Where We Belong (A Touch of Fate #1)(85)

Harley kisses his cheek and runs a hand through his hair. “No baby, I’m going to sleep in the house. This is a boys’ night, remember?” She winks at me and Max nods. “But I’ll stay here until you fall asleep.” Kissing him one more time, she scoots over to me and I pull her between my legs, resting her back against my front. We watch patiently as Max’s eyelids blink heavily several times.

“Ty?” he whispers, prying his eyes back open.

“Yeah, buddy?”

“I had fun camping out with you.”

“I had fun camping out with you too,” I whisper, leaning around Harley to run my hand through his hair. “It was the best campout ever.”

A lazy smile tugs at the corner of his mouth, but he’s too exhausted to keep it there. His eyes drift shut and when I think he’s finally dozed off, he mumbles four little words that rock my world to its core.

“I love you, Ty.”

I thought that when Harley told me she loved me, I had won the f*cking lottery. But that doesn’t even compare to how it feels to hear Max say the exact same thing. There’s just something so innocent about it, and the way the words easily fell from his lips has left me stunned and fighting for air. I can’t explain it…it’s nothing I’ve ever felt before and something I want to feel again every single day.

I pick a shocked Harley up out of my lap and set her down next to me. Leaning forward, I swipe my hand across Max’s face, pushing his hair out of his eyes. Kissing him gently on the forehead, I whisper, “Max?” His drooping lids peel open, bobbing several times.

“Hmmm?” Waking him back up probably isn’t the best thing to do, but I need him to hear me.

“I love you too, Max.” I swallow hard past the lump in my throat as tears prick my eyes. My chest is heaving with the overwhelming sense of love I have for this perfect little boy lying in front of me.

“I know you do.” And just like that, everything in my life clicks into place. Every bad choice I’ve made falls by the wayside because they’ve all led me here. And there isn’t anywhere I’d rather be than in this tent on a cool fall night, where I just bared my heart to a perfect four-year-old boy. I know that Max is not biologically my son, but this love I have for him is all-consuming. It’s…it’s indescribable. I can only hope that someday I will love my own kids as much as I love Max.

When I turn around, I see Harley brushing away the tears that are streaming down her beautiful face. I pull her into my arms, burying my face in the crook of her neck.

“Thank you.” My words are strained with emotion and I tighten my grip on her, using her as an anchor. “Thank you for giving me another chance. Thank you for raising such an amazing little boy. And thank you for letting me be a part of your lives.”

She sobs, her arms squeezing my neck. It’s obvious that this is as emotional for her as it is for me. Without a doubt, this is a turning point for us. Harley and I have come so far, and this feeling of finally having come full circle is one that I never want to go away.

Right now, I need to hold her…I need to absorb what all of this means. So I tuck her in next to me underneath the thick down material of my sleeping bag. Snuggling in close, she nuzzles her head under my chin and wraps an arm around my stomach. We don’t talk because we don’t need to. Instead, we fall asleep wrapped in each other’s arms with a snoring Max beside us.



MY PHONE BEEPS AND I pull it out, smiling when I see Harley’s name. This morning was chaotic, to say the least. We forgot to set an alarm for Harley, and by the time Max woke us up, Harley had all of one hour to get herself ready and get to work.

Harley: Made it. Have fun today.

Me: Good. See you tonight. Love u.

“How much longer?” Max asks, bouncing around in the backseat.

“Almost there, kiddo. Sit tight,” I say, glancing at him in the rearview mirror. When I packed him up in the car this morning, I double and triple-checked the booster seat and seat belt, my nerves getting the best of me.

What if something happens? Is he safe? Is the strap too tight…is it too loose? Max finally pushed me away and told me he was fine and to get a move on. So here we are on our way to the City Museum. I wanted to do something fun with him today—something that he would remember—and one of my favorite places to go when I was a kid was the City Museum. It’s a child’s dream playground, full of tunnels, caves, and slides. There’s an aquarium, rooftop Ferris wheel, a railroad, and a skateless park, which happens to be my favorite part. I can’t wait to see Max’s face as he explores it all.

We pull into the parking lot and Max instantly starts rapid-firing questions at me.

“Is that a school bus hanging off the roof? Is it gonna fall? Are there kids in there? Should we call 911?” I laugh, putting the car in park. Reaching back, I unbuckle Max and he squirms in his seat, trying to get a better view of the school bus.

“Nope, no need to call 911, it’s part of the museum. You get to play in that school bus.” His eyes widen with horror.

“But it’s gonna fall off the roof!” he screeches.

“No, it’s not,” I assure him, gripping his hand tightly as we make our way to the entrance. “Trust me, it’s perfectly safe. You’re going to have a blast.”

“TY!” he yells, tugging on my arm as soon as we walk through the front door. “Look at that slide, IT’S HUGE!”