Page 160 of Ex Somnis

My phone buzzes, and I pull it out, glancing at the screen.

“It’s Ridge.”

I answer and put it on speaker. “Hey.”

“Is the baby boy all right?” Ridge demands before I can say anything else.

“He’s okay.” I glance at Nevan, giving him a soft smile. “Just a little shaken.”

“No wonder. He wrote a full sentence. That must have been psychological torture.”

“What?” I frown when Nevan groans quietly beside me. “What do you know about this?”

“Nothing,” Ridge says immediately.

The pause afterward is deeply suspicious.

“Ridge.”

“I know he hates writing.”

“You are a terrible liar.”

Nevan has apparently decided that leaning his entire body weight against me is the correct response to emotional distress. Given the situation, I don’t blame him.

“Just be nice to him, okay?” Ridge deflects. “What about that promise anyway?”

“He has literally no idea.”

“Great. Love that for us.”

I glance at the cottage wall again. The red letters somehow look worse now that the sun has fully risen.

“Do you want us to come over? I can grab Paul, and we’re there in a few.”

“No, we’re okay.”

“You sure?”

I look down at Nevan, the blanket around him, and at the exhausted confusion still sitting in his eyes, then at the cottage wall.

No. Not okay. But stable.

Stable is good enough for now.

“We’ll be back soon. I borrowed Paul’s car.”

“All right.” His voice softens. “Call if you change your mind.”

“I will.”

“Love you.”

My chest does that flutter thing. “Love you.”

When I lower the phone, Nevan is looking up at me. “What?” I ask.

“Nothing.” He doesn’t look like it’s nothing. “Let’s go find me some pants.”