Page 53 of Finding Home with You

Slipping out from underneath her, I pull on some sweats before walking over and opening the door a crack. “What?” I ask, pissed at the interruption.

Sarah rolls her eyes. “If you two are finished fucking, then dinner is almost ready,” she says.

“Didn’t you two eat half the fucking house today?” I ask, remembering the empty pizza box and bag of chips on the living room floor when I walked in.

“Yeah, and?” Sarah asks indignantly. “Anyway, Mom says you need to come down and eat.”

I shake my head. “Jesus, Sare, you really need to move the fuck out of here.”

Sarah punches me in the chest, a hard, quick jab that is half in jest and half serious. “Tried that, remember? But then some asshole kicked me out and left me with no other option.”

“Come on, Sarah,” I say, rubbing my chest where she punched me. “You know why I did that,” I tell her. “Doesn’t mean I don’t still love you. Don’t want you to be happy and stuff.”

“Ugh, whatever,” she says, rolling her eyes as she turns and heads back downstairs. “Dinner’s on the table in five minutes.”

I shut the door, shaking my head as I turn and find Erin awake and watching me.

“Don’t be so hard on her,” she says, rolling over. “She hates feeling trapped here like this.”

I walk toward the bed, sitting down and running a hand down her back. “I know, babe,” I say. “I do want her to be happy, you know. I just don’t want her wasting her time doing something mindless and stupid.”

Erin sits up, a sleepy smile on her face. “I know you love her, Ryan,” she says, brushing a hand over my cheek. “But it is her life and her decision to make.”

I smile as I lean in and press a kiss to her lips now. “I love you,” I whisper. “And I really love that you had a good day today.”

The rest of our time with my parents and Sarah passes easily, all of us sharing a last dinner and a late breakfast before Erin and I pack the car and head back to Rockport. It makes me smile watching her say goodbye to everyone, knowing how much of a good time she’s had and how comfortable she is around them all already.

It’s exactly what I wanted to happen and when my mom hugs me goodbye and tells me how much they all love Erin too, I know I was right bringing her up here to meet them, even if it wasn’t the only reason for the trip this weekend.

By the time we get back to Erin’s house, it’s late and although I definitely need to get back to Boston, I decide to stay the night with her first.

“You mind if I borrow your car this week?” I ask, as we head inside her house.

“No, of course not,” she says, over her shoulder as she heads to her bedroom. “Have it for the week if you want.”

I nod, even though she can’t see me. “What if I get my car delivered here?” I ask, following her in. “It should be ready later this week and I can drive back up and we can switch cars.”

“Sure,” she says. “Sounds like a plan.”

I watch as she undresses, grabbing her clothes in her arms before walking into the bathroom. Something feels weird, and she hasn’t asked me a single thing about my trip out to the prison either. I can’t decide if it’s because she’s afraid I won’t tell her or she’s afraid I will.

I follow her into the bathroom as I hear the shower starting up. Erin steps under the water, not looking at me as I strip my clothes off and follow her in.

“You okay?” I ask.

“Of course,” she says, standing under the water.

I watch her for a second or two, wondering if she’s just saying that because she thinks it’s what I want to hear. “You sure about that?”

“Yeah, why wouldn’t I be?” she says, and I instantly know that’s exactly what she’s doing.

Stepping closer, I slide an arm around her waist and pull her against me. “You haven’t asked me a single thing about yesterday, Red,” I say, brushing her hair back. “Don’t you want to know about what happened out at the prison?”

Erin turns in my arms, grabs the shampoo and starts working it through her hair. “You said you couldn’t talk to me about it,” she says and I can hear the sadness in her voice. “So, what’s the point of me asking?”

I let out a long exhale, grabbing her hands and stilling her. “It turned out to be pointless,” I whisper, leaning down to rest my chin on her shoulder from behind. “It didn’t eventuate into anything.”

“Does this mean you can tell me who you went to see?” she asks, leaning back against me.

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