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, Imean, 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.
I step into Miller’s room and freeze.
He’s just come out of the bathroom, a towel slung around his neck, running it through his damp hair. He’s wearing nothing but boxer briefs. My eyes catch, and I can’t look away. Tattoos cover his skin,winding over his shoulders and down his arms, every line drawing attention to the muscle beneath.
