Chapter 46
“You’re welcome,” I murmured before fleeing into the cool, abandoned corridor. It was a little easier to breathe once the door shut behind me, but not much. 10
After Sam’s trip to the ER, my week really had nowhere to go but up. I cancelled all my weekend plans so he and I could take it easy around the house, and though I invited Peter and Morgan to stick around, Peter declined. Morgan wasn’t too happy about it, Sam even less so, but I couldn’t blame Peter, not really. He was worried about Sam and about overstressing him. And he was right. Sam had a tendency to forget about being careful when Morgan was around. He had the chance to be a normal kid. Though I loved that he had the opportunity for that now, it wasn’t smart coming so quickly after his attack.
Peter had been a rock. The drive, the calm, the support…it reminded me of all the trips to the hospital Ellie and I had taken when she’d been alive. He didn’t believe me, but it really was easier knowing somebody else was there. I’d forgotten how good it felt. I’d forgotten a lot of things that Peter kept reminding me about. When we’d gotten back to the house and I tucked Sam into his bed, I’d desperately wanted to drag Peter to my bedroom, curl up under my blankets, and block out the world, but of course, we couldn’t do that. Instead, we went back down to the kitchen where I grabbed a couple beers, then sat on the couch while we drank them.
I fell asleep almost right away. I woke up a couple hours later with my face buried in Peter’s pit, but when I tried to get more comfortable, he woke up and immediately started making noises about leaving.
The week flew. I kept Sam home from school Monday and Tuesday, but by Friday, he was back to his old self, ready for another play date with Morgan. I hadn’t had the chance to call Peter to arrange something, though for some reason, I figured he would’ve rung me. He must’ve had the same busy week I did, but I was sure he’d be glad to hear Sam was doing well again.
“Hey,” Peter greeted just before I gave up. “Sorry, my ringer was off.”
“Lucky you. I think I’d kill to be able to turn my ringer off.”
“I bet. How’s Sam doing?”
“Better. Much better actually.” I leaned back in my office chair. The sound of his voice had already started the familiar warmth spreading through my body. “That’s why I’m calling. We need to get another date set up.”
“Yeah. Morgan and I are going out of town this weekend. But I’ve talked to Christina, and she’d be willing to meet for a play date next week.”
Out of town? He hadn’t mentioned anything like that last weekend. “Where are you guys going?”
“We’re taking a drive down the coast, and we’ll probably end up staying the night in Monterey.”
Damn, that sounded like fun. I wish Sam hadn’t had the attack or I would’ve suggested we make a foursome of it. The boys would love spending the weekend together, while Peter and I…okay, so that would be a special kind of torture, not being able to fuck around like I’d want, but still, spending time with him just hanging out was worth it, too. I’d enjoyed Friday night before Morgan came down and told us about Sam. Peter’s wry sense of humor had been just what I needed, not to mention that I got to look at him to my heart’s content. This weekend could have been more of the same.
“I’ll bet Morgan’s excited. When does Christina take him?”
“Sunday night. Christina said Tuesday or Wednesday evening would be best for her. I’ll email her info to you.”
He’d done a lot of talking to Christina. I don’t think he’d mentioned her this much in such a short time since we’d met. “Okay. What about us?”
“I’m not sure if I can meet next week.”
I frowned. Peter’s hours at work were a lot more structured than mine. “Well, we can do it over lunch. It’s not like you don’t have to eat. That’s probably best for us anyway, since Sam’s at school then. Just pick a day.”
“I…I need to talk to you. Do you mind if I come over for a bit? I should be able get my neighbor to watch Morgan for an hour.”
“Why would you do that? Just bring him with you. Sam would love to see him before you guys take off.”
“Morgan needs to focus on finishing his homework tonight. I’m not sure this will take long anyway.”
That made sense, though Sam was going to be disappointed. I made a mental note to make it up to him later. “All right, then. Come on over.”
Peter didn’t tell me exactly when he’d be over, but I wasn’t surprised when he rang the bell just thirty minutes later. I felt a small shiver of excitement just knowing he was on the other side of the door. He didn’t smile when I invited him in, his frown almost a physical blow.