Okay, there definitely was. If she almost let Blair kiss her, that meant Blair wanted  to kiss her, which meant the feelings she was trying so hard to suppress were not one-sided. Obviously, she didn’t know the extent of Blair’s feelings. Hell, she didn’t know the extent of her own. All she knew was when they almost kissed, she couldn’t think of anything in the world that she wanted more. Hell, she still couldn’t. That was the problem. Blair made it so she couldn’t think straight at all, and she needed to. Because her life was not her own. It was hers and Nolan’s, and she had a responsibility to make sure she did not do anything that could cause him to get hurt.

If things became messy with Blair, he would get hurt. It was clear he was attached to her, and Erin refused to do anything to potentially ruin the bond that they had formed. All she wanted was for the two of them to be happy. Watching them chat animatedly about all the animals they were going to see as they got into Blair’s car was so much better than a kiss. Getting the call from Blair asking if Erin would be upset if they got home a little bit after her because they were having so much fun was more fulfilling than having those lips on hers.

I can do this. I can keep my feelings under control. No big deal.

Blair certainly wasn’t going to make it easier on her, though. As soon as those thoughts had run through Erin’s head, she looked outside and found Blair carrying Nolan in her arms. He was tucked up against her, holding what appeared to be a stuffed giraffe. When Erin opened the door to let them inside, she realized Nolan was fast asleep.

“Do you realize you just broke the cardinal rule of all parents?” she asked with a laugh, because if she didn’t tease Blair, she might be tempted to do something else instead.

“And what would that be?”

Erin nodded her head at Nolan. “Never let a child fall asleep this late in the day, because they’re not going to bed that night if they do.”

Blair visibly cringed. “Shit. I’m so sorry. He just fell asleep about five minutes ago. Do you want me to wake him?”

“Nah. That five minutes is going to give him enough energy to stay up for at least an hour past his bedtime, so might as well let him rest for now.”

Blair looked toward the stairs. “Should I take him to his room?”

His room . The scene of the almost-crime. “No, that’s okay. He’ll get scared if he wakes up by himself after falling asleep in the car. Why don’t you put him on the couch?”