Page 43 of Falling Together
Was Blair trying to show off for her? Well, yes, actually. That was one hundred percent what she was trying to do. Knowing Erin felt the same way she did, even if this couldn’t actually go anywhere, made their relationship that much more fun. Sure, knowing Erin also wanted to kiss her didn’t make it any easiernotto do it, but it was kind of like nonstop foreplay. Foreplay for something that was never going to happen, butwhatever.
Instead of going into the hotel, Erin walked around to the back of the car. “Are you sure?”
Blair didn’t miss the big smile that took over Erin’s face in response to the scene in front of her, and it made Blair’s smile grow as well. “We’re sure. We’ve got this.” Blair stuck her hand up for Nolan to give it a fist bump. “Right, dude?”
Nolan giggled as he fist-bumped her. “Yeah. We got this!”
Blair raised an eyebrow at Erin, who simply shook her head at the two of them and walked away toward the entrance of the hotel. Blair struggled to hold the bags and keep Nolan balanced on her shoulders, but after a few steps, she got used to it.
There was a line for the front desk, but by the time Blair made it over there, Erin was next in line to be checked in. When the woman at the front desk called Erin up, Blair walked over and stood beside her, Nolan still excitedly bouncing up and down on her shoulders.
“Reservation for Erin Corcoran.”
The woman nodded before furiously tapping the keyboard as if the keys were on fire. “Ah, yes, right here. That was a king room, right?”
Only one bed? That sounds fun.
Erin’s face immediately turned red, and she fumbled over her words in the cutest way. “Um, no, actually, it… uh… it should be Queen.” She shook her head and held up two fingers. “Two queens.”
The woman typed some more and nodded again. “Oh yeah. I’m sorry. I see it now. The two queens for five nights.”
“Yes!” Erin practically screamed. She cleared her throat. “I mean, yes, that’s right. Sorry.”
The woman looked from Erin to Nolan then back to Erin again. “It’s okay. I completely understand. I never wanted to bedshare either. Those little bodies sure can take up a lot of space.”
For a moment, Blair wasn’t sure where that comment came from, but when she saw the blush that had spread across Erin’s face, she understood.She thinks the extra bed is for Nolan, not me.“Right?” Blair said with a laugh. “Two of us in the bed is already more than enough.” She nodded at Erin. “Especially with how much space this one takes up.”
Erin flashed her a look that was somewhere between anger and confusion, or maybe it was just a warning glance telling her she should shut the hell up. Blair wasn’t sure, but she wasn’t going to push her luck, so she didn’t say anything else.
The woman went back to typing on the computer and after a minute or so, smiled back up at them. “All set. I upgraded you to the two-queen suite with an ocean view at no extra cost. You’ll be in room 918. Breakfast is every morning from 6 to 10 a.m. We also have a restaurant that offers room service that’s open twenty-four hours a day.”
When the woman held the key cards out toward Erin, instead of grabbing them, Erin stood there as if she was shellshocked. Blair kicked Erin’s foot because it was really all she could do since she didn’t have any available hands.
Erin shook her head and reached for the key cards. “Sorry. Thank you. That’s amazing.”
“It’s my pleasure. You have a beautiful family,” the woman said with a wink.
Something strange bubbled in Blair’s chest at the sound of Nolan and Erin being referred to as her family. She loved the sound of it, and if that was what this woman thought, there was no reason she shouldn’t play along. “Thank you so much. I totally agree, but I might be just a little bit biased.”
“As you should be,” the woman said with a laugh. “Enjoy your stay.”
“Let’s go, sweetie.” Blair encouraged Erin to move by using her foot again.
Erin grabbed one of the bags (thank god, honestly)and led them toward the elevator. It wasn’t until they were inside that she turned to face Blair and Nolan, her face still the slightest shade of red. “I feel a little bad that we got an upgrade by lying.”
Blair shrugged. “Wedidn’t lie.Sheassumed.” As much as Blair normally didn’t like to see Erin losing her shit, it was pretty adorable in this situation, especially because she knew Erin was at least partially thrown off because of the feelings she had for Blair. “Just enjoy it, shnookums.”
Nolan shook on Blair’s shoulders as he giggled. “Why you call Mommy that?”
“You mean, that isn’t her name?” Blair asked sarcastically.
She could tell by all the movement on her shoulders that Nolan was shaking his head. “No. Her name is Mommy. Or sometimes, Erin.”
“Oh, that’s right. Sorry. My mistake.”
When Blair winked at her, Erin moved her eyes toward the ground, but Blair didn’t miss the small smile that parted her lips. Blair’s heart warmed at the sight. That smile had the power to make even her worst day better. Not that this was one of those days. As far as days went, this one was already pretty fucking awesome.
As soon as they got into the hotel room, Nolan began trying to wiggle off of Blair’s shoulders. When Blair put him down, he immediately ran to the big sliding door that led to the balcony. He pointed out the window, eyes wide when he looked back at Blair and Erin. “Look at the big pool!”
