Page 29 of Falling Together

Nolan nodded enthusiastically and Erin had to stop herself from rolling her eyes. Any other time, this kid would be attached to her hip all night. Of course,thisis the time he decides to stop being shy.

“Go left at the top of the stairs. Her room is all the way at the end of the hall. Tell her if she’s late for dinner, I’m giving her portion to the dog,” Brandy said with another chuckle.

Erin hadn’t seen a dog since she walked in, but that was the last thing she was worried about right now. She had to go up to Blair’s roomalone. It shouldn’t be a big deal, and it wouldn’t be if she could keep her feelings in check, but the problem was she couldn’t. Just the thought of seeing Blair’s room had her heart beating a mile a minute. She swore she could hear her heart beating in her ears as she made her way up the stairs and down the hall. The sound was so loud, she could barely hear herself knock.

A few seconds later, Blair opened the door. She tilted her head and scrunched her eyebrows, clearly surprised to see Erin standing there. Her wet hair was now down, and she was wearing loose gray sweatpants and a tight black tank top, an outfit that was unfairly sexy.

Erin cleared her throat as she tried to think of what to say. “Your… umm… your mom told me to come get you for dinner.”

Blair smirked and walked out of the room, closing the door behind her before Erin could get a peek, which was probably for the best. “Good to go.”

Instead of moving, Erin stared into those deep eyes that always seemed to hypnotize her. She could have continued to stare at them all day if the feeling of something brushing along her leg hadn’t scared her. “Holy shit,” she said as she instinctively jumped in the air.

Blair laughed as she bent down and petted the very fluffy medium-sized tan dog. “This is Moon.”

“Moon? That’s a different name. I don’t think I've ever met a dog named Moon before.”

“He’s a rescue. His shitty previous owner gave it to him. At first, I tried to convince my parents we should change it, but it’s grown on me.”

Erin bent down so she could pet the dog too. “How long have you had him?”

“Eight years. He just turned nine last month. This little guy and I have been through so much together. I got him at the end of middle school, and he was my best bud through all of high school and anytime I came home from college, of course.”

Eight years ago, Blair hadn’t even started high school yet? Meanwhile, Erin was working a 9 to 5 job and moving in with the woman she ended up marrying.Very different points in life.It was a good reminder of how wrong it was for Erin to fantasize about Blair.

“I didn’t see him when I came in,” Erin said.Anything to keep my mind off of other things.

“That’s because he went to work with my dad today. He must’ve come up to my room as soon as they got home, because he didn’t realize I was already here. He waits on my bed for me to get back each day.”

Well, that’s the sweetest thing ever.“What kind of dog is he? I’ve never seen one that looked like him before.”

“He’s a mix between a chow and a collie.” Blair rubbed his stomach and leaned in to give him a kiss on the nose. “And he’s the best boy in the whole wide world.”

Seeing hot women with children and dogs was a weakness for Erin, so thisdefinitelywasn’t helping to dampen the feelings she shouldn’t be having. “He’s really sweet,” she said, focusing her attention on the dog so she didn’t have to look at Blair.

“He really is.” Blair quickly jumped to her feet, scaring both Erin and Moon. “We should probably get downstairs, though. My mom doesn’t like when people are late for dinner.”

Blair was halfway down the hall, with Moon on her heels, before Erin could even comprehend what had happened.So strange,she thought before standing to her feet and following after them.

Blair’s parents were exactly as Erin would have expected them to be, having a daughter like Blair, which was to say, they were the nicest people in the world. They spent the whole meal asking her and Nolan questions about themselves, most of which Nolan insisted on answering.

“So, what are you two doing for the Fourth of July this weekend?” Brandy asked when they were all finishing up with their dinners.

“My mom and my sister and her family are coming down to visit.”

Erin was thankful for the reminder since she had almost forgotten it was coming up in just a few days. She didn’t even know what she was doing with them yet, aside from maybe finding a local parade.

“That’s nice. What are you doing with them?” Brandy asked, pouring salt in the wound.

“That’s a wonderful question,” Erin answered with a laugh.

“I know what you’re doing!” Blaine said matter-of-factly. “You’re coming here!”

“Here?” As in back to Blair’s house once again? No, she absolutely could not do that.

“Of course! We're having our annual Fourth of July party. A bunch of friends and neighbors come over and stay late into the night. It’s a really great time, and you’re welcome to invite anyone else you’d like. The more, the merrier.”

“Oh, I don’t know.” Erin stared down at her empty plate. She wasn’t sure if Blair’s parents were being so nice because that was the kind of people they were, or if they pitied her for being a single mom. She absolutely hated the thought of anyone pitying her, especially this family. “I don’t want you to feel like you have to invite us just because we happen to be here. We’ll find something to do. It’s no big deal.”

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