Dionisia didn't even consider the possibility that he would turn the offer down. He'd been so eager to sit next to Elliott before, so bright and sunny when Elliott had plopped down on his lap for even a few minutes of reading. It was not just the refusal that prompted a confused look, but the way he'd stepped away from the crib entirely, as if the whole reason he'd come wasn't to spend a few minutes with Elliott.

Rather than protest, Dionisia turned back towards the crib and reached down. Elliott slept on his back, so it was not at all difficult to wrap her arms around his body and lift him up out of the crib. Like she'd said, he stirred and made a cooing noise, his hands instinctively reaching for whatever he could grab—in this case, the sleeve of her dress. His eyelids fluttered open, but closed just as quickly, and squished his cheek against Dionisia's shoulder. Dio looked back at Ben reassuringly and stepped towards him, trying to stand at an angle where he could see Elliott's face.

"He's a good sleeper, you know. I thought children were supposed to cry all night, and I used to be scared that I'd never sleep between him and my work, but - he doesn't fight bedtime most days," she said, reaching up to gently smooth Elliott's hair back over his forehead. Then again, she looked back up at Ben. "You can hold him, you know. He - he is yours, too."

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