Page 22 of Falling Together

Chapter 22

Erin

“Yes. Of course. I’ll be right there. Thank you for calling.”

Erin sighed as she ended the call and closed her laptop. Clearly, she wasn’t getting any work done today. She had already kind of figured that would be the case when she woke up with a scratchy throat and runny nose, but since she was still working from home on Fridays, she thought

maybe

there was a chance she could force herself to do something.

Any hope of being productive went out the window after the call she just received from Nolan’s daycare. Apparently, he wasn’t acting like himself, so they took his temperature and it was high. Taking care of herself was one thing. Taking care of a sick toddler when she was already under the weather was a completely different ballgame. She had no idea how she was going to make it through the rest of today (and most likely through the weekend as well).

To make matters worse, Blair was supposed to be coming over after work again tonight, and now she had to tell her not to. Erin was getting way too used to their movie nights which often ended with them making out on the couch. Just thinking about those hot makeout sessions made Erin’s whole body heat up. Or was she getting a fever now, too?

Shit.

She knew she had to go get Nolan from daycare, but she didn’t want to forget to tell Blair and have her unknowingly enter the house of germs, so she took out her phone to text her before leaving.

I have to cancel tonight :(

Erin was surprised when Blair’s response was almost immediate. Did she stare at her phone while she was supposed to be working?

Why? Hot date? :-p

Erin rolled her eyes at her phone. Blair should know by now that if she was going to have a hot date with anyone, it would obviously be her.

Yes. A hot date with my bed. Both Nolan and I are sick.

Blair’s next reply came in just as quickly.

No way. I’m so sorry to hear that. Anything I can do?

Of course Blair wanted to help, because that’s exactly the type of person Blair was. Which was also why Erin refused to do anything that could get her sick (if it wasn’t already too late, seeing as how Blair’s tongue had been in her mouth just two days ago).

Stay far, far away.

Where’s the fun in that? ;)

Erin laughed to herself. This woman was too much.

The fun is not getting yourself sick.

I like living life on the edge. Plus, wasn’t I kind of already exposed? I think I remember some germ passing happening the other night :)

Erin’s body was burning up again, and this time she was pretty sure it wasn’t from the fever.

Well, just to be safe, I think it’s for the best if I let you know when our house is germ-free.

Erin waited a minute for another reply, but when it didn’t come through, she put her phone in her pocket and grabbed her keys so she could pick up Nolan.

*

Even though Nolan was clearly sick, it didn’t tame any of his energy. Erin was actually pretty sure it somehow made him even

more

crazy. Trying to keep him under control while she felt like complete shit made her want to cry. Days like this were always a reminder of what she had lost. Bianca didn’t just break her heart. She also left her without her

person.

After having someone by her side for the better part of ten years, it was still so difficult to get used to doing everything on her own, especially on days like today.

She could feel the tears burning at her eyes when there was a knock on the front door followed by the sound of it opening.

“Hello? Anyone home?” Blair’s voice was like the voice of an angel, which might have been because she was a literal angel. An idiotic angel who was risking her own health, but an angel just the same.

Before Erin could answer, Nolan rolled off of the couch where he had been standing on his head, and ran toward the door. “Bear!” he shouted as he went.

Erin forced herself off of the couch and reached the hallway in time to see Blair knelt down in front of Nolan, giving him a big hug. It was such a sweet sight that for those few seconds, she actually forgot how shitty she felt.

When Blair stood up, she gave Erin a sad smile. “Please don’t take this the wrong way, but you look like shit. The most beautiful shit in the world, of course, but yeah.” Blair walked over to Erin and rested her hands on Erin’s arms. “What can I do for you?”

“Try to keep my feral child under control,” Erin said with a laugh, only half kidding.

Blair smiled knowingly. “Done. Have you two eaten yet?”

Shit. It was dinner time, wasn’t it? “Nope. Completely forgot that was a thing.”

“Dude, I feel so bad for you right now.” Blair leaned in with her lips puckered, and Erin thought she was aiming for her mouth, but she veered off and kissed her forehead instead. “How ’bout I take Nolan with me to go pick us up something to eat? That way, you get some time to relax by yourself, and maybe if we’re lucky, the car ride will chill him out a little bit.”

