Page 62 of His to Save

“Completely serious,” Atlas finishes.

I throw my hands in the air. “Right, gas leak it is.”

“Pip, of course we want you here.” He reaches across the island and takes my hand in his. “Why wouldn’t we?”

A bitter laugh breaks free before I can reply. “Yes, why wouldn’t two bachelors want a young mom and her baby living with them? Nothing quite like bringing home a date only to get woken up in the middle of the night by a crying baby. Sounds like a dream come true, am I right?”

The kitchen is so quiet it’s almost as if it exists in a vacuum. So quiet that my pulse roars in my ears like a waterfall.

“I don’t think you get it,” Atlas says, his voice low and still. “Having you here, watching you become a mother, being a part of that jellybean’s life… Every single bit of that sounds like a dream come true—my dream, Nora. I want to be in your life in any capacity you’ll allow it, and I’m a selfish bastard, because I want to keep you all to myself, to keep you in my room and by my side. But I’m not going to clip your wings. You wanna fly and find somewhere new, I’ll help you every step of the way.” He brushes the back of his knuckles over my cheekbone. “But I really, really hope you’ll stay.”

I’m too stunned to reply right away, my emotions rising and swelling inside of me like waves in a storm.

“Plus,” Ellis adds helpfully, “I don’t bring dates home. Best not to fuck where you eat, or however that goes.”

I bust out laughing as some of the tension leaves my body. “I’ve heard it both ways,” I murmur.

“Did you just quotePsychto me?” Ellis asks, causing Atlas to groan.

A soft smile curls my lips. “I used to watch it with my dad.”

“Of course. It’s a classic.” Ellis nods. “Definitely in my top five.”

“Don’t do it, don’t do it, don’t do it,” Atlas whisper-chants.

So, naturally, I have to. “What’s your top five?”

Atlas groans again, this one far more dramatic, but Ellis grins like a madman.

“In no particular order—Psych,Gossip Girl,Outer Banks,New Girl, andThe Mindy Project.”

“I’ve never heard of Outer Banks, but the rest are pretty good.Psychis my favorite, though.”

“You know what we should do?” Ellis asks, not waiting for an answer. “Psychmarathon!”

My grin morphs into a cheek-splitting smile. “Can we?” I ask Atlas.

He boops my nose. “How can I say no to you, pretty girl?”

“Y’all are on snack duty. Show’s on in five!” He takes all of our plates and chucks them in the sink before dashing into the living room.

I take it upon myself to actually rinse the plates and load them into the dishwasher while Atlas tosses a bag of popcorn into the microwave.

“You know we meant it, right?” he asks softly. “We really do want you here.”

“Are you sure?”Please say yes, please, please, please.

“More than sure.” The timer sounds and he grabs the piping hot bag and yanks it open with his fingertips before dumping it into a bowl. “Having you here makes this house feel like a home.”

“Okay, I’ll stay,” I whisper, hope settling into my belly like a seed taking root. Because if I’m not ready to admit it out loud, Atlas is right. Being here, with them, feels like home.

CHAPTER 21

ATLAS

Work’s been hell lately—or maybe it’s just me and my damn near obsessive need to be at Nora’s side twenty-four-seven.

Either way, I put in for some of my vacation days at work, and now the next two weeks are all mine.

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