Noah stays quiet the rest of the drive. And just like that, we get home.
At home, I pull my hair into a bun and sit at my desk to start grading my students’ papers. It’s a mountain of work, and I already know I won’t be sleeping early tonight. I left tucking William into bed for Noah, but when there’s a knock on my door and I tell them to come in, I know Noah’s failed.
“Um, Ray?” William’s cloud of curly hair peeks through the door first. He’s clutching a pillow, and before Noah can say a word, William barrels into the room and hops up on my perfectly made bed.
“Yeah, William, get down from there,” Noah says, stepping in after him. “Ray didn’t say you could get on her bed.”
I smile as I watch them. “Ray, can I stay on your bed?” William blinks up at me with those big green eyes.
I wa
