“Cool!” Tommy’s eyes go wide.
I clear my throat. “I didn’t say yes to that, boys.”
Three pairs of eyes turn to me—two hopeful, one lit up like I’m fighting a losing battle.
“We’ll talk about it later,” I say, giving Caleb a look that clearly says this isn’t over.
He just winks at me and slides a plate of perfect golden pancakes onto the table.
The rest of breakfast passes in a blur of sticky syrup, the boys chattering about what they hope Santa will bring them for Christmas, and Caleb refilling my coffee cup whenever it gets low.
It feels weird, but in a good way.
“We’re gonna buy our Christmas tree today!” I announce, taking a bite of pancake. “I promised the boys we’d go get one as soon as we were settled.”
Jackson’s face lights up. “Yes!”
“Can Dread come with us?” Tommy asks, surprising me. My serious, cautious son who rarely warms up to anyone wants a man to come with us.
My brows go up. This is definitely a weird morning.
“Yeah! He has to come!” Jackson insists, bouncing in his chair.
My eyes meet his across the table, silently asking if that’s okay with him.
His face softens, and he nods his head. “I’d like that.”
“Me too,” I whisper, meaning it.
“Yay!” both boys cheer.
After my boys have finished off the last of the pancakes and their bellies are full, I rinse the dishes and load them into the ancient dishwasher. The thing has to be at least twenty years old.
Not that I’m complaining; beggars can’t be choosers.
With the mess from breakfast cleaned up, I announce, “I’m going to hop in the shower real quick.”
“Need any help with that?” Caleb murmurs as he passes behind me, his hand giving my butt a quick squeeze that makes me yelp.
I swat at him, blushing. “The boys,” I remind him in a whisper.
He grins wickedly. “They’re fine. Tommy’s showing Jackson how to build a fort with the moving boxes.”
I shake my head and head toward the bathroom, very aware of his eyes on me as I walk away.
Once inside, I turn on the water to let it warm up. I grab a towel from the cupboard and set it on the counter, then strip out of my clothes and step into the warm spray.
I’m just getting my hair wet when the shower curtain is suddenly pulled open. I squeak in surprise.
Caleb stands there, gloriously naked, with a devilish grin on his face.
“What are you doing?” I hiss, crossing my arms over my chest even though he’s seen it all before.
He steps in behind me and reaches around to grab the bar of soap. “Saving water. Being eco-friendly and all that shit.”
“My boys?—”
“Told you, baby. They’re busy building their fort. Now slide over.”
