Total pages in book: 45
Estimated words: 43198 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 216(@200wpm)___ 173(@250wpm)___ 144(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 43198 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 216(@200wpm)___ 173(@250wpm)___ 144(@300wpm)
When I walk Mrs. Cantrell to the front door, she stops before walking out. “I know the Davenports.”
My stomach drops. Is she telling me she’s been bought and is on their side? I’m about to ask when she continues. “I wouldn’t trust them with my dog, let alone a child.”
Relief hits fast and hard.
She looks at me. “I still have some interviews to do, but I’ll be recommending that Eli is better off with you and Lindsey.” She holds her hand up. “However… no one is going to believe this relationship if you’re sleeping in separate rooms.”
I nod slowly. “I’ll fix that.”
I wave goodbye to Mrs. Cantrell and shut the door behind her.
Lindsey comes up to me.
“Well?”
I turn. “Where’s Eli?”
She points upstairs. “He’s brushing his teeth.”
I grab her hand. “She said she’s going to recommend Eli stay with us here.”
Her hands go to her mouth, and she’s so happy I feel almost guilty continuing. “But there is something else.”
She puts a hand to her chest. “What is it?”
I look at her, trying to figure out how to say it when she asks. “Oh God, is it the sleeping situation?”
I nod. “Lindsey…”
She tenses.
I point to the front door. “Honey, she said flat-out no one is going to believe us if we’re sleeping in separate rooms.”
She pops her shoulders. “So what? We just sleep together—” She gasps. “Not sleep together, but you know what I mean—we sleep in the same room now?”
I rub the back of my neck. “We don’t have to make this weird.”
She looks down at the ground and sways back and forth before lifting her head to look at me. “What do you think?”
I have wanted her in my bed since the first day I met her, but I don’t think she wants to hear that. I promised myself that I wouldn’t add any pressure to her, and I won’t. “I think it’s important that we sleep in the same room together. We would never want to ask Eli to lie and—”
She cuts me off. “So what? We lie to him? That doesn’t seem right either.” She blows out a breath. “Miller, do you realize how deep you’re getting into this?”
I put my hands on her shoulders. “I’m all in, Lindsey.”
She lifts her chin. “For how long?”
I slide my hands from her shoulders to her neck. Forever, that’s how fuckin’ long. But that’s not what I say. “For however long you need me.”
She nods. “Okay.”
“Okay?” I ask.
She holds her hand out, and I immediately take it. “Let’s tuck Eli in.”
CHAPTER 15
LINDSEY
Three stories later, Eli is still fighting sleep.
I brush the hair from his face. “If you want to stay home another day, you can, Eli.”
He seems to think about it. “No, Mom wouldn’t want me to miss a bunch of school. Plus, I want to see my friends, and this week I get to take care of Finn.”
“Finn?” Miller asks.
Eli smiles. “Our fish at school.”
“Cool,” Miller answers.
I pull the covers over Eli. “Okay, well, you need to get some sleep then.”
As nonchalantly as I can, I tell Eli, “I’m going to be in Miller’s room if you need me, okay?”
He looks alarmed. “Downstairs?”
Miller shakes his head. “No, buddy, we’ll be right across the hall. Your aunt just didn’t want you looking for her in the other room.”
He looks between us, and I try not to fidget. He narrows his eyes at Miller. “Sometimes if I have a nightmare, Aunt Lindsey lets me sleep with her…”
His voice trails off, and Miller doesn’t even hesitate. “Well, if you get scared or wake up in the middle of the night, you can still come and get in bed with your aunt and I’ll be there too… Is that okay?”
He nods and lies back on the pillow, burrowing under the covers. “Night, Lindsey, love you. Night, Miller, love you.”
I lean down and kiss his forehead. “I love you, too.”
Miller walks to the head of the bed. His voice is deep and husky. “Love you, Eli.”
I grab his hand and walk with him out of the room, shutting the door behind us. “You okay?” I ask him.
He looks at me with wonder. “Yeah, I mean, I’m good.”
I give him a knowing smile. “I know exactly what you’re feeling. When he says he loves you, it makes you feel like you can do anything.”
Speechless, he just nods.
I point to the bedroom I’ve been staying in. “I’m going to shower and get ready for bed. I’ll uh, meet you in your room.”
He nods, and I release his hand and walk away.
I go through the motions of showering and getting ready for bed, but I can’t get my head to calm down. I’m thinking about Eli and if I’m doing the right thing by sending him back to school tomorrow. I’m wondering if I messed up bringing him here because both Eli and I are going to have our hearts broken when we leave. I can’t just worry about myself now. I have to worry about Eli and his future too, but I just need one night. One night where I can forget everything and do what I want.