Chapter 19

Hermione entered the Malfoy house and encountered a strange smell. Her nose led her to the kitchen where Draco stood by the stove in a blue apron with a spoon in his hand. "Taste this," he instructed upon spotting her.

"What is it?" she asked, eying the red concoction.

"Pasta sauce," he replied, inching the spoon closer to her lips. "Ever since you made your mum's, I've been trying to make it. I think I've finally gotten it right. Unless you think it's too sweet. I may have been a little heavy handed with the sugar."

She tasted it and made a surprisingly positive face. "It's better than mine," she replied after swallowing. "Is this why you asked me to come over? Sauce was your big emergency?"

Draco shrugged and lowered the flame beneath the pot. "I just wanted to feed you," he said.

Blushing, she stepped closer and kissed him. "Harry came to see me today," she confessed.

"You can't kiss me and then talk about another man," he replied with a laugh.

She whispered a hurried apology before continuing. "What I was going to tell you was that I realized something," she said. "Harry asked me how I would feel if someone I love kept a huge secret from me, and I realized that it doesn't matter to me."

"And, uh, who is it that you love who's keeping secrets from you?" he inquired, pulling her close.

Hermione grinned. "You," she replied. "Except you aren't keeping secrets anymore. At least, I don't think you are. The point is, telling me about Daphne, I know you wouldn't have told me that if you didn't, maybe, feel the same way I do about you."

Sighing, he considered her point. "I think you might be right," he agreed. "There is a part of me that needed you to know the truth because I want you to be in my life for a long time. I didn't want you to find out from Adrian or by snooping in my office. It needed to come from me."

"Was there another part of you that wanted to do it for another reason?" she wondered.

Draco nodded and cupped her chin. "The other part of me wanted to tell you because it felt like this weight sitting on my chest, crushing me," he continued. "I don't know why I did, but I trusted you that very first day in the market. I knew if I told you, you wouldn't hate me. At least, I hoped you wouldn't."

"I don't," she assured him. "But I don't have a sister that you can sleep with."

Draco laughed and pulled away. "Yeah, but I hear Ginny Weasley is back on the market," he joked, knowing the two had had a sisterly relationship in the past.

"Don't you dare," she replied, slapping his bicep.

"Have you spoken to her?" he wondered as removed the pasta from the stove.

Hermione rolled her eyes. "Oh yes, we've made arrangements to have tea and play bridge," she responded sarcastically. Over his shoulder, Draco shot her a look that said he was less than amused. "No, we haven't, and I don't anticipate that we will. That bridge is well and burnt."

"I'm sorry," he murmured, kissing her forehead. "Could you check on Lilah? She's in her playpen."

Nodding, she left the kitchen for the living room. "Hi, baby," she murmured, picking up a sleepy Lilah. Hermione frowned as she kissed her forehead. Returning to the kitchen, she mentioned that the little girl felt hot. "I think she's got a fever."

"Are you sure?" he asked. "She was fine before."

She moved closer to Draco, who felt the baby's warm forehead. "Has she eaten today?"

Draco shook his head. "Well, she ate some mashed carrots for lunch, but nothing since then."

"I think maybe you should run the bath so we can get the fever down," she advised. "After that, we'll try to get some fluids in her."

He shut off the stove and left the kitchen with Hermione closely behind. While Draco ran the water, Hermione undressed Lilah who clung to her as she whimpered. "It's alright," he murmured, prying his daughter from Hermione's shirt. Lilah began to cry as he lowered her into the tub. "I'm sorry, sweetie. I'm sorry. It'll all be over soon."

When it was over, Hermione swaddled Lilah in a towel, dressed her, fed her a bottle, and rocked her to sleep. Draco sat down beside the crib as Hermione laid her down. "I'm sorry about dinner," she whispered as he drew her down to sit on his lap.

Draco shook his head. "Don't be," he replied. "I really appreciate your help tonight. I've never been good at handling her being sick. It's just such a helpless feeling, knowing I can't do anything for her."

Wrapping her arms around his neck, she kissed his cheek. "You did everything you can for her right now," she said. "Her temperature is down, she had a bottle. I think right now she just needs to sleep, and she'll be as good as new in the morning. You look like you could use some sleep as well."

He nodded as his stomach growled. "I think I might be hungry," he confessed sheepishly.

Moving from his lap, Hermione promised to come back in a few minutes. When she returned, she brought with her a bowl of pasta and two forks. "I didn't want your meal to go to waste," she explained, reclaiming her seat on his lap.

"You really think she'll be okay tomorrow?" he asked, ignoring the food.

Hermione frowned. "I don't know," she replied. "I hope so. It's no fun watching her suffer, and I'm just the nanny."

Draco shook his head. "You're more than just the nanny," he assured her. Glancing away, she blushed at the perceived implication of his statement. "So, um, was dinner okay?"

"Yeah, great," she replied, turning her head back to look at him. "If you want, I'll clean up before I go."

His arms tightened around her waist, holding her in place. "That sofa opens up, you know," he told her, pointing to the small sofa near the crib. "Sleeps two rather comfortably. At least, I'm guessing it does. It looks like it does."

Dark brows knitted together as she asked, "Are you asking me to spend the night?"

Draco nodded. "One of the reasons I love you is how much you care for my daughter," he told her. "I've seen how upset you get when she falls down. You really think you'll be able to sleep tonight not knowing how she's doing? At least if you stay here, you can keep an eye on her."

"I can't believe you're using your child to get me into bed with you," she replied with a laugh.

"Is it working?" he wondered.

She glanced quickly at the sleeping baby, then nodded. "Yes, I think it is."