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I lifted a shoulder. “Let’s find out.”
We settled in to read, Savannah on her bed, Maddox and me on his. It was cozy. Nice. I’d never felt as loved and accepted as I did when I was with these two kids. Savannah and I took turns readingIvy + Bean, and then I stood and turned out the lamp.
“Good night, Maddox.” I leaned down to kiss his forehead, and he wrapped his arms around me and squeezed.
“I love you.”
My heart melted. “I love you too, Mads.”
I went over to Savannah and gave her a hug and a kiss, telling her that I loved her before closing the door behind me. I’d only been back a day, and those kids already had my heart.
I headed downstairs and found Tristan sitting on the couch, flicking through options until he landed onLost in Space.
“Hey,” I said, taking a seat at the opposite end from him.
“Hey.” He set the remote on the coffee table. “You okay?”
I nodded, tucking my leg beneath me. “Yeah. I, um, I’m sorry if I upset the kids.”
“Ellie.” He rested his arm on the back of the sofa. “You havenothingto apologize for.”
“I ruined dinner.”
“No. Hey,” he said, tapping my shoulder when I continued staring at the TV. “Yourmomruined dinner. I only wish I’d spoken up sooner.”
“You defended me.” The reminder of that brought a smile to my lips. I still couldn’t believe it. No one had ever done that for me.
“And then I told her about your tattoo.” He cringed. “I’m sorry. I thought she knew.”
My lips curved into a sly smile. “How didyouknow about my tattoo?”
“I, uh—” He cleared his throat, the tips of his ears turning pink.
The only way he could’ve seen it was if he’d caught a glimpse down my shirt.Had he been checking me out?
“How was bedtime?” he asked after a beat, and I allowed him to change the subject. “I know they really wanted you to read them stories.”
I pulled a pillow into my lap and smoothed my hand over the fabric. “We had a good time. They seemed okay when I left.”
“Thank you,” he sighed. “I can’t tell you what a relief it is to have you here. They’re really happy about it.”
“So am I,” I said. “Even if I wasn’t happy about moving back to the AV at first.”
“I’m curious,” he said. “And you don’t have to answer. But why did you move back? Are you okay?”
I tugged at the corners of my eyes.Was I okay?
No one had asked me that, apart from Piper and Sumner. My mom had blamed me, accused me of being irresponsible. And my professors had been sympathetic. But Tristan was the first person who really seemed to care about me and what had happened.
“My visa was canceled.”
“That’s pretty serious.”
I nodded. “Yeah.” I tucked my hair behind my ear. “I’d gone to Japan to interview for the JET Program, and when I returned, I’d received a letter from the immigration department.”
He frowned. “Because you took a trip to Japan?”
“No.” I laughed, though the sound was humorless. “It was because of something that had happened a few months before that. I nannied for a family, and one night, the parents were in a car accident on their way home.”
