Nolan stuck his lower lip out at Blair. “I’m sorry, Bear.”

Blair poked him in the side. “It’s okay, little dude. I know you were just being silly.”

“All right, buddy,” Erin said while reaching for Nolan. “Let’s get you cleaned up and ready for bed and give Blair some space to finally relax.”

“No!” Instead of letting Erin lift him, Nolan snuggled closer to Blair. “I want to sleep in Bear’s bed.”

“Honey, you can’t-”

Blair put a hand up to stop Erin. “I don’t mind if you don’t mind.”

“Are you sure?” Erin asked, looking legitimately surprised that Blair would offer to do something that honestly felt like a minor request to Blair. “For a small human, he definitely knows how to take up a ton of space.”

“I’m sure. It’s no big deal at all.” And Blair meant that. The bigger deal to her was the fact that Nolan wanted to snuggle in her bed with her. It made her heart feel like it was growing inside of her chest. This little boy had crawled inside of her heart and was burrowing himself deeper and deeper with every day that passed.

The smile Erin shared with her cracked Blair open even more. Clearly, Nolan wasn’t the only one who had made it into her heart. The scary part was, Erin didn’t really have to try. Every little thing she did made Blair like her more.

When Erin looked away from her to focus her attention on Nolan, Blair could still feel the effects of that smile throughout her whole body. “Since Blair said it’s okay, then that’s fine with me, but you need to brush your teeth and get your pajamas on first.”

“Okay.” Nolan quickly jumped out of the bed and ran toward the bathroom.

While Erin and Nolan were occupied in the bathroom, Blair took the time to clean up their food and put on her own pajamas, which were really just a tank top and a pair of boxer shorts.

Erin must have approved, because as soon as she walked out of the bathroom, her eyes burned a path up Blair’s body. When her eyes met Blair’s, she swallowed hard. “You’re all ready for bed.”

“Almost.” Blair couldn’t stop herself from smirking. She loved that she had this effect on Erin, even if Erin was trying her damndest not to let it show. “Just need to brush my teeth.”

“Of course.” Erin limply pointed toward the bathroom. “It’s all yours.”