It showed emotion instead.
“Emily ...” He shook his head, his throat moving as he swallowed. As the seconds passed, the silence thickened, his eyes became more intense. A type of stare I’d never gotten from him before. And within the quietness that was churning between us, I felt everything. The war. The feelings. The decisions. “I want you to stay.”
He . . .what?
I wasn’t expecting that answer.
Nor was I expecting to enter that stage of our relationship right now.
I was more than ready.
But was he?
“Are you sure?” I kept my voice extremely low.
“Positive.” He held out his hand, and I had to force my eyes not to fill with tears as his fingers clasped mine. He brought me to the couch, halting next to the coffee table. “Ben, tell Daddy what’s wrong.”
The tenderness that came through his tone, the words he chose, even his posture as he looked at his son was making me melt.
“I feel ick.”
“Is it something he ate?” Gavin asked his mom.
“We were getting ready for bed”—she rubbed her hand over Ben’s hair—“and that’s when we realized Uncle J’s hockey stick wasn’t in the bag. And that’s when the tummy and the icks started up with a vengeance.”
“Ah. It’s all making sense now.” Gavin nodded. “I’m sorry I forgot your stuffed hockey stick, buddy. It’s my fault, and I should be more careful when I pack your overnight bags. I’m glad Grandma was able to bring you home and make you feel better.”
“My tummy.” Ben tapped it over the blanket. “Still ick.”
I squeezed Gavin’s hand. “I’m happy to check him out. But only if you want me to.”
“I want you to,” he responded.
I released his hand and crouched down in front of Ben and his grandmother. “Hey, buddy.” I rubbed his arm to get him used to my touch.
“Hi, Emily.” Ben’s voice was small. “No button up my nose this time.”
“Glad you’re giving your little nose a rest.” I gently tapped his nose and smiled at him. “Hopefully, I can make you feel better.”
As Ben’s grandmother was getting up from the couch to give me more room, Gavin said, “Mom, this is Emily.” I glanced over my shoulder at him as he added, “She’s someone very important in my life.” For the second time tonight, I was doing everything I could to hold back tears. “You’ve probably seen lots of her, since she was Grandma’s nurse in the rehab center. Emily, this is my mom, Melinda.”
Melinda’s expression was so welcoming. “It’s lovely to see you here. My mother speaks so highly of you.”
“It’s nice to officially meet you, Mrs. Worthington.”
“Melinda, please.” Her grin was even larger. “Ben isn’t running a fever. I checked about thirty minutes ago when we got here. That’s when I gave him a children’s antacid—that’s the only medicine I’ve given him.”
“I would have given him the same, that’s perfect.” As she moved away from the couch, my hand went to Ben’s forehead. He still didn’t have a fever, and his eyes weren’t glossy. “Tell me everything that hurts, kiddo. Are you feeling icky everywhere or just your tummy?”
His lip jutted out. “Just my tum.”
“Is it okay if I look at your tum?”
He nodded, hugging the stuffed hockey stick against his neck. “Where’s Fenway?”
“Aww, Fenway’s at home. If he knew I was seeing you, he’d be wicked jealous. He misses you.”
I rubbed his knee before I pulled the blanket back. Ben was in a pair of dinosaur pajamas, and I touched his chest to make sure he wasn’t sweating. The fabric was dry, so I gently placed my hand on his lower abdomen and pushed. “Does this hurt?”
