Page 36 of Falling Together

Even Erin joining her and Nolan for lunch the past Friday hadn’t been enough to scratch the itch she had for more time together.

“Bear! Your phone is singing.”

Blair looked down at the phone she held in her hand, but somehow hadn’t heard, and quickly picked up when she saw it was Erin calling. “Hey! What’s up?” she asked smoothly, to keep from making it obvious she was literally just thinking about her.

“Hey! I really hate to do this, but a big project came up, and I’m stuck at work. Is there any chance you could stay late? It shouldn't be more than an hour. This usually only happens once or twice a year, so it really shouldn’t happen again anytime soon.” Even though it was clear Erin was stressed, Blair couldn’t help but smile just from hearing her voice.

“Hey, take a breath. It’s fine. I don’t mind at all. I’m yours for as long as you need me.”

“Thank you, thank you, thank you. I’m going to pick up food on the way home. Can I get you something?”

“Food sounds great.” It was only partially a lie on Blair’s part. Even though she was always down to eat, the real reason she said yes was because that meant more time with Erin. There was no way she was going to turn that down.

“Perfect! I’ll text you once I know what I’m getting. Any preference?”

“Nope. Whatever you pick will be great.”

“Awesome. See you in a bit. Thanks again.”

“Was that my Mommy?” Nolan asked as soon as Blair hung up the phone.

“It was.”

“What she say?”

Blair knelt down in front of him. Even though she was currently brimming with excitement, she figured he probably wouldn’t feel the same way. “She’s going to be a little late, so you’re stuck with me longer.”

Nolan’s eyes went wide. For a moment, Blair thought he might cry, but instead, he threw his hands in the air and started to dance. “Yay! More time with Bear! More time with Bear!”

Blair’s heart felt like it might explode as she watched her favorite little boy dance around because he got to spend more time withher. Blair played tennis when she was in high school, but no victory was as sweet as this moment right here.

Blair danced with him and chanted, “More time with Nolan! More time with Nolan!” As the two of them laughed together, Blair couldn’t remember the last time she felt so happy.

About an hour later, Erin texted to ask if pizza would be okay, and both Blair and Nolan agreed it sounded amazing. Not too long after, Erin texted again to tell Blair she had picked up the pizza and would be home in about ten minutes.

Blair helped Nolan get his shoes on, and the two of them waited on the front porch for Erin. As soon as Erin’s car pulled into the neighborhood, Nolan began to jump up and down. “I see Mommy’s car! I see Mommy’s car!” he shouted as she drove down the street and pulled into the driveway.

As soon as she opened her car door, Nolan ran to her and wrapped her in a tight hug. “Mommy! Did you get us pizza?”

Erin laughed as he pulled away from her and started looking around as if he was searching for the food. “I get it. I’m not actually important when there’s pizza.”

“Ilovepizza.” Nolan rubbed his stomach dramatically. “Bear’s having pizza too.”

Blair stood from the porch and walked toward them. “That’s right, buddy. But why don’t you let your Mommy go get changed into something more comfortable.” She let her eyes drift to Erin and tried not to do a double take at the pantsuit she was wearing.I’ll never get enough of this look.“I can grab the pizza and get everything set up. Just go take care of yourself.”

“Are you sure? You’ve already done so much.”

“Of course. I’d be happy to.”

The tired, but sincere, smile on Erin’s face was all Blair needed to see. She would do absolutely anything to make this woman smile like that.

After a few minutes, the kitchen table was set with a slice of pizza on each person’s plate, Nolan’s cut into small triangles at his request, so each bite could look like a “mini pizza.”

As much as Blair loved Erin’s work outfits, when she came back downstairs in sweatpants and an oversized t-shirt, Blair couldn’t keep her jaw from going slack.It’s unfair for any woman to look that good in sweats that don’t show off any of her curves.

“Like what you see?” Erin asked, sending Blair’s mind into a tailspin.

She noticed? Is she flirting? She didn’t sound mad, so she must be, right?“Wh-what?”

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