Page 101 of Never Left You

He met my gaze, almost hesitantly. “After the fair, when she came to tuck me in. She told me she wanted to keep you around, but I had to want you around, too.”

“Well, do you? Want me around?” I asked.

Stetson narrowed his eyes as he studied me. Nerves shot through my stomach while I waited for the kid to speak. I wasn’t sure why this little man was the one sending my stomach in knots, but here I was, my breathing getting very unsteady as I waited for him to finally break the silence. He had to be accepting of this just as much as we were. I suddenly wanted his approval more than anything.

And his silence was killing me.

He nodded, and the nerves settled, a breath of air leaving my lungs.

“Well, yeah. You’re fun. That’s why I’m sad I can’t go with you and mom to the rodeos. I can miss school for a few days. I’ll be good, I promise.”

I chuckled. “Stet, I have no doubt you would be. You’re an amazing little dude, but I think your mom just needs the time alone.”

“But she won’t be alone,” he grumbled.

“Okay, okay, let me rephrase this. She wants time with…” I paused, taking him in, “me.”

He made a look of disgust, which just made me chuckle. “So she can kiss you?”

Laughter broke through my throat. “I hope so.”

He scrunched his nose, shifting his weight slightly on the railing.

“Is that okay?” I asked, hesitation filling my voice. “I want to be more than friends with your mom, and that means I want you to be comfortable with it.”

“Like her boyfriend?”

“Yeah,” I huffed a small laugh, “like her boyfriend. Your mom makes me really happy; she makes me laugh, and she makes me want to be a better man. I want to keep her—and you—if you’ll both have me.”

“You want to take her to the rodeos to ask her to be your girlfriend?”

“Something like that.”

“And I’ll get to stay with Aunt Kyla?” His voice rose, and a small smirk spread across his lips. Excitement finally started to take over.

I gave him a nod.

“I guess I can stay with them, but you have to come back as my mom’s boyfriend.”

“Does that mean you’ll keep me around?”

“Yeah…I’ll keep you around.” He nudged me with his elbow, and I wrapped my arm around him, pulling him off the railing into a hug. He hugged me back, nuzzling his nose into the crook of my neck.

Not only was I falling for Abi, but I was falling for Stet too.

“Oh wait.” He pulled away from me. “I have a project in school. I need to interview someone for it. About their job and what they do. Can I interview you?”

“Sure bud, when is it due?” I looked down at him, giving his back a quick rub.

“Friday.”

I laughed, dropping him to the ground, shaking my head at the way his seven-year-old brain was working. “And you thought you could skip a few days of school.”

Me

I have you signed up for three rodeos this weekend. Saturday afternoon, Sunday evening, and Monday night. How you feeling?

Quinn

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