Page 31 of Falling for Brody

"Mom!" She heard Chip's voice and turned to see him running toward her.

Brody was close behind.

"Mom! Did you see me?"

She nodded and held her hand out toward him. "I saw you and the other kids! Was that fun?"

Chip came to a stop and leaned over, his hands on his knees. "Wow! I'm tired!"

Rhea nodded and looked up at Brody who came to a stop beside Chip.

"That was fun, but yes... exhausting."

Rhea reached into her bag and pulled out a bottle of water. "Here, baby."

Chip looked up and took the bottle. "Thanks." He leaned in closer and lowered his voice into barely a whisper. "I'm not a baby."

She nodded and tried to school her features into a serious expression. It was hard. She just wanted to smile at her son and pull him in for a big hug.

It was Missus Hardy that spoke next. "The elevation here is likely higher than what you're used to, Chip. You're going to need a lot of water."

Chip took a few big gulps of water and Rhea reached into her bag and took her other bottle out for Brody.

"Here." She smiled at him. "It looks like you worked up quite a sweat."

Rhea had no idea what happened next.

Brody accepted the bottle with a grin and twisted the top right off. "Thanks for opening it."

Rhea blushed, realizing that she'd opened the bottle like she did for Chip, breaking the seal on the 'lock.' "Sorry. Habit."

He shrugged and drank the water down.

Chip, watching him from his side, lifted his bottle to drink some more.

"Slow down, Chip."

He heard her softly spoken words and looked up at Brody.

"But-"

"She's right, buddy."

He lowered his bottle, but Rhea saw that it was empty. She'd watched him swallow it down, his Adam's apple bobbing.

It was a purely masculine look. A sight she was going to remember for years.

Yes.

She'd officially reached the age and stage of loneliness where a man drinking water was enough to get her going.

Goodness.

"Drinking water is a good thing. But you want to take your time until your body learns how much it can handle and when."

Chip was listening to Brody with his whole body.

He nodded.

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