Page 26 of Falling Together

Chapter 26

Blair

“Anything specific you want to do for your birthday this weekend?” Blair’s mom asked her just a few days before. She probably found it strange that Blair wasn’t already talking her ear off about everything she wanted and exactly what her plans were.

Blair shrugged. “Erin and Nolan have something special planned for me for Saturday, but they won’t tell me what it is. Aside from that, I figured I would also do something with Marisol and obviously you and dad, and Blake and Trinity if they end up coming home this weekend.”

“You’ve been spending a lot of time with Erin and Nolan lately. I take it that’s where you’ve been staying all the nights you don’t come home…?”

Blair’s parents had been very good at giving her space ever since she had started college. They said they understood she did whatever she wanted while she was there, so they were not going to try to control her when she was home. For that reason, even though Blair always let them know when she wasn’t coming home just so they wouldn’t worry, they never questioned where she was. Blair wasn’t sure if her mom even realized there was something going on between her and Erin. Although, the birthday party probably gave that one away.

“Yeah, but it’s not like that.”

Kind of? Sort of? Beats me.

“Oh? That’s too bad. I really like Erin. Is it because she has a kid? I can’t blame you. I was also worried about that when I first noticed you watching her with that distinct sparkle you get in your eyes every time you have a crush. If I’m being brutally honest, I didn’t think you were ready for that.” She put up her hand as though she could sense how much that sentence crushed Blair, because really, was there anyone in her life who actually believed she could handle this? “If you were listening, which god knows if you were, because you

are

your father’s daughter after all, I said I

didn’t think.

As in past tense. You proved me completely wrong these past few months. I’ve seen a completely different side of you, and watching you with Nolan…” Blair was surprised when her mom grabbed a tissue and dabbed at her eyes. “I have no doubt that you are the perfect person for him and for Erin. If you’re questioning that, please don’t.”

Wow. So, her mom

did

believe in her. That meant more to Blair than she could ever imagine. Now all she had to do was convince the person she was trying to date of that. But what more could she do if Erin still didn’t realize it by now? “It’s not

me

who’s questioning it.” Blair shook her head as she thought of how to explain it without making Erin look bad. She didn’t want her mom to have a bad taste in her mouth about the girl she was trying to spend her future with. “Erin had a really bad experience with her ex-wife. She left Erin and Nolan with pretty much no warning, and now Erin has trouble trusting people. It doesn’t help that her dad

also

left her.”

Her mom’s face hardened slightly, and Blair worried that she revealed too much. “In that case, be careful. I really like Erin and I’m sorry she went through that, but you’re my daughter, so in the end, my loyalties are with you. I don’t want you to get wrapped up in her drama and end up hurt.”

“I won’t. I promise.” Blair hoped that was a promise she could keep.

“Good.” Her mom’s smile returned. “Why don’t you have everyone come here for your birthday on Friday night? I’ll ask your brother if he and Trinity can come home, and you can invite Marisol.” Her mom winked. “And Erin and Nolan, of course.”

Blair couldn’t stop the smile from spreading across her face as she took out her phone to text Marisol and Erin.

This is going to be the greatest birthday ever.

***

“Happy birthday, beautiful.”

Blair felt like she had to be dreaming when she rolled over in bed and found Erin lying beside her. Except, it wasn’t a dream. After going for ice cream with Erin and Nolan then staying to watch a movie after Nolan went to bed, Erin had shyly asked her if she wanted to stay, and of course, Blair said yes. They were both exhausted after a long week, so they passed out without having sex. Although, sex hadn’t happened since their slip up at her parents’ house, so Blair didn’t actually know where things stood with that. She wanted to talk to Erin about it, especially since they still hadn’t had that talk she promised, but this weekend wasn’t the time for that. For her birthday, she wanted to just take things as they came. If they had sex, that would be awesome, but if not, that was fine too. She would be just as happy spending time with Nolan and Erin.

“Good morning,” Blair said sleepily, still in her dreamlike state, most likely because being with Erin was a dream come true.

Erin smiled and pushed a piece of hair behind Blair’s ear. “Have I ever told you that I adore your sleepy voice? It’s so cute.”

“You haven’t told me that, but I’m glad you did.” Blair snuggled closer to Erin. “I’m also happy to take any other birthday compliments you want to toss my way.”

