His phone pinged again.
Sorry!
“Damn,” Daniel muttered, swinging his legs over the side of the bed. His bear stirred uneasily, sensing the sudden spike in his stress levels.
The digital clock read 6:17. He needed to get to the bakery as soon as possible, and he hadn’t even woken the kids yet.
With a sigh, he texted his reply.
You have nothing to be sorry for. I’ll be there as soon as I can.
Daniel moved through his morning routine at double speed, his mind racing ahead to the logistics. The kids were his main concern. They couldn’t miss school, and he hated ruining their routine. He knew only too well what their life was like without one.
He pulled on jeans and a clean flannel shirt, trying to calm the growing tightness in his chest. This wasn’t the first time he’d juggled a bakery emergency with parenting. He’d manage. He always did.
Daniel padded down the stairs, his mind whirling with logistics. He needed coffee—desperately needed coffee—to sort through this mess. How was he going to get the kids to school and himself to the bakery in time? His bear paced anxiously, sensing his rising stress.
The kitchen was quiet in the early morning light. Daniel moved on autopilot, scooping coffee grounds into the filter, filling the reservoir with water. The familiar ritual usually calmed him, but today his thoughts kept jumping ahead to the bakery. No, Carl meant they’d be short-staffed during the morning rush and with supplies delayed.
“Morning.”
Daniel nearly dropped the coffeepot. Holly stood in the doorway, her dark hair tousled from sleep, drowning in one ofhis old t-shirts that she’d adopted as a nightshirt. She looked soft and warm and utterly kissable.
His bear immediately perked up, forgetting all about the bakery crisis.
“Morning,” Daniel managed, setting the coffeepot down carefully.
Holly tilted her head, studying his face. “What’s wrong?”
The question startled him. How had she read him so easily? It was as if she were attuned to his moods already, the way his bear was to hers.
“Bakery drama,” he sighed, holding up his phone to show her the text. “Carl is sick, and the delivery is late.”
“Okay,” Holly said, moving toward him with purpose. “Why don’t you go, and I’ll take care of the kids?”
Daniel opened his mouth, then closed it again. The offer was so unexpected, so perfectly timed, that for a moment he couldn’t find words.
That would solve all of your problems,his bear observed.Except for the one where you want to spend every waking moment with her.
“I can’t ask you to do that,” Daniel finally said, his voice rough with emotion.
Holly’s lips curved into a gentle smile. “You’re not asking. I am offering.” She moved past him, her arm brushing his as she reached for the coffeepot. The casual contact sent warmth spreading through his chest.
She poured two mugs and handed one to him. “Drink this first, have something to eat, and then get going.”
Daniel accepted the coffee, wrapping his fingers around the warm ceramic. He looked around the kitchen, suddenly overwhelmed by what was happening. This was such a big deal.He was going to leave Holly in charge of the kids for the first time, on her own.
Don’t worry about it,his bear said,they love her. They’ll be fine.
Daniel snorted softly.I’m more worried about Holly. What if they scare her off?
His bear rolled his eyes.She can handle them. You’ve seen what she’s like with them.
“Are you sure?” Daniel asked.
“Absolutely,” Holly replied, taking a sip of her coffee with such calm confidence that Daniel felt his stress level drop a notch or two.
He nodded, drinking his coffee in grateful silence. Holly moved around the kitchen with easy familiarity, pulling bread from the pantry and setting it in the toaster. The domesticity of the moment hit Daniel with unexpected force.
