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“I mean it. If and when we do this, I’m going to take my time so I can show you what you mean to me. But tonight isn’t that night. Not when you’re so tired.”
“You’re right,” she says, but she’s not selling it. “We should get some sleep.”
Lifting onto her tiptoes, she gives me a chaste kiss on the lips. “Good night, Ethan.”
“Sweet dreams,” I call after her, hoping that she knows I meant what I said.
I climb the stairs, content at having the people I’ve recently come to love under my roof. I stop by the boys’ rooms and glance in to make sure they’re resting well. When I crawl into my own bed, I let my mind reflect on the day. I have to force myself not to get too excited about this trip, but the truth is, it’s too late for that. I’m already over the moon.
This is my big chance to show Moira how perfectly she and the boys fit here. Once they settle in, I’m sure she’ll see it, too, and then it’s just a matter of time before we’re all together, permanently.
Chapter33
Moira
I don’t fit in here in the slightest. I always knew Ethan’s life had to be spectacular, but I’ve never let myself really think about himhere. I think about him in Gamble, wearing shorts and sandals and typing away at table six day after day. I think of him kissing me senseless in my living room after the boys go to sleep. But I’ve never really tried to picture him in his home, in his town.
It's way different than I could have ever imagined—probably because I couldn’t imagine anything this … this … rich. I was on the verge of letting Ethan take me to bed tonight, but when he stopped things, I realized maybe he knows I don’t belong here either. I know he said he wants our first time to be special, but he’s such a gentleman, maybe he doesn’t intend for there to be a first time. Not if he doesn’t see a future for us.
Walking across the room, I open the window and stand there while the cool breeze blows past me. It’s novel to see the sky so dark this time of year. As I stare out at the stars, the truth of my feelings slams into me like a Mack truck. I’m in love. And being in love for a single mom is beyond complicated.
I have so much more than just myself to think of. I have the boys. And while they seem to care about Ethan a great deal, they also care about Digger and Grandpa Jack. We all have a full life in Alaska that I can’t imagine walking away from.
Feeling the weight of the day, I finally crawl into bed. For a brief second, I worry I’m going to toss and turn all night, but the minute I close my eyes, I go unconscious. I wake up after what feels like seconds, but I know it has been hours as it’s light outside.
Stretching, my body snaps and pops into place.Why is the house so quiet?I look at the clock and see that it’s nearly eight. Surely the boys are up and getting ready for Disneyland.
Throwing my legs over the side of the bed, I stand up and reach for the robe laying on the chair. I put it on and tie the sash while walking out the door. The smell of coffee is in the air, so Ethan must be up. I look out back, but he’s not there, so I go upstairs and check on the kids. Wyatt isn’t in his room, and the twins aren’t in theirs.Where is everyone?
I look down the hall to the double doors that I’m guessing lead to the master bedroom. Should I look in there? I don’t want to snoop, but I do want to know where everyone is.
The door is ajar, so I peek in. I feel like I just won the Showcase Showdown on thePrice is Right. There, in the middle of the room, is the most enormous bed I’ve ever seen. It’s bigger than a king and I never knew such a thing existed. Ethan and all three of my boys are sprawled out, sound asleep. I must be ovulating because I swear, I feel an egg drop.
Clearing my throat, I loudly announce, “Good morning, sleepy heads!”
There are moans and groans and shifting. Eventually Ethan replies, “Good morning. How did you sleep?”
“Like the dead. The night felt like it passed in the blink of an eye.”
Wyatt moans loudly. “So tired …”
“I guess we can skip Disneyland …” I tell him, knowing exactly how he’ll react.
He propels out of bed like he was lying on the business end of a catapult. Scratching his belly like a little man, he stretches. “Nope, I’m up. Let’s go.” He starts to pull his brothers out of bed by their feet.
“How did you guys all wind up here?” I ask.
“Possum fight,” Ethan says.
“Excuse me?”
“There were a couple of possums fighting in the tree outside of the twins’ room.”
Colton adds, “It sounded like demons going at it.”
“Or Thanos in a deathmatch with the Incredible Hulk!” Ash adds.
“It was seriously scary, Mom,” Wyatt says.
