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And we spent the next few hours having the time of our lives, cooking, watching TV, laughing, and joking until poor Wolfgang was so tired, he could barely hold his head up.
Score one for Uncle Adam for wearing him out enough that he didn't seem all that nervous about school anymore.
"All right, buddy, why don't you go change into your pajamas and I'll tuck you in," I told him.
He nodded sleepily and began trudging his way towards the hallway, but then, he stopped short, turning and saying, "Aunt Rea? Will you be there to drop me off for school, too?"
"I don't know about that, buddy," I interjected. "She's got to go to work." I tried giving her an out, while also trying to soften the blow of her inevitable "no."
She smiled brightly at Wolfie. "Of course, I'll be there. My nasty, old work can wait—it's your big day!"
"Awesome," he said before rushing down the hallway.
I turned to her then. "You don't have to do that, Reagan."
She looked up at me with an unreadable expression. "I know you're saying that to be nice, but I need to do this for Wolfie. Maybe for myself a little bit, too. I am already nervous enough for him, and I want to help make this as easy as possible for him…and you," she added before looking away for me.
Without saying anything at first, I nodded, heading towards the hallway, but then, I stopped short and called over my shoulder, "Do you want to help me tuck him in?"
She looked at me for a long moment like she was contemplating some life-changing decision in her head before she rose from the couch without saying anything and followed me down the hallway.
Wolfie had already gotten into bed and was working on getting his covers arranged the way he liked.
He was excited to see Reagan still there and asked if she could read part of the story that night instead of just me. So, we took turns back and forth, reading him to sleep. He drifted off quickly, and Reagan and I were both left holding one end of the book.
"Hey, thanks for sticking around," I whispered to her.
She tore her gaze away from me and nodded jerkily. "Yeah, of course," she said, slipping off the edge of the bed and setting the book on Wolfie's bedside table.
I watched her as she looked down at Wolfie with a soft expression. Seemingly unable to help herself, she reached out and smoothed his hair away from his brow and leaned down and gave him a quick kiss goodnight. Part of me felt like I was invading a personal moment, and yet, the other part of me couldn't help but notice just how right all of it felt.
Come on, Adam, get a hold of yourself. What the hell do you mean "right?"
She turned for the door as I kissed Wolfie myself, then followed her out the room, pulling the door so that it was just slightly ajar. Wolfie didn't like closed doors, and with everything going on in his life, I couldn't blame him for that. I, too, now slept with my bedroom door partially ajar, just in case.
When I got to the living room, Reagan was busying herself with grabbing her bag and stuffing her things back into it, avoiding my gaze.
"Listen, I really appreciate all your help," I started.
"Yeah, well, I didn't mean to crash your entire day—"
"No. No, it worked out perfectly. He had a blast the whole day. I mean, so did I. But I think he was pretty distracted from the whole school thing. And now, he knows that both of us will be there for him to drop him off in the morning. So that's…good?"
She looked at me out of the side of her eyes. "I don't know. I'm as clueless about all this stuff as you are," she admitted.
"Ah, yes, but you were much more committed to research and post-it notes," I teased her.
She looked me over then, and I could tell something was on her mind by the way she shifted her weight from foot to foot. I couldn't help but be a little nervous about it, as Reagan wasn't normally one that was at a loss for words. Finally, after an extended pause, she said quietly, "I had a lot of fun today."
"Me too."
She looked thoughtful for a moment, and that brow of hers furrowed. I knew that meant that she was trying to find a way to water down everything that happened today—to make what was going on between us seem less somehow. I just didn't have it in me to hear whatever excuse she came up with.
"Adam, I—" she started, but I wasn't going to let those words come out of her mouth, not tonight, not after all of the fun and ease and comfort we'd had with one another during the day.
I stepped into her space, close enough so that she was forced to look up at me. Reagan was a tall woman, but I was even taller. She wasn’t accustomed to having to look up at people, and I couldn't help the thrill of satisfaction that she had to do it with me. Whatever she'd been about to say died on her lips, and she stared up in my eyes.
This was the part where I teased her or made a joke about it, but I didn't have those things in me, either. Instead, it was just the unrelenting desire to taste her.