“Are you sure?” Erin hated to make Blair do all of that for her, but it also felt really good to have someone who was willing to help. A little

too

good if she was being honest with herself, but she was too sick to worry about that right now.

Blair moved her hand down Erin’s arm and squeezed her hand. “Of course. I’d be happy to.”

Erin breathed a sigh of relief as Blair picked up Nolan and carried him out of the house, the two of them talking animatedly the whole way through the door. Without them, the house felt almost

too

quiet, but Erin knew she needed that, even if her heart did tug in her chest from not having them there anymore. She pushed these thoughts aside and laid down on the couch, covering herself with the blanket that Nolan had refused to let her use earlier. It wasn’t long before her eyes became heavy and she felt herself drifting off to sleep.

“Erin. Hey, Erin.”

Erin woke up to the sound of her name being whispered, and slowly blinked her eyes open to find Blair crouched in front of the couch. “Blair? What? Where’s Nolan?”

Blair pointed behind her. “He fell asleep in the car. I know it’s taboo to let him fall asleep this late in the day, but he looked so peaceful, I couldn’t bear to wake him up.

Erin followed the path of Blair’s finger and found Nolan wrapped in a ball on the loveseat. “I’m glad you didn’t. He needs the rest.”

Blair ran her hand through Erin’s hair in a way that caused goosebumps to pop up on Erin’s neck. “You need the rest too. Sorry for waking you. I just figured you could probably use some food. I’m assuming you haven’t eaten much all day…?”

Blair had assumed correctly. Erin hadn’t actually eaten anything all day, which probably wasn’t helping her feel any better. “You are correct. Food sounds wonderful. Thank you.” Erin’s head pounded as she struggled to sit up. “What did you get?”

“Chicken noodle soup, broccoli and cheddar soup, French Onion Soup, and macaroni and cheese, which I know will not compare to yours, but I still figured someone might eat it.”

“Are you feeding the three of us or a whole football team?” Erin laughed, which made her go into a coughing fit as well.

Blair shrugged. “I wasn’t sure what you’d want. I figured if I got enough, there’d have to be something you like. And this way, you can have some leftovers to eat later.”

Erin’s heart was bursting. She was pretty sure there wasn’t a better person in this world than Blair Breckenridge. Now, if only she could convince her own heart that it was safe with Blair, even though her head was telling her that Blair had the ability to hurt her more than anyone else ever had. That thought made her pounding headache even worse. She absentmindedly brought her hand to her head and rubbed her temples as if that was actually going to make a difference.

“When was the last time you took medicine?” Blair asked, her voice laced with concern.

Welp, it turned out food wasn’t the only thing Erin forgot. She gave Blair her most innocent smile. “Oops.”

“Where is your medicine? I’ll grab it and then get your food ready for you. Let me guess.” Blair tapped her chin and looked toward the ceiling. “Broccoli and cheddar, right?”

How the hell did she do that?

“Okay, that’s just freaky.”

“Or maybe,” Blair leaned in and kissed Erin’s nose. “I just know you.”

It had been a long time since someone really

knew

Erin, and that fact had her fighting back tears. Correction… the tears were coming, and now that they started, she couldn’t stop them from falling.

Blair brought her hands to Erin’s cheeks and placed more kisses across her forehead. “Baby, what’s wrong? Are you getting worse? Do you need something else? Name it and I’ll get it for you. The sky's the limit. Seriously.”

Her sweet words only made Erin cry harder.

Holy shit, I’m a mess. No one should have to deal with this.

“I’m sorry. I’m not crying because I’m sad or in pain. Being sick is just messing with my emotions and you’re being so sweet right now, and no one is ever this sweet to me, and I don’t know. I guess I’m just surprised and overwhelmed.”

Blair placed another kiss on Erin’s forehead. “Get used to it. I care about you, which means I’ll take care of you. Always. In every way. No matter what.”

Erin could read between the lines of what she was saying. Blair was making a promise to her that it didn’t matter what did or didn’t happen between them. She would be there for Erin. Blair definitely deserved someone better, and she deserved to not have to wait around for someone with more issues than

Vogue

. God, this line of thought was not stopping the tears. Without saying another word, Blair stood up and headed to the kitchen. “Is the medicine in one of these cabinets?” she yelled from the other room, again proving how well she knew Erin since she somehow figured out she would keep her medicine in the kitchen.

