Page 46 of Big Island Summer
“Of course. It’s your yard too.”
“He woke up in a panic, and getting outside helps.”
“It helps me too.” She smiled at Theo. “Did you have a nightmare, little man?”
He surprised her by launching his weight in her directions, reaching for her with both arms. She threw her hands up to catch him, but of course his dad still had a firm grip on his legs.
Ethan put a hand on Theo’s chest, leveraging his weight upright again.
Fern’s hands were still up, hovering in the air in front of them as Theo began to fuss.
“Can I hold him?” she asked softly.
“Are you sure?” Ethan hesitated. “He looks like he’s about to cry again, and he’ll just about take your eardrum out if he goes full blast.”
“I’ll take my chances.” She put both hands around Theodore’s ribcage, and he leaned towards her again. This time, Ethan let him go. His full weight dropped into Ferns hands, surprisingly heavy. She brought him to her chest, resting the bulk of his weight on one upturned hip.
“You’re a natural,” Ethan said. Mixed emotions warred in his eyes as Teddy rested one chubby cheek on Fern’s shoulder.
“He’s easy to love,” she said without thinking.
Her cheeks went hot with embarrassment a moment later – but blushes weren’t visible on her bronze skin unless someone was really looking, and Ethan wasn’t. His eyes never seemed to fix on her face for more than a millisecond at a time.
“I can walk him around the garden for a while, if you’d like to rest.”
“You don’t have to do that.”
“I want to.” There was enough conviction in her voice that his eyes met hers. She held his gaze for one second, two – before he turned and looked at the wooden stairs that climbed the side of their two-story building.
“Would you mind if I add some sandpaper to the steps?”
“Sandpaper?” she repeated. The bulk of her attention was on the warm body in her arms, the infant who had molded his body to hers as if she were a place of comfort instead of a collection of straight lines and sharp collarbones. She cradled his body with one arm while her free hand rubbed circles on his back.
“I picked up some safety strips at the hardware store, but I wanted to check with you before putting them in. The steps are slick in the morning, and when it rains…”
“They’re even worse,” she finished. “I’m so sorry. I should have thought of that.”
“It’s okay. If it were just me, I wouldn’t need them. But carrying him up and down every day…”
“Of course. Please, install whatever you need.”
“They’re just stickers, really. It won’t take long.”
“There’s no rush.” She swayed back and forth, holding Theodore in both arms. “We’re happy out here with the finches.”
Ethan nodded and glanced up at the silver sky. It didn’t look like rain was imminent, but it could be hard to tell in Pualena.
“If it starts to drizzle, we’ll just be over there under the roof.”
“Okay,” he relented. “Thank you.”
“My pleasure.”
His gaze fixed on her again, and the intensity of it made her freeze.
A moment later, he turned away and strode up the wooden stairs. He’d disappeared inside before she even realized that she was watching him go.
Fern shook her head, trying to clear it.
