Page 49 of He Saved My Boy
After about an hour, Connor’s no longer talking, and his body feels heavy against me. Looking down, I see he’s conked out. His little lips are upturned into a smile, and he looks almost angelic. I’m startled when he stretches in his sleep and throws an arm around me as if he’s hugging me.
“Sorry about that,” Teagan whispers. “Want me to move him? We don’t have to watch the end of the movie.”
“Uh… yes, we do. I need to find out why they don’t talk about Bruno. We’ve gotten this far, I’m invested. So, hush up and let’s finish this show.”
Teagan’s light laugh is beautiful to hear. “But what about Con? Need me to move him?”
“Absolutely not. Though I wouldn’t complain if you moved to the other side of me, so I can hold your hand.”
Her couch is a sectional, therefore there’s plenty of room.
Patting the place beside me, I waggle my brows. “What do you say, T? Can I hold your hand?”
Rolling her eyes, she grins playfully but sighs heavily, “If I must.” Then her voice changes to a whisper as she almost mutters, “If you don’t watch out, I might just catch feelings for you.” But she stands and settles into my other side.
Leaning in, I kiss her chastely on the lips. “That’s kinda the point.”
Her mouth drops open, but before she can say anything, I nod toward the TV and playfully remind her, “Shhh… We’re about to learn about Bruno.”
It takes a little convincing,but I somehow manage to get Teagan to agree to come with me to my grandparents’ house on Anderson Island for the entire weekend before the game. Selfishly, I want to spend an entire night with her, without making it awkward for me to be there in the morning with Connor. I’m dying to have her wake up in my arms.
With Derek and Tessa coming back for the game, I also feel weird coming in late at night now that they have Melody. Since my family’s cabin is free for the weekend, it’s a win for all. The plan is to spend the weekend on the island, then leave from there for the Renegades game on Sunday.
Even though it’s a short ferry ride to Anderson Island, Connor is excited to get out and walk on top of the ferry. It’s a beautiful Friday afternoon. Typically, there’s a lot of rain in early November, but today, it’s clear and nearly fifty degrees. We can’t ask for better weather in Washington.
When we get to the top of the stairs from the car deck, I’m shocked when Connor reaches for my hand and pulls me to the outside deck. “Come on, Davis. Let’s go out there.”
To him, it’s a simple gesture. He just reaches up as if he’s been doing this his entire life and drags me outside.
For me, it’s a moment I’m sure I’ll remember forever.
We’ve spent a lot of time together this week, but he’s never just reached for my hand. My chest tightens as a grin follows him eagerly. Teagan is a few steps behind us, and I look to her to make sure she’s following. Instead of being right behind us, she’s stopped as if frozen in place with her hand covering her heart.
Holy shit, have I done something wrong?
Then I dart my eyes to her face, and I see the grin spreading from ear to ear, and my heart resumes its normal beat.
Before I can say anything, Connor points out. “Is that the island?”
“Yep. My grandparents have had a place here for as long as I can remember. I used to spend a lot of time here in the summers.”
“Is the water warm? Can we go swimming?” His eyes plead.
“It’s freezing—especially this time of year. If you want to swim, we’ll go to an indoor pool sometime,” Teagan suggests.
Connor looks hopefully to me. “Can Davis come?”
Warmth spreads throughout my body over the fact that he’s included me. “I can make that happen.”
Even though I try to keep public displays of affection to a minimum around Connor, when Teagan steps closer, I find myself wrapping an arm around her instinctively. As time has gone on, I thought my feelings for her might wane, but I’ve quickly learned they just keep growing stronger.
By the time we make it to my family’s home on the island, Connor’s turned into a chatter box. He’s asked just about any question he can think of under the sun. There’s not much daylight left, so I suggest we bring our things into the cabin, then go for a walk along the shore of the Puget Sound near the house.
However, the moment we get outside and Connor sees the expansive playground my brothers have put in the backyard, that plan disappears. “Can I play on that?”
“Sure.” I smile with delight as I watch him run up to the tower, leading to the slide.
“Wow. You didn’t tell me your family had their own park.”
