Page 68 of The Alpha’s Unclaimed Mate

“That,” Marcus says, “sounds like an excellent plan.” He points the spatula at Bella. “You want in?”

Bella bounces in her chair. “Yes. Yes, I want a sleepy day in.”

“Not right now.” I smooth Mia’s hair back. “Right now I want you in an actual bed, sleeping, with nobody bothering you.”

“Mom.” Mia droops. “I don’t want to sleep alone.”

“I’ll lie down with you. I’m not going anywhere.”

“Let her have the day she’s asking for.” Marcus says it quietly, turning a strip of bacon. “It’s what makes her feel safe. She needs that more than she needs undisturbed sleep.”

I glance at him. He’s not wrong, and it irritates me how fast he calmed her down when I couldn’t.

“But before that”—he comes to stand beside me—“let’s all eat. I made breakfast.”

As I help with the plates, I whisper, “You should’ve gotten me when Mia woke up.”

Marcus smiles. “You were tired. And I was here to handle the two of them.”

He carries the eggs to the table, and I stare after him, my heart feeling strange. Last night what he said to me, I’ve forgotten it. But as I watch him help Mia pick an egg with the yolk intact, I feel a stirring of longing inside me. What would it be like if I said yes? Would weekends be like this? Would the house be filled with noise and activity and laughter?

Isn’t that something I always wanted, growing up? A full house?

Marcus is not shying from his intentions. But he’s not pushing me either. If he was, it would have been easier to fight him on this. But this man is clever and sneaky. Under those charming smiles lurks a sly fox who knows exactly how to get his way.

We eat. Or the girls eat while I push food around and watch Mia to be sure she keeps it down. And I watch Marcus because I can’t stop myself. He’s so careful with her, so gentle. He was right, I realize. He doesn’t differentiate between either of them. He treats Bella and Mia the same.

He refills Mia’s juice before she can ask for it. When she struggles with the butter knife, he spreads the butter on the toast for her. Mia is also clinging to him today. When she wants something, she asks him, rather than me. Almost as if she feels secure with him.

I catch Bella watching it too. She’s gone quiet, her drawing forgotten, her eyes moving between Mia and her uncle. I know that look. I was that kid plenty, the one nobody thought to include. While Marcus isn’t ignoring her, today he’s a bit more attentive toward my daughter.

So I put all my attention on Bella. I ask about her drawing, admire the lopsided horse, ask which pieces she likes best on the plate. She lights up, chattering, and her shoulders relax.

“Jessa?” Bella tips her head at me as Marcus clears the table and I cut some fruit for the two girls. “Are you and Mia gonna stay here forever?”

I go still and then murmur, “No, sweetheart. Once Mia’s all better, we’ll go back to our own place.”

She sighs. “I like it better when you’re here. Uncle Marcus is boring.”

“Hey.” Marcus turns from the stove, wounded. “I heard that.”

Bella sticks her tongue out at him.

“I like it here too,” Mia agrees quickly.

“Why don’t you girls pull the sofas together, but do it in the upstairs living room. Not here.” I tilt my head toward the stairs. “We’ll watch some movies.”

The two scamper off, Mia a bit slower.

“Let me help with something.” I move toward Marcus. “You can’t do all of this.”

“You’ve done enough.” His voice is a little hoarse. “Go with the girls.”

“I wanted some more coffee.”

I pour some from the pot into my cup, and Marcus says, “The poison’s not all the way out of her yet. She needs rest, and she needs to keep drinking. Water, juice, anything. It flushes the last of it through.”

“I looked it up.” I lean against the counter. “Wolfsbane. Last night, on my phone. It’s some plant, some old folklore, nothing that explains a kid seizing on the ground.” I watch him. “How do you know so much about a poison the Internet’s never heard of?”