Hayden scooped Jeremy into his arms, carrying him to bed. He knelt, slipping off the boy's shoes. "It won't be long," he murmured.

Jeremy, slightly confused, looked up.

Hayden paused, then said, "I think Becky likes me."

Jeremy's eyes widened. "Really?"

Hayden smiled and nodded. "Yeah, and it's all thanks to you."

Jeremy's gaze intensified. Hayden shed his coat, settling onto the bed. "Don't worry. I'll try my best. If all goes well, I'll propose next year. If she says yes, we'll plan the wedding, and you can officially call her Mommy."

"Promise!" Jeremy blurted.

Hayden chuckled. "Promise."

Jeremy's sadness vanished, replaced by pure joy. Hayden pulled Jeremy down beside him. "Naptime."

Hayden knew Jeremy hadn't slept well at Isabella's. The boy was quiet, though.

"Daddy, when you gonna propose to Ms. Becky?" Jeremy asked, eyes bright.

Hayden considered this. "I haven't decided, but hopefully next year, if everything goes smoothly."

"Okay!" Jeremy beamed.

Hayden smiled. "So you need to practice speaking, learn more words. You wouldn't want to be stuttering when I marry Becky."

"No way!" Jeremy retorted.

"We'll see," Hayden teased.

"Humph, I can do it! I can call her Mommy now!" Jeremy insisted.

Although he's more fluent, his pronunciation still needs work, Hayden mused, listening. "Seven or eight words in that sentence were wrong," he pointed out, smiling.

Jeremy's face flushed crimson. He glared, then pinched Hayden's cheek. "Don't laugh!"

Hayden feigned pain, chuckling. Jeremy huffed. "I'll learn!"

Hayden controlled his laughter, gently urging Jeremy to release him.

Jeremy hesitated, then let go. "Go to sleep. We'll work on your speech when you wake up," Hayden said, chuckling.

Jeremy fell silent. Hayden grabbed a storybook. "Let's read. Pay attention to my pronunciation. See how much you can learn."

Jeremy, though speechless, saw the logic.

Hayden began to read. Jeremy listened intently, eager to master the words. But halfway through, he drifted off to sleep.

Relieved, Hayden carefully put down the book and lay down beside him. Soon, he was asleep too. Afternoon naps were hard to fight.

Darkness had fallen when he awoke. Feeling for Jeremy's small hand, he sighed with relief. He carefully got up, but Jeremy stirred.

"Awake?" Hayden asked, helping Jeremy dress.

Jeremy felt feverish. His cheeks were flushed. "Daddy, my head hurts."

Hayden's face paled. He touched Jeremy's forehead; he was burning up. Panic set in. He bundled Jeremy into clothes and rushed downstairs.

Stacey, just awake, saw Hayden's worried face. "What's wrong?"

"Jeremy's sick. Hospital," Hayden said, frantic.

Stacey, equally alarmed, followed Hayden. Charlie, also in the living room, trailed behind.

Stacey, remembering something, turned to Charlie. "Charlie, Lillian and Kevin are still asleep. Watch them for me."

Charlie nodded.

Stacey and Hayden rushed out, calling the Carter family driver. Charlie, meanwhile, contacted the hospital.

The hospital director, alerted by Charlie, waited at the door. He examined Jeremy quickly. "Just a common cold. Nothing serious."

Relief flooded Hayden and Stacey.

"He had vocal cord surgery a month ago," Hayden explained worriedly, "Could that be related?"

The director's expression changed. "I'll need to do some further testing."