Lane looked up at me, sleep already tugging his eyelids low. “Goodnight, Dad. Love you.”
“Love you, too.” I waited until his breath evened out and I was sure he was asleep before I left. When I entered the family room, Calla was sitting on the couch, her feet tucked up underneath her.
“Everything okay?” she asked.
“Yeah. He’s asleep. Thanks for…” For what? Taking better care of my kid than I could? I shouldn’t have left him. Usually, his night terrors woke him up in the middle of the night, not just a few hours after he’d fallen asleep.
“It’s why you hired me, right?” She got up and moved toward me. “I’ve got some ideas about things we can work on during the day that might make things easier at night. I’ll send them to you via email so you can look them over ahead of time if that works for you?”
“Ideas like what?” I’d seen enough to know she knew her stuff, but I was still curious.
“Like drawing his dreams or writing them down and giving them a better ending.” Her hand moved up to her mouth to cover a yawn. “Sorry, I need to get going. I can’t keep my eyes open.”
I didn’t like the idea of her making the forty-minute drive out to her grandparents’ place this late at night, especially since she was so tired. As she turned toward the door, I reached out and held her arm. “Why don’t you stay?”
She looked back at me with wide eyes.
Immediately, I let my hand fall away. “I’ve got a spare bedroom, and I don’t want anything to happen to you on your way home. It’s late.”
“I’m sure I’ll be fine.” Her lips curved up in a reassuring smile.
Raindrops splattered on the roof. The clouds that had been hovering around all day had finally decided to open up. Lightning flashed outside the window, followed by a loud crack of thunder.
Calla tensed.
“I’d feel a lot better if you weren’t driving the mountain roads in a thunderstorm.” I shrugged. “What do you say?”
She bit down on her lip as lightning lit up the sky again. “If you’re sure it’s not a problem…”
“No problem at all.” I led her to the spare bedroom that I’d been using as a storage room. “Sheets are clean. I’ll get you something you can wear to bed.”
I left her standing there while I ran back to my room to grab a pair of sweats and a t-shirt. I’d liked seeing her in my clothes when I sent her home in them the other day. Knowing she’d be sleeping in my tee would probably keep me up all night, but it would be worth it.
“Here you go. Do you want to use the bathroom first? There’s a pack of spare toothbrushes under the sink. Help yourself.”
“Thanks, Holt. I’ll get up early and be gone before Lane notices. I don’t want him to get confused about me staying over.” She took the clothes I handed her and walked into the hall.
I followed, wishing she was heading toward my bed instead of the bathroom. Seeing her holding my kid in her arms tonight, offering comfort and making everything better made me wish she could do the same for me. And now I’d invited her to stay the night.
There was no way I’d be able to fall asleep. Not with her just a dozen feet away, her skin brushing up against my clothes, her head resting on one of my pillows.
I’d never admit it to the guys, but they were right. In the space of just a few days, my ice-cold heart had started to thaw. And there wasn’t a fucking thing I could do about it.
CHAPTER 6
CALLA
I wasn’t sure what pulled me out of my deep sleep… the smell of coffee or the sound of a deep laugh. It took a few seconds to remember where I was. The night before came rushing back. Lane’s nightmare, the storm, Holt insisting I stay in the guest bedroom.
The small clock on the nightstand showed I’d overslept. I reached for my phone and realized I must have set my alarm for six at night, not six in the morning. Groaning, I pulled the covers up to my chin and tried making a wish that I could magically transport myself straight into my bedroom at my grandparents’ place.
When the stacked log walls didn’t immediately change into the painted sage drywall of their spare bedroom, I gave up. My plan had been to be gone before Lane even knew I’d stayed the night. But I’d screwed that up. Knowing it was going to be awkward when I entered the family room, I didn’t want to leave the bed.
Rain continued to fall, softer and slower than the night before. The down comforter smelled like dryer sheets mixed with something outdoorsy. It smelled like Holt. I wanted to burrow in and pretend he was holding me in his arms, tight against his broad chest where nothing bad could ever happen.
Footsteps stopped outside the door. “Can I wake her up, Dad?”
Ugh. Lane already knew I was here. Of course he did. That kid was sensitive enough to know something in his environment was off… something like a nanny who shouldn’t have stayed over, sleeping in the guest bedroom, inhaling the scent of his dad from a borrowed t-shirt like a woman who could survive on the smell of pine and cedar alone.