“Well, I think you’re super sexy.” Erin leaned in and placed a kiss on Blair’s neck that already had her thinking about all of the things she wanted to do to her. “You also have a bigger heart than anyone I’ve ever met.” Another kiss. “You’re also amazing with Nolan, and I think, to me, that might be the hottest thing about you.” She ran a hand down Blair’s stomach, inching closer and closer to where Blair really needed her. “I also really love when I make you—”

“Mommy! Where are you? I wake up, Mommy.”

Erin threw her head back on her pillow and groaned before she broke into a fit of laughter. “Ugh, I’m sorry.”

Blair grabbed the hand that Erin had just put over her face and brought it to her lips to kiss her knuckles. “No need to apologize. This is what I signed up for, right?”

Or at least, what I’m trying to sign up for.

Before Erin could answer, the bedroom door swung open. “Mommy, why you not answer me?” He glared at Erin before turning toward Blair and giving her the same look. “Bear, you not s’posed to be in Mommy’s bed. You s’posed to be in my bed.”

“Hey, don’t be mean to Blair,” Erin scolded. “Don’t you remember what today is?” When Nolan shook his head, Erin sighed. “Whose birthday is it?”

Nolan smiled and pointed to himself. “My birthday?”

Blair laughed. This kid was too much. She hopped out of bed, very thankful that he didn’t walk in to find her naked, and ran over to him. When she reached him, she brought her hands to his sides and tickled him.

“Stop,” he said between giggles.

“If you want me to stop, you have to tell me whose birthday it is.”

“Mine?” Nolan said again, laughing even harder this time since he clearly knew the right answer.

“You know it’s not your birthday. You just had your birthday.” Blair stopped tickling him for a second, but his laughter continued. “You know, I have a present I was saving to give you until

my

birthday, but I guess if it’s not my birthday, I can’t give it to you.”

Nolan’s eyes went wide, and he immediately stopped laughing. “It’s your birthday.” He wrapped his arms around Blair and kissed her cheek. “Happy birthday, Bear.”

“Thanks, buddy.”

Blair tried to hug him back, but he quickly wiggled out of her arms and held out his own. “Can I have my pwesent now?”

Blair walked over to Erin’s closet where she had been hiding it and took out the small bag with a dinosaur on the front.

“Is it a T-Rex toy?” Nolan asked when Blair handed it to him. When she told him it wasn’t, he studied the bag, but still didn’t open it. “A car?”

“For God’s sake, Nolan,” Erin said from bed. “Just open it.”

Nolan giggled again and tore into the bag, pulling out the shirt Blair had gotten him. “A giraffe shirt?” He looked at it for a few seconds then held it against his chest. “I love it. I love it. I love it.”

If Blair had realized he’d be so easy to please, maybe she could’ve saved some money by not getting his actual gift. She knew that wasn’t the case though. She might have been more excited about this giraffe experience than Nolan was going to be.

Blair pointed to the shirt. “That’s only part of the present. On Tuesday next week, your mommy is going to pick you up a little early from daycare and bring you to my house, so you and I can go meet giraffes.”

“Like before?”

“Kind of like that, but even better. We get to be the only two people there besides the zookeepers and we get to pet them and feed them and learn more about them.”

“Whoa.” Nolan’s eyes and his mouth were all perfect circles. “And it’s special, just me and you? No Mommy?”

Blair shook her head and laughed. “No Mommy.”

She turned around and winked at Erin, who quickly flipped her off before Nolan could see.

“Is today Tuesday?”

Blair shook her head. “No. Today is Friday.”

“Tomorrow?”

Shit.

Maybe she should’ve waited longer to give him this gift. “No, not tomorrow.”

“Is it the next—”

Blair put her hand up to stop him and took a deep breath. “It’s many days away, but we have a lot of other fun things planned to do before that, so the time will fly by. Don’t worry.”

Erin got out of bed and knelt beside Blair, putting a hand on her knee in the process. “One of those fun things is tonight, when we get to go to Blair’s house. Which means you need to get ready for school so I can pick you up early to go over there.”

“Yay!” Nolan yelled before sprinting out of the room.

When Erin and Blair both stood up, Erin turned toward her and booped her on the nose. “And I will see

you

tonight, birthday girl.”

