Page 44 of From the Embers
“And if I don’t?”
I smiled, a whole swarm of butterflies taking flight in my stomach. “Then I’m here for whatever you need.”
He dipped his head with gratitude, plastered on a grin that never made it to his eyes, and lifted his daughter into the air above his head. “All right, cranky pants. Short nap means early bedtime, but we have the whole afternoon ahead of us. What are we doing today, ladies?”
BREE
The day was somber, both in mood and in view. An afternoon fog rolled in, grounding us to the cabin—not that Eason was up for doing much more than sitting on the couch and staring at his daughter.
They colored.
He let her brush his hair.
They even played a lively game of “Luna, where are you?” in which she sat in front of him and he pretended he couldn’t see her.
I tried to stay out of their way by tidying up the cabin and eventually preparing soup and grilled cheese for dinner. But every so often, I’d feel Eason’s gaze slide my way. I didn’t have to look at him for my cheeks to heat or my stomach to flip.
Holy shit. Had I really kissed him? And oh, holy shit one further… Had he really kissed me back?
Honestly, what God-awful timing. He’d just found out that his daughter might not be his. Obviously, that’s an appropriate time to put the moves on a man. But it didn’t feel wrong, either. Emotions were high, the shards of our broken hearts crunching on the floor beneath our feet, but just as it had always been, even while we’d been shattered and gasping for breath, it was just Eason and me, surviving in the only way we knew how: together.
We ate and I was impressed he actually had an appetite.
I drew Luna a bath, and he sat on the floor next to her, splashing his hand in the water, the most beautiful love I’d ever seen blazing from his eyes.
While he got her ready for bed, I swept already clean floors, wiped down crumbless counters, and reorganized the clutter-free fridge. Unfortunately, I’d had enough practice in being there for Eason in the midst of catastrophic upheaval, but the kiss had me reeling. There were lines and boundaries now that had never been there before. Only a day earlier, a hug had been just a show of support or an offering of comfort.
It also was entirely possible I was reading too much into our kiss. Maybe it was just a moment of weakness, the desperate desire to replace his anguish with pleasure.
Was it different now that I knew how he tasted?
Was a touch more than a touch now that I knew how it felt to have his strong hands gripping my ass?
Had it been a one-time thing?
Should I apologize?
Kiss him again?
Launch myself into his arms?
Grab my keys and…
“You okay?” he asked, suddenly appearing outside Luna’s room, quietly pulling the door shut behind him.
“Oh, um…yeah. Sorry, I was zoning out.” I put the dish I was redrying back in the cabinet and discarded the towel next to the sink. “How’d it go in there? Is she asleep?”
He blew out a hard exhale and gripped the back of his neck, his tattooed forearm giving a spectacular show. “She’s exhausted, so she fought it for a while, but I think she’s finally out.”
“That’s good.”
“Mmm,” he hummed, the long top of his blond hair falling into his face when he looked down at his feet.
My stomach knotted as an awkward silence blanketed the room. I hadn’t been with anyone other than Rob in almost a decade, so I had no idea what the proper protocol was after you put the moves on your closest friend on what was possibly the hardest day of his life. And besides looking purely mouthwatering standing there, Eason was giving me no clues to work with, either.
Though it might have been the most telling part of all. That awkwardness. The uncomfortable silence. Insecurities. That wasn’t us.
Us was something I knew how to do.
After padding barefoot around the counter, I stopped in front of him. “How ya holding up?”
His head tipped back and his weary eyes flashed open. “I’m tired. I need to hit the bed before I pass out standing up.”
“Yeah. Of course. I could sleep for a night or twelve too.”
He nodded and gave my hip a squeeze before walking past me to the bedroom on the other side of the living area.
Right. Okay, so maybe I was overthinking things for nothing—again. This wasn’t eighth grade. Adults could kiss and it not be a big deal. Tomorrow morning, we’d probably laugh about it. I might even make a joke about how absolutely perfect his lips were…
Shit.
But it was a conversation for another day. He was exhausted. That was fine. REM provided a plethora of mental and emotional benefits. I would never deny him that—not even for my own selfish sanity.
