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As I was pouring hot water over the chamomile tea bag, I heard the padding of small feet to my left.
Noah stood in the doorway in his dinosaur pajamas, holding his new comfort item: a plush toy that looked a lot like his father’s wolf form.
“What are you doing out of bed, little man?” I asked.
He approached me and wrapped his arms around my legs, nuzzling into me. “I heard noises. I was worried it was a bad guy.”
“Yeah? And you came to investigate like a brave boy?”
“Mm. I want to protect Mommy and Daddy.”
My heart cracked. Noah was such a sweet boy and so earnest in his care for us. I hated that I couldn’t protect him more from the terrors of Wyatt’s attack. He was still so scared most nights. He hadn’t slept without a night light since I told him to hide in the bungalow when Wyatt had broken in.
“We want to protect you, too,” I said, kneeling to get to eye level with him. “But you know what? So far, everything is super safe. Nothing to protect me from. I’m just making myself some tea. I thought something warm might be nice to drink.”
I looked back at the steeping tea before returning my gaze to him. “You want some warm milk, kiddo?”
Noah nodded, bringing his stuffed wolf a little closer and giving it a tight squeeze. “And can you tuck me in again?”
“Of course,” I said. “You gotta get plenty of sleep before you go stay at Nanny and Gramps’s house, right? Can’t have you all sleepy when you go to the funnest house ever!”
Noah cracked a smile then, his tongue pushing at his loose front tooth. I hefted him up into my arms and sat him up on the counter, then set about heating him some milk on the stovetop.
“What are you going to do with Nanny and Gramps while your dad and I are out in Georgia?” I asked him.
“Gramps got a metal doctor,” he said, kicking his little feet. “We’re going to go to the beach and look for buried treasure.”
“Do you mean a metal detector?” I offered.
“M-metal decockter,” he said.
“Close,” I said with a laugh. “De-tec-tor.”
“De–detector,” he corrected.
“Good job, Noah,” I said cheerfully. “You got it!”
As the milk warmed, I took the tea bag out of my cup and added the honey and a splash of half and half. Blowing on the liquid, I took a small, careful sip.
“You’re getting so good at your words. I’m so proud of you.”
“Yeah, I’ve been learning lots of new words and things,” Noah said. “And you always help me. That’s really nice.”
I chuckled as I tested the milk’s temperature on the inside of my wrist. It was warm enough, so I poured it into a cup with a straw and handed it to him. I settled in against the opposite counter and drank my tea as Noah sipped at his warm milk.
Already, I was starting to feel a little better. I wasn’t sure if it was because of the warm beverage or Noah’s presence—maybe both.
“How is it?” I asked.
“Tastes like normal milk, just warm,” he said. “It always looks super-tasty in the cartoons, but it’s kind of boring.”
I laughed. “Yeah, you’re right. It is kind of boring. It’s just supposed to make you sleepy.”
“How come you’re not having warm milk?”
“I have milk in my tea,” I countered with a smile. “Do you want to try my drink? See if you like it better?”
Noah nodded, and I helped him take a sip from my cup. After swallowing, he smacked his lips and scrunched up his nose. “It tastes like grass.”