Erin had offered to take the day off from work since Blair’s daycare was closed for a long weekend for Indigenous Peoples’ Day on Monday, but Blair convinced her to save her days off for something more important. It wasn’t that Blair didn’t

want

to spend her birthday with Erin. It was actually the opposite. If she could, she would spend the whole weekend with Erin and Nolan, which she was sure was exactly what she would end up doing, so she needed to spend some time with her family and Marisol today.

“See you tonight!” Blair turned to walk out of the bedroom, but before she could, Erin grabbed her arm and pulled her back.

“Forgot something.” Erin pulled her closer and placed a hard, but sweet, kiss on her lips.

When Blair walked out of the room this time, she felt like she was floating.

***

“Where’s the birthday bitch?” Marisol shouted when she walked into Blair’s house a few hours later.

Blair left the family room where she had been hanging out with her parents, who had also both taken off from work for the day, and walked to the front door to find Marisol standing there with her arms stretched out wide, waiting for a hug.

Blair hadn’t realized how much she missed her best friend until she was standing right in front of her. Even though Marisol was in Philadelphia for school, which was a little less than an hour from where they lived, they still hadn’t seen each other since Marisol moved into her new apartment in August. Blair didn’t know if that had more to do with how busy Marisol was with school or how busy she was with Erin and Nolan. Either way, she was so happy to see her now, and vowed to herself she wouldn’t go this long without seeing her again.

Blair stepped into Marisol’s hug and wrapped her arms around her as well, squeezing her extra hard to try to convey how much she missed her. “Dude, it’s been way too long.”

“You’re telling me. I’ve been busy with school. What’s your excuse?”

“I’ve been kind of busy too.” Blair tried to hold her smile back, but it was no use. Every time she thought about Erin, she couldn’t help but smile. Erin had been a lot more affectionate lately, and Blair hoped that meant they were getting closer to finally becoming official.

Marisol pointed at the stairs then started pushing Blair toward them. “Up to your room

now.

You’ve been holding out on me. Now you have to tell me everything.”

Blair followed Marisol’s direction and once the two of them (and Moon, of course) were inside, Marisol closed the door. With her arms crossed in front of her chest and a no-bullshit look on her face, she said, “What’s going on with you and Erin and

why

don’t I know about it?”

Blair shrugged. “There’s not much to tell. We’re still in the same boat. She’s not ready to make things official, so we’re just kind of letting things come as they do for now.”

Marisol stared at Blair for a long time before a wide grin spread onto her face. “Given that lovestruck look on your face, I’d say something’s definitely coming and that

thing

is

you

.”

Blair burst into a fit of laughter. It really had been a long time since Blair and Marisol were together, because Blair should’ve seen that coming and she didn’t. “You’re not wrong. I have been coming a lot, but it’s mostly my own doing while picturing her face.”

Marisol scoffed at her. “That was so fucking cheesy, I’m not sure if I should love it or hate it. Also, don’t think I missed the fact that you said

mostly.

”

“So, we might have had sex just one more time, and it might’ve been fucking mind-blowing… again.”

“I mean, it better be for how little you’re getting laid,” Marisol said with a laugh.

Even though she knew Marisol was only joking around, she couldn’t help but get defensive on Erin’s behalf. “It’s not about that. The sex is great, but it’s such a small part of our relationship, I’m not even worried about that.”

“Shit.” Marisol’s smile dropped as she tilted her head and studied Blair’s face. “You’re in love with her.” The way she said it made it sound like it was a death sentence. “Please be careful.”

Blair tried not to roll her eyes. Why was everyone telling her that recently? “Now you sound like my mom.”

“Of course I do, because your mom is a smart fucking lady, and even though you’re an asshole at times, we love you like crazy for some reason.”

Blair crossed her arms in front of her chest. “Erin isn’t going to hurt me.”

“I don’t know Erin all that well, but from what I’ve seen, I think you’re half right. I don’t think she would ever hurt you on purpose. But I’m afraid you’re in so deep that you’re going to let her drag you along until you have nothing left to give.”

Blair loved Marisol, and while she knew Marisol was only having this conversation with her because she cared, it still wasn’t what she wanted to hear right now, so she couldn’t help but be bitter. “Wow. Happy birthday to me.”

