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I knew Meredith would’ve wanted to take care of her little sister. She’d want to protect her, and she’d want me to do the same. Or maybe that was an excuse. Maybe it was just the perfect thing to say and think to make myself feel better.
Maybe I was just tired of being alone. Maybe that’s why I had the idea I did.
“Move in with me,” I blurted.
Her eyes widened. “What?”
“Move in with Emma and me.” The idea formed further, and I turned toward her, resting my hand on her arm. “Move in with us. I’ll pay you to take care of her full time. You can get out of Cora’s house, save up until you can find your own place, or until you’re ready to leave on your next adventure. I won’t have to take Em to daycare anymore, and I can go to work without stressing about her all day.”
Her eyes searched mine. I braced myself for her to laugh, or push me away, or to tell me that it was a terrible idea. But she didn’t.
“It won’t be a forever thing,” she said slowly. “Just a month or two, then I’m going to Sri Lanka. That’s where the next retreat is being held, and even if I don’t get hired, I still want to go—” She cut herself off, rubbing her hand over her face again.
“Nothing permanent,” I assured her, my fingers tightening. “My home will always be yours, Rae. You’re family.” Her lips pressed into a thin line as she nodded. “We’ll work out payment tomorrow, okay? Go home. Eat something. Get some rest. Pack. And I’ll come get you tomorrow after work.”
Without warning, she launched herself at me, wrapping her arms tightly around my neck. My arms went around her waist, and I held her just as tightly back.
“Thanks, Elliot.” I didn’t think she’d ever called me Elliot before. Always Eli.
I dug my face into the crook of her neck, breathing her vanilla scent in as I closed my eyes. It had been so long since I’d had a hug from another person—another adult. I held her tighter, readjusting my grip on her.
“No,” I whispered against her skin. “Thank you.”
6
reagan
The best thingabout basically being a Nomad is I barely had any clothes to pack. I had what I could carry in a couple of suitcases, and that was it. It was probably too little for some, maybe too much for others, but perfect for me.
“Is he still stupidly hot?” Lily asked, and I rolled my eyes as I folded a pair of jean shorts and stuffed them in my bag.
“He’s my brother-in-law,” I said.
There was a pause, then she snorted.
“And?” I glared at the phone. “Does that mean he can’t be hot?” She was lucky she wasn’t with me in person, otherwise she’d get a pillow straight to the face.
“He’s my sister’s husband,” I said, exasperated.
My stomach tightened at the word sister. Meredith had never felt like that. Sisterhood always felt just out of reach, like we were so close, but still too far away to be anything closer than friends.
“Was,” Lily said, emphasizing the word dramatically. “Wasyour sister’s husband.”
“Just because she died doesn’t mean they’re not married anymore.”
“Actually, that’s exactly what it means,” she said, and I rolled my eyes again. “Plus, I just asked if he was still hot. I didn’t say anything else. Your mind went to the gutter.”
I crumbled the shirt now in my hands into a ball and tossed it into my suitcase, annoyed. She was technically right. But I couldn’t think of Eli like that.
But she was still right.
Despite his obvious exhaustion, he was still as hot as he’d ever been. Hotter, even. It seemed like he just got more attractive with age.
I roughly cleared my throat, and she let out a high cackle, making my lips tip up in a small smile.
Lily Anderson, my best friend and slut extraordinaire, figured out my type a long time ago. After she saw Eli for the first time, she pulled me away from our little group and said, “You little slut! I knew there had to be some guy you were in love with. That’s the only reason you’d go after the same-looking guys.”
After she unhelpfully pointed that out, I made it my mission to only date guys who looked like the complete opposite of Eli.
