I’d thought maybe we should just have eggs this morning, save some belly space for the feast that was to come, but Miss Addie had stomped her tiny feet at the idea we weren’t having my caramel cinnamon rolls this morning becauseit’s tradition, Momma!
This child. You had to plan carefully because if you made it once, it was happening for the rest of eternity. Luckily, she’d laid down the law last night while we were having dinner at the brewery, giving me the time after she went to bed to get them set up.
I thought dinner might have been awkward, but for better or worse, Jake hadn’t been there. Drew had, and he’d joined us for a drink before taking Addie around to show her the giant tanks. The two of them had been like long-lost friends, even though he’d just babysat her on Monday. I don’t know who had a harder time getting a word in. They both talked nonstop.
The pounding of Addie’s feet brought me out of my thoughts as she raced into the kitchen. Today’s outfit was her pink tutu, striped leggings, and a flippy sequin T-shirt that had a rainbow on it. Her bare feet showed off her nail polish, with a different color on each toe. If my parents were here, they’d admonish me for those bare feet. Lord knows they wouldn’t think that was appropriate dress, much less in the winter, but fortunately for all of us, they weren’t here.
“Moooommmmmaaaaaa,” her singsong voice called as she spun in circles around me.
Holding back a laugh, I looked down. “Yes, baby?”
“My rolls smell sooooooo good,” she said again as she spun.
I held back an eye roll as I reach into a low cupboard to grab the grater to start prepping for the mac and cheese. “Is that what you wanted to share?” I asked. We had the Macy’s parade on in the living room. Addie loved watching the balloons, so I was honestly surprised she wasn’t glued to the set.
“No,” she said. “I wanted to bring my big boys back.”
At that, I stood up so quickly that I forgot to move back and hit my head on the inside top of the cabinet.
“Sugar cookie,” I muttered, rubbing my head as I finally stood and then turned toward the opening to the kitchen. Yep, sure enough, Drew and Jake both stood there, watching me. Drew looked amused, Jake concerned as he crossed to where I was.
“Ivy,” he murmured, lightly sliding my hair around, I’d assume to check and see if I broke the skin. “You need to be more careful, babe.”
I took a step back, wanting to put a breath of distance between us.
Looking from Drew to Jake to Addie, I asked the only question I could think of. “Did I miss something?”
Jake looked confused as he glanced to Addie and Drew, who immediately laughed. Oh boy. Now I knew why she insisted on a double batch of cinnamon rolls.
“Ads, did you invite the big boys over for breakfast?” I asked.
“I invited them for Thanksgiving.” She put her hands together under her chin, trying to look angelic. “But Momma, they haven’t had your rolls, and you said it’s nice to share. Theyhadto come this morning.”
Drew muttered, “I think Jake has tried her rolls.”
Jake leaned over and slapped his arm. “Knock it off.”
Addie looked from the two of them to me with confusion. “Momma? You made rolls for Jakey and didn’t give me any? Did he like them?”
Drew choked out a laugh and had the decency to mouthsorryin my direction. “Princess, was that the parade on in the other room? Want to watch with me?”
Addie’s jazz hands shot up as she raced back to the front of the house shouting, “Parade!” as she went.
Jake looked over to me. “I’m sorry. I thought youandAddie had talked to Drew last night to invite us here today. I’d apologize for Drew, but really, at this point, I think you know what to expect.”
I snorted, nodding my head, and turned back to the oven. Checking the rolls, I saw they were ready. I slid them out and turned back to Jake as I tossed the pot holders on the counter.
“Sorry, I just wasn’t expecting you guys.” I gestured at my outfit. “Clearly.” I mean, I loved my pajamas. I’d bought them as a gift to myself last Christmas with my parents’ check that was supposed to be for something appropriate for me. I figured a pajama set from Anthropologie that I’d never spend the money on was perfectly appropriate, as was the pink bralette I wore with it. I often left off the button-down top and just wore the bralette and the pants, like during my yoga practice. Thankfully, I’d pulled the top back on this morning after I stretched. Looking down, I’d wished I’d buttoned it before seeing Drew.
Meeting Jake’s eyes, I was taken aback by the heat simmering there. Holy moly. Jake took a step toward me, then another. “Babe, these pajamas…” His voice trailed off as his hand came out and then dropped, as if he couldn’t decide what to do. “Jesus. I could get a headache from looking at this print.”
I took a step toward Jake, but then paused. I felt like there was so much to say, but I didn’t know where to begin. I went with the topic at hand. “So you don’t like them?”
He ran a hand over his face. “Nope, not saying that.” His gaze found mine. “You haven’t messaged me back.”
I gulped. “I didn’t know what to say.”
“And now? Do you still need space?”