Marisol’s face softened and she walked over to Blair and grabbed her hands. “You’re right. We shouldn’t be talking about this when we’re supposed to be celebrating. If you promise me you’ll be careful, I promise I won’t bring it up again.”

“I’ll be careful. I promise.”

“Good.” Marisol wiggled her eyebrows. “Now tell me more about this amazing sex.”

They both laughed and everything went back to normal as Blair gave Marisol a play-by-play, making sure to make it

very

detailed just to drive Marisol a little bit crazy.

***

That night at dinner, everyone was acting a little too interested in Erin, and Blair hoped Erin didn’t realize it. It wasn’t that she didn’t want her family and friends to get to know Erin, but more that she felt like they were interrogating her.

When she rode back to Erin’s with her and Nolan that night, she thought about bringing it up, but wasn’t sure what to say. It was still all she could think about as they put Nolan to bed together, then both got ready and fell into Erin’s bed.

As Blair stared up at the ceiling, Erin scooted close to her and began to kiss her neck. As good as it felt, Blair wasn’t in the mood for birthday sex. It wasn’t Erin’s fault, and it’s not like she was mad at her. She just had a lot on her mind.

After a few seconds, Erin pulled away from her. “Is everything okay?”

Blair tried her best to give her the most reassuring smile she could, then reached out and squeezed her hand. “Everything is great.”

Erin sat up slightly and rested her head in her hand. “Since when do you lie to me? I can tell something is bothering you.”

Blair sighed. “It has nothing to do with you.” She shook her head, because that

actually

was a lie. “Okay, I mean, it does. But it’s nothing you did wrong.”

“Please tell me what’s going on. The last thing I want to do is hurt you.”

Blair rolled onto her side so she could stare at Erin. As she studied the contours of her face and the little crease that formed on her forehead when she was worried, she realized that Marisol was right. She wasn’t just

falling

for Erin anymore. She was head over heels in love with her. “I think that’s what I’m afraid of. Getting hurt.”

Erin pointed to herself. “You think

I’ll

hurt

you

?” She asked as if it was a completely foreign concept that she could hurt someone.

“I like you so much, Erin, and I’m starting to worry that you’ll never let yourself feel the same.”

Erin scooted even closer to her now, the heat of her body making Blair uncomfortable in the best way possible. “See, that’s the thing. I

do

feel the same. I like you so much too. No matter how much I try to fight it, and trust me, I’ve tried, I can’t stop myself from falling for you harder and harder.”

Blair wanted to tell Erin how she really felt. She wanted to confess that she was in love with her and had no doubt she wanted to spend the rest of her life with her. The words were on the tip of her tongue, but she worried if she let them out now, she might scare Erin away. Erin had good reason to believe that people don’t always stick around just because they say they will. The problem was Blair was running out of ways to show her that she wasn’t one of those people. When she said forever, she actually meant it. “Why are you still trying to fight it?”

“I don’t want to.”

Blair wasn’t sure if that was an observation or a promise, but it was good enough for now. She leaned in and brought her lips to Erin’s, letting herself fully enjoy this moment with the love of her life.

***

The next morning, after waking her up to breakfast in bed and a birthday card that Nolan claimed he had spent hours making, they got dressed for an activity that still hadn’t been revealed to Blair.

Blair tickled Nolan’s side as they walked to the car. “Come on, buddy. Just one hint. Tell me what we’re doing.”

Nolan shook his head. “Mommy told me I’m not allowed to say.”

And since when do you actually listen?

Blair thought to herself. “But it’s my birthday weekend, and I’m sad because you’re keeping a secret from me. Please tell me.” Blair pushed her bottom lip out in an exaggerated frown.

Nolan looked at Erin, who was walking far enough ahead of them not to hear their conversation, then looked back at Blair. “Okay. I tell you.” His eyes went wide, but his smile went even wider. “We going to a carnival. There’s rides and games and it’s like a big arcade.” When he said big, he motioned with his hands dramatically. “And we love arcades. Right, Bear?”

“That’s right, buddy, we do.” The truth was, carnivals were one of Blair’s favorite things, but she didn’t remember ever sharing that with Erin. She scooped a giggling Nolan into her arms and ran with him to catch up to her. “Did I tell you how much I like carnivals? Because I don’t remember having that conversation.”

