I secured the belt.
He glanced down at my hands near his hip.
“You’ve done this before.”
“Strapped you into medical equipment?”
“Put your hands there.”
Heat moved between us.
Caleb cleared his throat.
“I can become invisible if needed.”
“You have never been invisible in your life,” I said.
Noah smiled.
I pressed the control.
The stair lift began to move with a loud mechanical growl.
Noah stared at me in betrayal.
“You understated the sound.”
“I was trying to preserve morale.”
“It’s chewing the house.”
“Only gently.”
Marlowe climbed the stairs beside us, stopping every few steps to check Noah remained present.
Halfway up, Noah closed his eye.
I stopped the lift.
“Dizzy?”
“Yes.”
Caleb moved quietly below us.
Owen waited at the landing.
No one rushed.
I placed my hand on Noah’s shoulder.
“Breathe.”
“Don’t narrate breathing.”
“Then breathe without supervision.”
His mouth twitched.
