then I pictured you yelling at me for making him leave the studio, and here I am. I stopped at the store on the way and got Pedialyte and crackers and some ginger ale. The ginger ale is in case you get sick."

"You're very domestic when it comes to the kids, Gare."

He shrugged. "I take my role as the Godfather very seriously," he did a spot-on Marlon Brando impression as he spoke.

I laughed and hugged him. "I appreciate you."

"I know you do. No biggie."

"So," Garrett said softly, cradling Calliope against his chest. "I figured I should let you know. Ellis and I decided that we're better off as friends."