Erin looked confused at first, but when the realization hit her, the look of confusion became one of annoyance. “Really, Nolan? You promised me you wouldn’t tell.”

“Bear was sad.”

“Manipulating my son, huh?” Erin looked at Blair and shook her head. It was clear she was trying to keep a straight face, but she cracked a smile within seconds.

Blair shrugged. “I decided to go for the easier target.”

Erin smiled even wider now. “You don’t fight fair. To answer your question, though, you never told me you liked carnivals. I just made an educated guess and really hoped I was right.”

“Well, you must be very smart, because you’re exactly right. I fu-” When Blair remembered that Nolan was in her arms, she stopped herself. “Freaking love carnivals. They’re literally one of my favorite things.”

“And there’s rides,” Nolan said excitedly.

“

Some

rides,” Erin said, giving Blair the impression they had this conversation before. “The little ones that you can do by yourself. Mommy doesn’t do rides that aren’t permanently attached to the ground.”

Blair laughed and tickled Nolan’s side once again. “Lucky for you, little dude, Blair does.”

“Yay, Bear! Rides! Rides! Rides!”

Blair joined in with Nolan’s chanting, which continued until they were all safely in their seats and on the way to the carnival. Blair watched Erin as she drove, taking in every little thing she did, from the way she bit her lip when she made a turn to the small smile she got every time Nolan said something ridiculous. She had one hand on the steering wheel and the other was resting on the middle console, and all Blair could think about was reaching out and taking it in hers.

When she tentatively rested her hand beside Erin’s, Erin quickly looked over at it, before putting all of her focus back on the road. A few seconds passed, and Blair was about to pull her hand away when Erin intertwined their fingers. Blair could barely focus on the conversation for the rest of the car ride, because all she could think about was that hand in hers.

After parking at the carnival, it was a different hand that found hers this time. As soon as they were out of the car and Erin told Nolan that he needed to hold someone’s hand, he took Blair’s. As they walked around the front of the car to where Erin was standing, she looked at their hands and smiled, but there was also something else in her gaze. A little bit of jealousy?

Blair held out the hand that wasn’t holding Nolan’s and wiggled her fingers. “I have another one, you know.”

Erin gave her the sweetest smile before grabbing onto her hand and squeezing it tightly like she was worried Blair might actually let go.

As if.

“No.” Nolan pointed right at their interlocked fingers. “I want to hold both hands.”

Even though she could see it in Erin’s face that she wanted to let go of Blair’s hand just as little as Blair wanted to let go of hers, they both did since they understood that Nolan was the priority.

They walked like this throughout the carnival, Nolan only dropping their hands to play games or go on rides. After hours of games and rides, they had all worked up an appetite, so they shared a big bucket of chicken fingers and fries, then got ice cream at Nolan’s request. As they walked toward the Ferris Wheel, which Erin miraculously agreed to ride on with them, Nolan pointed to a little girl sitting on her dad’s shoulders, then looked up at Blair. “I ride on you!”

Blair shrugged. “Sounds good to me!”

As she was picking him up, Erin started to laugh. “I hope you realize what a terrible idea this is. You’re definitely going to end up with ice cream in your hair.”

Blair shrugged again. “It is what it is.” Nothing could ruin this day. She was sure of that.

She became even more positive when Nolan was safely up on her shoulders and Erin reached out a hand toward her. Blair held on to Nolan with one hand and held Erin’s hand with the other. It wasn’t the easiest thing, but it was the best.

After a few minutes, she felt a cold liquid dripping onto her head and down her neck. Before she could tell Nolan to be more careful, the whole ice cream cone slid down the front of her shirt. “What the hell?”

Erin looked over at Blair, then quickly up at her shoulders, before bringing a hand to her mouth and starting to laugh. “I’m sorry to laugh, but I did warn you.” She laughed even harder. “He is passed out right now.”

As if he subconsciously needed to prove Erin was telling the truth, Nolan laid his head on top of Blair’s, and she could tell by the little snores coming from that direction that he was definitely asleep. Erin helped get her as clean as they could using wipes and napkins, then they headed toward their car instead of the Ferris Wheel.

Walking to the car with Erin, hand in hand, a shirt stained with ice cream, and a little boy asleep on her shoulders, Blair was pretty sure this had been the best day of her life.