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Wow. Lucky her. “What were you dreaming about?”
“The usual,” she replied, cheek resting on my chest again.
“Which is?”
“You.”
My heart jackknifed in my chest. “Tell me about it.”
“Nope,” she mumbled. “You’re the one supposed to be telling me a story.”
“I can’t think of a story.”
“Then just talk,” she encouraged sleepily. “Just talk, Gerard. I want to hear your voice.”
“Talk about what?”
“Us,” she whispered. “Tell me all the nice things.”
“I don’t have good dreams when I sleep,” I offered cautiously, trying to choose the right words, something that didn’t come easily to me. “But whenever I daydream, you’re the star of the show.”
“I am?”
“Of course.”
“Keep going.”
“I have a hard time concentrating,” I offered, unsure if this was worth telling her, but she said talk, so I was. “But when I’m with you, I feel like I have my thinking cap on.” Pondering, I folded one arm behind my head as I tried to form sentences out of my wandering thoughts. “You’re the only person who can hold my attention. It shifts and wanders off on just about everyone else. But not you. Never you.”
“Really?”
“You already know this.”
“Maybe, but it’s nice to hear you say it.”
I thought about her words for a long moment before saying, “I love you, Claire.”
“I love you, too, Gerard.” A shiver racked through her. “A lot.”
17
Babies and Basket Cases
CLAIRE
“Oh my god. Oh my god! Look at his little foot.”
“Shh, Claire. Don’t squeal. You’ll hurt his tiny ears.”
“Oops! Sorry.” Slapping a hand over my mouth, I bounced from foot to foot, desperately trying to fight the urge to swipe the baby out of my bestie’s arms and steal him for myself while Third Eye Blind’s “Semi-Charmed Life” played on repeat on the nearby stereo. “I think I love him.”
Almost one month had passed since we returned to Tommen, and all seemed to be well in the world again. Joey and Tadhg had returned from their suspensions, and aside from a few sketchy instances at the beginning of term, everything seemed to be running like clockwork for our little gang. Best of all, Gerard and I were still spending most of our time together—when he wasn’t working out with Johnny, that was.
Shannon’s adorable nephew was almost one month old, and this was my first time getting to meet the little guy—even though I’d been trying to get my hands on his chubby little cheeks since he came out of Aoife’s womb.
“You should smell him,” Shan encouraged, as she cradled her nephew in her arms. Leaning in close, she took a whiff of his blond hair and moaned. “He’s got that epic newborn baby smell.”
“Liz, come here!” Unable to tear my eyes off what had to be the cutest baby I’d ever seen in my life, I waved my hand around wildly, gesturing for her to join us. “He’s so—Shut the front door! He’s sucking his thumb.”
