I heave out a breath, “Alright, I should let you get back in there before your kids tear the walls down.”
“I suppose you’re right,” she sighs as my hand drops from her face. “Remember, I have parent teacher conferences tonight, so I’ll get home late.”
Home.
She says it as though there’s no doubt I’ll be staying there again tonight. And I want to fist pump the air. But I don’t. I just nod, remembering that she told me about the conferences last night. “I might be late, too. I’ll call when I’m heading back.”
“Okay,” she bites her lip, then pushes up to her toes and gives me the quickest kiss. “I love you.”
Smugness fills my entire being, “I love you, too.”
We’ve said it every day since that first time, but Elouise’s cheeks still turn an adorable shade of pink each time I say it.
“Get back to work.”
She rolls her eyes, then spins away from me and steps back into her classroom.
I’m chuckling to myself when I turn and bump shoulders with someone.
“Woah, sorry,” I start to say, before I realize he’s someone I know.
The blond man dips his chin, “Quite alright, Mr. Stoleman.”
I feel like I should apologize for the last time I bumped into Mr. Olson, considering I did it with a door, but he’s already walked away from me so I shrug it off and let my mind shift to work. If all goes well, I can wrap everything up today and spend tomorrow working out how to make living with Elouise permanent.