Page 84 of Knot Convenient

“I was…” John had to blink to get himself back into focus. “I was looking at the field trip permission slips and wanted to check if you had any more. I’m finalizing things.”

“Oh! As a matter of fact…” I started turning to my desk, but the papers were in the top drawer in a folder. “Summer, would you go into the drawer there and pull out the blue folder?”

She did, walking it to John afterward, who took it with wide eyes settled on her. “There ya go.”

John took the folder, blinking again. “Great. Thank you.” He paused for a moment, then said, “Well done, Noah. I’ll shoot you an email with the final count and details.”

“Sounds good.” John hurried out, and I turned to Summer. “We’re the faculty chaperones for the trip.”

“Got it. Well, eat your sandwich before the kids come back. I don’t want them dealing with a hangry teacher.”

I playfully gasped, feigning shock. “I am never hangry.”

“Uh-huh. Tell that to Emmett when he ate the last of the cereal.”

“That was a grave offense. I’d been saving it.”

“Suuure,” she dragged out. Grinning, Summer took Milo again, settling him on her hip again so naturally.

Biological or not, she was an incredible mother. I knew she worked hard; we all did, but she was also a natural, so in tune to what he needed. Practice did make perfect, and the months of doing it all on her own had made her an expert on all things Milo.

“I’ll be home soon,” I promised, leaning down to kiss the top of her head as Milo fussed in her arms.

“Good luck teaching the young minds of the future.” She looked up at me, her face full of… adoration? Like she was genuinely happy to be there, seeing me. There was something about that look that was like a punch to the gut but in the best way. Being on the receiving end of that look was like a warm shower bathed in sunlight.

“Would it be unprofessional to say, 'fuck the young minds of the future, let’s go home and snuggle’?” I asked.

A beautiful laugh escaped Summer, and she shook her head. “You’ll survive a few more hours,” she assured me. “At least if you eat.”

“I don’t know…”

She smacked a hand lightly against my chest.

I opened my mouth to say something, but the classroom door opened, and students started filing in for their lesson.

“About that.” Summer laughed as I sighed, and I took a step backward. “I’ll sneak in a few bites. Promise.”

“You better. I’ll see you later, Mr. Winters.” Summer smiled, turning to leave quickly, leaving me standing there like a dummy watching the doorway she had exited through.

Chapter 37

Summer

Mornings with Milo were quickly becoming my favorite time of day. We would wake up whenever we felt like it, usually whenever Milo felt like it, because he would cry to get my attention. We would spend the first half an hour simply in bed, snuggling, chatting to one another, or at least what passed as chatting in my baby’s eyes.

It was slow, relaxed, and so goddamn peaceful. A stark contrast to the quick, rushed mornings I had been used to just a few months ago.

After my heat, we had settled into a new normal. Before, we were still tiptoeing around each other, but that was long gone.

Milo babbled happily, sitting up and pawing at my hair. Some mornings he was more snuggly, and some he was more energetic. He had let me rest for ten minutes with him before he had become impatient and started clambering all over me like I was a playset.

I really needed to take him to the park, get some of that energy out.

“Okay, I think someone is ready to face the day.” I giggled, giving him a wide smile. His only response was to screech like a baby bird. I was fairly sure it was a happy noise, but with babies, it was sometimes hard to tell.

Climbing out of bed, I rested Milo on my hip as I padded to the bathroom and made quick work of getting ready, throwing on my softest jeans and a T-shirt, and putting my hair into a messy bun that would no doubt fall out in no time.

“Do you want some toast?” I asked, carrying Milo downstairs. For some reason, he had taken a real shine to toast. It was his favorite food to shove into his mouth, get soggy, and play with.