“Yes! The one all the way to the right.”

After a few minutes, Blair walked back into the room carrying soup, medicine, and water. She set the soup on the coffee table, then handed the medicine and water to Erin. “Hopefully this will get you feeling a little bit better.”

Erin had no doubt that it would. She felt better from just having Blair here. Blair scooted the coffee table closer to the couch so Erin could reach it. A moment later, she went into the kitchen again and came back carrying soup for herself. They ate in relative silence, but it wasn’t uncomfortable at all. It was actually the opposite. Erin felt completely content sitting beside Blair, not saying a word.

She had almost finished her soup when Nolan started to stir on the love seat. “Mommy?” he asked as he slowly opened his eyes. “I’m so hungry, Mommy.”

“On it.” Blair jumped up before Erin even had a chance to respond. “What do you want, buddy? Mac and cheese or chicken noodle soup? Now, be warned that it’s not your mom’s mac and cheese, so while I’m sure it’s very tasty, it’s not

that

tasty.”

Nolan crossed his arms over his chest and glared at Blair. “I want

Mommy’s

mac and cheese.”

“Mommy isn’t feeling well, sweetie,” Erin told him. “I promise I will make you my mac and cheese once I’m feeling better though.”

“I want

Bear

to make it.”

“Me?”

The way Blair pointed to herself, as if she was shocked anyone would ever ask her to cook, made Erin laugh.

“Yes! You!” Nolan jumped off of the couch and wrapped his arms around Blair’s legs. “P-ease, Bear.”

Erin watched Blair’s face soften and she could tell she was going to give him what he wanted, in one way or another.

Sucker.

Erin smiled to herself.

Blair extracted Nolan from around her legs then knelt down in front of him. “I’ll make you a little deal. If you eat chicken noodle soup tonight, I’ll come back tomorrow and make your mom’s macaroni and cheese. I don’t have the ingredients to make it now.”

Nolan scrunched up his nose and tilted his head. “In-gedients?”

Blair smiled over at Erin, which made Erin’s stomach do a somersault, then focused back on Nolan. “That means I have to buy

all of the cheese

that makes your mommy’s mac and cheese so tasty.”

“You come back tomorrow?” Nolan asked, as if he were seriously considering his options.

Blair nodded. “I will.”

“No!” Nolan said matter-of-factly.

Great. This is not a battle I feel like having right now.

Before Erin had the chance to tell Nolan he needed to be nicer to Blair, he spoke again. “I want you to stay.”

“Stay?” Blair looked at Erin as if she was waiting for her to tell her what Nolan meant.

The problem was, the only thing Erin thought that could mean was that Nolan wanted Blair to stay the night. A terrible idea that also sounded pretty amazing at the moment.

“Yes. Stay tonight and make mac and cheese after you wake me up.”

Blair looked at Erin once again, but this time she shrugged. “I’m okay with it if you are, but I’m going to have to borrow some clothes.”

Erin really needed to get her hormones under control, because she felt like she might cry

again.

Still, as much as she wanted Blair to stay, she also needed to think about Blair’s wellbeing. “I don’t know. I’m worried if you stay, we'll get you sick.”

Blair waved a hand at her. “I have an awesome immune system. I’ll be fine.”

Yeah, I thought I had a good immune system before I had a child too.

Erin shook her head at herself.

Nolan is not her child, and you can’t expect her to step into that role.

“Is that a no?” Blair asked.

Erin shook her head once again. “Yes. I mean no.” Erin groaned at herself. She had no idea what she was even saying anymore. “What I mean is that I want you to stay.”

Blair’s face lit up as though Erin had just told her she wanted to take her to the fanciest restaurant in town, not said she could stay at their germ-infested house. “Awesome. I can’t wait.”

“Me either.”

Seriously. I’m way too excited over this.

Blair took Nolan to the kitchen and sat at the table with him while he ate his soup, but insisted Erin stay on the couch and rest more. Erin tried to argue, but it was no use. Blair wasn’t budging, so Erin followed her directions and shut her eyes once again. She tried to fight sleep so she could help Blair clean up dinner, but it was a losing battle. Within seconds, she was drifting off once again.

