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Henry was a mini-Ryan not only in looks but in personality and charm, and the more they were together, the more obvious that fact became. There were moments when I regretted stealing seven years away from them, but when I voiced that regret to Ryan, he told me to squash it.
“We can’t change the past,” he said. “Neither of us. It happened, and it got us to this point. We just need to focus on the here and now. That’s what matters.”
I took his words to heart and decided not to let the past cast a shadow over our present. Our moments together were too precious to waste thinking of the what-ifs of our lives.
Ryan began making arrangements to have his family’s house be his permanent residence.
He’d have to go back to the city fairly regularly to continue running his company, but he wanted to loosen his hold on the reins a bit and delegate more work to his employees, so he could spend as much time with us as possible. I’d told him that Henry and I could move to the city with him eventually, but he insisted he didn’t want that. He didn’t want to take us from our friends and family.
He was determined not to uproot our lives, so I didn’t push the issue. It wasn’t as if I really wanted to leave home, but for Ryan, I’d have moved to the other side of the world if he’d asked me to. Still, I was grateful that he was so willing for us to stay. It made things easier for Henry, who remained our number one priority. Every decision we made, we worked to keep his well-being at the forefront of our minds.
Henry and I spent so much time at Ryan’s house, we even discussed the possibility of the two of us moving in with him. It was a big step, and we hadn’t been together long, but I actually felt really good about it. Confident. Like it was supposed to happen. Like it was natural.
One night, as the three of us sat together in Ryan’s living room watching a Disney movie, I couldn’t help but smile as I gazed at my boys. Henry was curled into Ryan’s side, his eyes latched onto the TV. He was already so comfortable with his dad, and I had no doubt he’d fall asleep on Ryan’s lap before the movie was over.
Ryan glanced my way and caught me staring.
He grinned and whispered, “What? Why are you watching me, creeper?”
I stuck my tongue out at him and giggled. “I’m not watching you. I’m observing, that’s all.”
“Oh, observing?” He chuckled. “And that’s different how?”
Before I could answer, Henry released an irritated shush, never taking his eyes from the movie. Ryan and I exchanged amused grins but kept our mouths shut, not wanting to frustrate our boy further.
Ryan snuck his hand along the back of the couch to trace his fingers along the back of my neck. I shivered, and my stomach clenched with instant want. I shot him a narrowed-eyed look, and he winked at me.
He was such a tease, which was equal parts frustrating and exciting.
I swatted at his hand, but he was insistent and continued to rub the sensitive skin there.
After a while, I couldn’t fight it anymore and tilted my head back and just enjoyed his touch. He went from almost tickling to gently massaging my neck. It felt so good that I felt the tension melting from my shoulders, causing me to relax against the couch cushions.
My eyelids started to flutter, and soon, the movie was blurring as I fell asleep.
***
“Sam? Sam, wake up, baby. The movie’s over.”
Slowly, I blinked open my eyes and furrowed my brow in groggy confusion. Ryan was standing over me, a sleeping Henry cradled in his arms.
“What happened?” I murmured.
“You fell asleep,” he said softly with a grin.
“Hmmm, and whose fault is that?”
He chuckled. “My bad. I was going to put Henry to bed. Do you want to help me tuck him in?”
I stretched my arms over my head and yawned.
“Okay.” I sighed. “Let’s get the little guy to bed.”
I pushed off the couch, and we made our way upstairs to Henry’s room. He was sleeping so soundly that he didn’t stir a bit as Ryan slipped him under his covers. I made sure he was thoroughly covered and then kissed him on his forehead. He rolled to his side and curled into a little ball.
Smiling, I turned to Ryan and found him watching me intently. I couldn’t read his expression, which confused me a bit.
“Everything okay?” I whispered.
