Chasing Euphoria

Chapter Fifty Eight

Landon 

Boxes filled the entryway of Hailee and Jackson's house, forcing me to hold Cassie's hand as I led her through the mess. Not exactly forcing, I would've done it either way, but I had to because of the mess. 

How much could I really blame them? They had a one-month-old baby and were in the middle of trying to move house with minimal help. God only knows how they're managing it all at once. In the middle of all of this, Hailee is trying to plan a wedding as soon as possible no matter how many times everyone tells her that there's no need to rush anything and there's all the time in the world. 

That conversation may as well have ended with me getting my head ripped clean off of its shoulders. 

Today, Hailee asked me if I would babysit Matthew so she and Jackson could have a day to try and get things into the new house. Instead, I offered both me and Cassie to stay the night so she could have two days. This was another thing they said they weren't going to rush into, but once Hailee got the idea in her head, there was no going back. 

Although Jackson was going to go into the whole moving house situation smartly and speak to Cassie, Hailee jumped on board and went off to pick one herself after briefly speaking to her about it. She seemed to have everything under control, but Jackson told me that he wished they'd given it a little more time.

Babies weren't exactly my strong suit. Truth be told, I had never held one when I was alone. Being the youngest sibling, I was never really around children. None of my friends had kids and any younger relatives weren't really around me, so it never came up. 

That was where Cassie came in. Even though she hadn't really been around children much, she still had more experience than me. Apparently, her cousin Andrea had a daughter called Alice whom Cassie would help out with when she needed. That was enough for me to beg her to come and help me with Matthew. 

"When do you think they'll be moved by?" Cassie asked, sighing as she walked into a smaller box. Even when I guide her, she still manages to hit something. 

"Well, she said there was no rush, so probably by the end of the week." I joked. Still, it wouldn't surprise me. If it wasn't for the distance then it would've been immediately. "No, probably within the next month, six weeks maximum. She's got the idea in her head now and she's found a place, so nothing will get in her way." 

Cassie was holding the speaker from the baby monitor and set it down on the dining table as I rummaged the kitchen cupboards for something to cook for dinner with. Matthew had finally settled to sleep after I gave him a bottle and I had no idea how long it would be before he was awake again. 

As I started to cook, Cassie came from behind me and wrapped her arms around my waist, resting her chin on my shoulder. "Does this meal allow for you to sit down at any point?" 

"I think I can do that." I turned and kissed her forehead, leading her to sit on top of the table with her legs open enough for me to comfortably slot myself between them. 

Her fingers played with my hair, twirling the ends. 

"I know, I need a haircut, you don't have to tell me," I said, reaching to hold her hands in mine and kissing her fingertips. 

Shaking her head, she said, "No, it's not that bad yet. I like it like this, it's nice to play with. And to pull." 

"When do you ever pull my hair? You're more the type to throw something at me when you're mad." I joked. There was an incident once where she was yelling about me not putting the cushions on the bed the right way around which ended up with her throwing one of her decorative pillows at me. The aim was completely off and instead of hitting me, she knocked a photo frame over and I never let her live it down.