“Mom, I missed you.” His voice was heavy with sleep.
“I missed you too, bud. So, so much.”
“Thanks for believing me today. If I can’t get a dog, I understand. Even though I really, really want one.”
Dylan was right. Hunter was a good kid. Good enough to tolerate a dog in our tiny Toronto apartment? I wasn’t convinced, but he deserved something. Maybe I could negotiate for a cat.
“Sleep now. We’ll talk tomorrow. Good night, sweet boy.”
He was unconscious before I left the room.
Now that he was here, exhaustion hit like a freight train. Nervous anticipation had been the only thing keeping me upright.
The past week had been the longest of my life.
But I wasn’t complaining.
It had been filled with some of the best moments I’d ever experienced. Having Hunter here made everything better.
Dark spots still hung overhead, but they’d have to wait. I couldn’t keep my eyes open long enough to deal with anything else.
Back in my room, I crawled over Eric, wedging myself between his sprawled body and the wall. The instant I hit the mattress, he made space, pulling me into warm, protective arms without waking. Like he was aware of me even in his dreams.
Maybe it was exhaustion, but curled up in a tiny bed with Eric, I was more comfortable than I’d ever been.
I snuggled against him and surrendered to sleep.
Chapter Twenty-Six
Eric
I felt like a total ass for falling asleep on Jamie.
She’d waited up late for Hunter’s arrival, and I’d wanted to stay awake with her. But after the day we’d both endured, exhaustion had won.
Still, I wished I’d been able to distract her. Especially with so many effective techniques at my disposal. I could have easily taken her mind off her worries.
Letting her sleep in this morning seemed like the least I could do. Besides, she looked breathtaking with her hair spread across the pillow, dark lashes fanned against her cheeks.
Utter fucking perfection.
The house was quiet, yet I found myself surprisingly comfortable making coffee and breakfast. Almost like I belonged.
I was relaxing with my first cup when Hunter stumbled into the room.
Rubbing sleep from his eyes, he shuffled toward me with a giant yawn, blond curls sticking up everywhere.
When he noticed me staring, he seemed anything but awkward.
“Good morning,” he said, like finding a strange guy in his kitchen wasn’t at all unusual.
For a moment, I wondered if it was normal, then dismissed the thought. Jamie was nothing but responsible when it came to her son. He was her priority. No way was she subjecting him to random men.
Although right now, I was categorically random.
“Morning.” I felt awkward myself, unsure how to proceed.
Jamie and I hadn’t discussed this meeting. I didn’t know how she wanted me to explain things, or if she wanted explanations at all.
