I look to Eli for confirmation. He nods but says nothing, and Aaron leaves it at that.
Eli goes to fill a bucket full of water to dump on the fire, and I pick Kerry-Anne up from the chair. I groan as I lift her because it’s a lot like lifting a wet spaghetti noodle out of the pot. She’s all over the place. “She’s heavier than she looks,” I say with a grunt.
“Their weight doubles when they go to sleep,” Aaron says, covering a yawn with his hand.
I hear the sizzle of the fire as Eli dumps a bucket of water on it, and Aaron and I start toward our cabins. Sam stays with Eli to help him get another bucket of water, just to be sure the fire is out. “You guys were looking pretty cozy back there,” Aaron says as he looks at me over the top of Miles’s head. “That’s new, huh?”
“Yeah.” It’s really new. So new that I don’t want to discuss it.
“Is everything okay?” he asks, worry clouding his features.
I smile. I couldn’t stop it even if I wanted to. “It’s better than it’s been in a long time.”
“Why the change?”
I shake my head. “Honestly, I don’t know,” I admit. “Maybe it’s being here. Maybe it’s the scenery. Maybe it’s us. Or…” I gesture toward him. “Maybe it’s you.”
“Me?” He lays a hand on his chest. “What do I have to do with it?”
I point a finger at him. “Don’t think I don’t know,” I say with a snort. “All the reminiscing you wanted to do? You know you had a reason.”
“Did it work?” he asks, leaning toward me a little.
“Maybe.”
“Just maybe?” He makes a clucking sound with his tongue. “I’m losing my touch.”
“Thank you,” I say quietly.
“You’re welcome, you big dummy,” he says, which makes me laugh.
We walk into his cabin and he goes to change Miles who is just waking up. I take Kerry-Anne to her room and gently lay her on her bed. I slide her flip-flops from her feet and pull the covers up over her. “Mommy?” she says as she blinks her eyes open.
I sit down on the edge of her bed. “No, sweetheart, it’s just me.”
“Oh.” She looks a little let down, but then she snuggles deeper into her covers and her mouth falls open, and I know she’s asleep. “Good night, sweet girl,” I say as I brush her hair back from her face. I bend and kiss her cheek, taking in the scent of lavender shampoo and campfire smoke.
“You were meant to be a mom,” Aaron says from the doorway.
A jolt of longing hits me right in the heart. “Well, apparently not,” I say flippantly, although that hurt more than a little.
“No, Bess,” he says. “You were. You’ll see.”
My eyes start to sting, and I blink hard to push the tears back.
As I walk past him, he grabs me in a hug and he holds on tight. He doesn’t break his hold on me until Sam walks in. “’Night,” I say to her as I walk out.
I find Eli in the bathroom brushing his teeth, with Sam’s kitten circling his feet. “Tonight was fun,” he says over a mouthful of foam.
“Very.” I brush my teeth too.
“Everybody go to sleep okay?” he asks after he rinses.
“Mm-hmm. Miles was just waking up, but I’m betting he’ll go to sleep after a bottle.”
“Look at you, becoming all baby savvy,” he teases.
I turn my back to him and shuck out of my shorts and pull my t-shirt over my head. I hear his quick intake of breath. “What?” I ask from over my shoulder.