Page 74 of Smitty

“Yeah, that’s what I thought.” He settled back down on the mattress and let out a deep breath. “I missed you.”

“I missed you, too.”

With that, we both closed our eyes and let our exhaustion take over. It seemed like I’d barely closed my eyes when I felt Brayden’s lips against my cheek. I looked up to find him hovering over me with a smile. “Morning, beautiful.”

“What time is it?”

“A little after six.”

“Hmmmm,” I groaned with a stretch. “It’s so early.”

“Then, go back to sleep. I’ll call you in a couple of hours.”

“Promise?”

“Promise.” He kissed me once more, then turned and started out of the room. “Coffee’s brewing. Made it strong for Ms. Grumpy Pants.”

I reached over and grabbed a pillow, tossing it at him. “Not grumpy.”

“Sure you’re not,” he chuckled. “Catch ya later, beautiful.”

I started missing him the second he started down the hall, and I was tempted to call him back to bed. Sadly, there was no point. I had to be up in twenty minutes to get ready for work, and he hadn’t wanted to be here when Anslee got up. Seconds later, the front door opened and closed, and it wasn’t long before I heard his motorcycle roar to life.

I couldn’t fall back to sleep, so I spent the next twenty minutes staring at the ceiling, reliving every moment I’d shared with him.

The sexy curve of his lips when he smiled.

The spark in his eyes when he looked at me.

And most of all, the feel of his lips on mine. Every breath I took brought on another thought or memory, and there was nothing I could do to stop it.

And I wasn’t so sure I wanted to. I liked the way I felt when I was with him. I liked who I was when I was with him. I’d never felt more like myself. I tried to hold onto that feeling when my alarm went off.

Brayden was right. I was grumpy when I didn’t get enough sleep, especially when I hadn’t slept well in days. I had too much to do to give in to the grumps, so I tried to shake it off and pulled myself out of bed.

My clothes were scattered about, so I quickly picked them up and tossed them in the laundry before making the bed. Time was getting away from me, so I rushed to the bathroom and took a hot shower. Once I’d dried off, I threw on one of my more comfortable work outfits and brushed my hair.

By the time I made my way across the hall to Anslee’s room, she was already awake and cooing in her bed. I lifted her out of the crib and gave her a quick kiss. “Good morning, sweet girl.”

Like me, she was a little quiet, and that was okay. We all had our days. I got her dressed, packed her diaper bag, and wrestled her into her car seat while she protested every move I made. I clearly wasn’t the only grumpy one in the family. I had a feeling it wasn’t just the fact that we hadn’t slept well.

We were both still adjusting to doing our morning routines alone, and while she was still very young, she noticed. Ryan was the one who carried her out to the car while I carried our bags. He’d buckle her in while I tossed our things into the backseat.

The last couple of mornings, he hadn’t been there, and that wasn’t a complaint. It was just a realization of how things would change. I didn’t know what life would look like a month from now or who would be there in the morning, if anyone. I just knew it would be different. Not just for me, but for her, too.

I dropped Anslee off at daycare, and my thoughts shifted to work. With Dylan and all my other cases suddenly bombarding my mind, I drove straight to the office. I’d barely made it through the door when Gloria started over to me with two coffees in her hands. “Running a little late this morning.”

“It’s been a morning.”

“Long night?”

“You have no idea.”

“Well, maybe this will help.” She handed me a cup before following me to my cubicle. “Daniel was asking for you. He’s in the office with Lisa.”

“Thanks. I’ll go check in with him.”

“Good luck.”