“I’ll be there to pick you up, as usual.” She kissed his forehead. “Be good. I love you.”
“Love you too, Mama.”
I looked away, a burning pain pushing through my abdomen at watching the simple but delicate moment between a mother and son.
“Thank you,” Savannah said, grasping my forearm before she headed out of the kitchen.
“Don’t mention it,” I said casually, but I had to push those three words out around the lump in my throat.
“It’s just me and you, kid,” I said, retaking my seat at the table to finish my breakfast.
Aiden smiled up at me, mouth full of pancakes.
“I think you’re supposed to chew, then swallow,” I teased as he went to stuff another forkful of pancakes into his mouth.
“They’re so good,” he commented. “Chocolate chip pancakes are my favorite. My second fave are pancakes with sprinkles. Have you ever had those?” he asked.
I paused, glancing upward as if trying to recall if I’d ever eaten the food he believed to be a delicacy. “No, I don’t think I have.”
“You should ask Mama to make them for you,” Aiden recommended. “Hers are the best, I think. But she only makes them on my birthday.”
“Is that right?” I asked.
He nodded. “Yup. I love pancakes.”
I chuckled. “My kid brother is like you but with waffles. He only eats waffles for breakfast.”
“Every day?” Aiden asked.
“Every. Day.”
“Mama won’t let me have the same thing every day. She says variety in food is important.” He shrugged and wrinkled his forehead. “I don’t know, for health or something.”
I grinned and nudged with my head at the tablet. “What are you watching?”
“The Loud Houseon YouTube.”
He went into great detail about the show featuring an eleven-year-old girl with ten siblings.
“I wish I had brothers and sisters,” he said all of a sudden, his gaze lowering.
I cleared my throat. “I have two brothers, and the sh—it’s not always all that great,” I tried to reassure.
His frown deepened, and then he shrugged. “Still, I’d like a brother. I might even be okay with a sister.”
I laughed.
“How come you don’t have any kids?”
I almost choked on the last bite of my eggs that I’d just taken. I covered my mouth to cough up the eggs without spraying the table with them.
“Um, shit.” I blinked, not remembering the time I felt this damn flustered. “Don’t tell your mama I cursed.”
He gave me a confused look.
“Anyway, how did you sleep?” A change in the subject was what was needed.
I thought it was a safe topic until he dropped his gaze, unable to look me in the eye any longer.
