Page 22 of His Surrender

She glances over when she hears my footsteps. “Good morning.”

“You should’ve woken me.”

A smile tugs at the corner of her mouth. “You weren’t waking to her soft cries, so I figured you needed to catch up on some sleep.”

“I slept until almost nine.”

“You needed it.”

I walk over and hold my arms out. “I can take her.”

Without hesitation, Aubrey transfers Liana into my arms.

The tiny weight settles against my chest, and almost instinctively, I kiss the top of her dark hair.

“How long has she been up?”

“About two hours.” Aubrey reaches over to check the bottle before handing it to me. “She was all smiles this morning.”

I settle onto one of the stools at the kitchen island and guide the bottle to Liana’s lips. She immediately latches on.

Aubrey opens the refrigerator. “Are you hungry? I can make some breakfast.”

“You don’t have to do that.”

“I know.” She smiles over her shoulder. “But I want to.”

I start to argue before she pulls out bacon, and my desire for it trumps my not wanting to inconvenience her.

The thought of not having to make breakfast or clean up afterward sounds incredible.

“I guess I won’t stop you.”

“I was hoping you’d say that.”

She moves comfortably around the kitchen, like she’s been here for longer than a day, gathering eggs, fruit, and pancake mix before setting everything on the counter.

I take a sip of my coffee, quietly watching her.

Gone are the interview clothes she wore a week ago.

Instead, she’s dressed in soft gray pajama shorts and an oversize white T-shirt she tucked casually into the waistband. Her dark hair is piled in a messy knot on top of her head, a few loose strands framing her face.

She looks comfortable.

As she reaches into the cabinet above the stove, the hem of her shorts shifts just enough for my eyes to drift lower to find long, tanned legs. They are lean and toned. My gaze lingers a beat too long.

I immediately look away.

She’s making me breakfast while holding my life together. The last thing I should be doing is noticing how good she looks in a pair of pajama shorts.

I focus my attention back where it belongs—on Liana.

She blinks up at me with sleepy blue eyes before wrapping her tiny fingers around one of mine.

Much better.

I finish the last sip of my coffee just as Aubrey slides a plate of bacon onto a paper towel–lined dish.