***

“Psh. Erin. Wake up.”

Erin thought she must be having

déjà

vu when Blair’s comforting voice whispered in her ear just like she had earlier. When Erin was finally able to crack her eyes open, she noticed it was now pitch black outside.

Shit.

How long had she been sleeping? She searched the room but couldn’t find Nolan anywhere. Her heart raced as she tried to figure out what was going on.

“Hey, it’s okay,” Blair said soothingly. “Nolan is in bed. He’s been asleep for almost an hour at this point.”

“What… what time is it?” Erin felt around for her phone but couldn’t find it.

“It’s 9:00. Nolan was really drained so we started his bedtime routine a little earlier than we usually do. Of course, he suckered me into reading him more books than I could count, but that’s okay. He was super sweet and kissed my cheek after I finished each one.”

Blair had a dreamy look on her face, but all Erin could focus on was her use of the word

we.

She said

‘we

usually do’ when referring to Nolan’s bedtime. Sure, Blair had been at their house for his bedtime more times than she hadn’t been there these past few weeks, but when she put it like that, it really felt like they were a team. Which they could be if Erin could get her head out of her own ass. She knew that

she

was the only one holding herself back from the happiness Blair could provide her, but the fact that Erin’s happiness was ripped away from her once before still scared the

shit

out of her.

Blair ran her fingers over Erin’s cheek. “I didn’t want to wake you, but I also figured you didn’t want to lie on the couch all night.”

“Definitely not. My back appreciates the wake up.”

Blair laughed and kissed Erin’s cheek. “I can actually sleep anywhere.” She pointed toward the kitchen. “I could fall asleep on that table and still get a good night’s sleep. It’s strange.”

Except, it wasn’t strange. Before she turned thirty, Erin was a lot like that too. Blair was a long way from thirty. That reminder made Erin feel sick to her stomach. It wasn’t that she minded their age difference. Most of the time she honestly didn’t even notice it, but Blair being so young meant that she really didn’t have a full understanding of what she was getting herself into. That wasn’t worth dwelling on right now though. She could worry about that on a day when it didn’t feel like someone was rubbing sandpaper over her throat.

“I guess we can’t all be that lucky,” Erin said with a forced laugh. “So, I better head up.”

Blair stood abruptly and looked around the room as she rubbed the back of her neck. “You, um… you don’t want me to come with you?”

Of course Erin wanted Blair to come with her, but there was one very big problem with that. Erin pointed to herself. “Violently ill. Remember?”

Blair smiled and pointed to herself the same way Erin just had. “Amazing immune system, remember?” She looked down at the couch and let out a dramatic sigh that Erin could tell was completely fake. “Plus, what if tonight is the night couches decide to start fucking with my back? You wouldn’t want that on your conscience, would you?”

One thing Erin knew by now was that Blair was stubborn as hell. It was honestly one of the things she lo-

liked

about her. It also meant Blair would be sleeping in the same bed as Erin no matter how much Erin tried to fight her on it, so she might as well just give in. “Fine. You’re right. You can come with me. Just stay on your side of the bed.

Blair’s smile grew even bigger. “Fat chance of that. I love the feeling of you wrapped in my arms.”

Erin loved that too, which was why she didn’t fight it when Blair held her tightly from behind after they crawled into bed together. Instead, she let herself enjoy

finally

feeling safe in another person’s arms.

***

As soon as her alarm went off, Erin took a deep breath and smiled at the lack of stuffiness. It was Monday morning, and she was

finally

feeling like herself again. Of course, that was mostly thanks to the woman lying next to her, who hadn’t just stayed all day Saturday, but also stayed all day Sunday and should be waking up soon so she could go home and get ready for work. A tinge of sadness hit Erin straight in the heart. She was happy to be feeling better, but aside from not being able to breathe for most of it, her weekend with Blair had been pretty damn perfect.

Blair groaned and started to roll around in the bed, then began to cough uncontrollably. Once the coughing stopped, she sat up and threw a hand over her forehead. “Shit. I feel like I got hit by a fucking bus. There’s no way I can go to work today.”

Erin felt awful that she had passed her sickness on to Blair, but a very small, selfish part of her was the slightest bit excited. For once, it was finally

her

turn to take care of

Blair.