Page 87 of Line of Resistance
Bryson and Nate had spent the better part of the morning putting up blinds and wrestling sheets and blankets onto the bed while they waited for the moving truck to show up with all her stuff. The room was still pretty sparse, but that was to be expected. It would take time to fill it with toys and Legos and action figures and anything else Bryson wanted. For now, he had a big comfortable bed with superhero sheets, a dresser filled with clothes that fit him, and a closet with coats and boots and shoes.
“It looks amazing.” Eloise squeaked as Nate dropped her onto the mattress beside Bryson. “You boys did such a good job up here.” She lay down next to the boy who’d had her heart from the first time she saw his big, soulful eyes. “Your bed’s pretty comfortable, buddy.”
“Yeah.” Bryson wiggled around a little, body needing to release some of the never-ending supply of energy he possessed. “It’s got pillows too.”
She opened her mouth to say ‘of course it has pillows’ but caught herself. She’d put her foot in her mouth on more occasions than she could count since Bryson came to live with them, and each time his little face fell, her heart ached. “It does have pillows.” Eloise shifted her head from side to side, testing out the one beneath it. “They’re good pillows too.”
“I know.” Bryson sat up, eyes going straight to Nate as his busy little mind shifted gears in the blink of an eye. “Can I have a popsicle?”
Eloise smiled as Nate reached out to gently pinch the tip of Bryson’s nose in a gesture of affection he repeated often. “Sure thing.”
Bryson slid off the bed, bounding away. “Thanks.”
Nate reached a hand out to her. “What about you, Miss Rivers? Would you like a popsicle?”
“What I want is a nap.” She held tight as Nate hauled her up. “But I feel like that’s gonna have to wait until tomorrow.”
“It’s at least going to have to wait until I get our bed set up.” Nate pulled her close, hands palming her ass as he rested his forehead against hers. “Give me half an hour.”
Eloise wrapped both arms around his neck, pushing up on her toes. “I can wait.”
“I don’t want you to wait. I want you to take a nap.” Nate hefted her a little closer. “You need to be rested up for bedtime.”
It was definitely interesting starting their life together with a kid already in the mix. One who wasn’t used to things like bedtimes and taking a shower every night.
And it cut way into their alone time.
“That’s a good point.” Eloise slid her hands through the loose blond locks at the top of his head. “Maybe Ishouldtake a nap.”
“Or—” Nate teased the tip of his nose against the tip of hers, “I know of a little cabin in the middle of nowhere we could sneak off to.”
Eloise groaned, letting her head fall back. “Ugh. Last time we did that someone tried to kill us and stole both our cars.”
Nate lifted his brows. “And a dead moose.”
She started to laugh. The situation wasn’t funny. It was a little terrifying, actually.
But it was what led her to Nate. To Bryson.
To being herself again.
And maybe that made it all worth it.
She wrapped her arms a little tighter where they looped around his neck. “Heidi better figure out who stole my car. They took my favorite phone charger.”
Nate smiled, looking completely confident. “She’ll find them.” He pulled her toward the door. “The moose I’m not so sure about.”
EPILOGUE
ELOISE
THE NIGHT WAS surreal. Like she was caught in some weird alternate universe.
She might even have had a sense of déjà vu over how much was the same, except so much was completely different.
“Can I go play with Emmett?” Bryson bounced at her side, ready to take off and go enjoy his first ever Christmas party.
Eloise managed a smile. “Of course.” She caught him before he raced off, leaning down to give him her most serious face. “Just remember to be very careful and be aware of the people around you.”