I had eggs and veggies and cheese and sausage and strawberries, so I started mixing up omelets, grilling sausage, and slicing strawberries. Too bad I didn’t have any blueberries or pancake mix. That would have been perfect.
I also didn’t have any Pop Tarts. I’d seen them in her cabinets, so I guessed some things didn’t change. They always made me think of her.
Humming softly to myself, I finished cooking and arranging everything on a tray that I used when I had meals in my recording booth.
Lea blinked her eyes open at me when I set the tray on the bed next to her.
“Good morning.”
“Mmmm,” she said, stretching and yawning. Yeah, it was going to take her a little while to wake up.
Brit and Tana had followed me, and it was going to be a challenge to keep them from trying to eat our food.
Lea finally sat up, still sleepy and disheveled.
“You hungry?” I sipped at my coffee.
Lea nodded and gazed at me. “What time is it?” Her voice was nothing more than a croak.
Yup, definitely not a morning person, my girl.
“It’s just before eight.”
Lea made a disgusted face. “It’s way too early to be up on a weekend, but I’m starving, so thank you.” She pecked a kiss on my mouth and grabbed at the coffee I’d made her, sighing as she sipped.
We got cheese on the blankets and one of the kittens tried to steal a strawberry, but it was perfect. Lea fed me with her fork, and it was silly and fun, and we kept kissing between bites.
“What did you have planned today?” I asked her. I hadn’t thought of anything beyond the wedding. It was wild that it had already happened. My mind still felt like it was gearing up and preparing for it.
“Nothing. I’d planned to be completely hung over on my couch. What about you? Aren’t you going to see Dallas today?”
Right. My brother. I’d agreed to see him. Damn.
What I wanted to do was spend the entire day with Lea, but I also needed to see Dallas.
“You can come with me,” I blurted out. “To hang out with Dallas.”
Lea raised her eyebrows and leaned back on the pillows.
“Oh, I don’t want to intrude on your family time. I’d feel like a third wheel or something.” That made sense, but I also didn’t want her to go home. If she went home, this would all be over.
“I can invite him over. He’d probably like to see the house and you can just do whatever when he’s here.” The desperation in my voice was pathetic, but I didn’t care. I’d do anything to get her to stay today.
“Or you could take the kittens for a walk. They love that.”
Her eyes lit up. “I could push the kitten stroller?”
“Absolutely.” She could dress the kittens up and take them to the park and call them her babies if she wanted. As long as she came back.
She pressed her lips together and raked her hair back from her face. “Okay. I’ll stay.”
* * *
She helpedme clean up from breakfast and we both got dressed. I sent Dallas a message asking when he wanted to meet and telling him he could come to my house. Originally my plan had been to keep Lea here, but now I’d committed to having Dallas at my home. Oops.
Good thing I kept the place pretty tidy, constantly cleaning up after the kittens. Lea offered to help, but I just asked her to mind Brit and Tana so I could actually get something done without worrying about them.
By noon the house was ready, and I was searching the fridge. It only seemed fair that I should feed him if he was coming to my house, so I threw a bunch of things on some naan I had and tossed it in the oven to make flatbreads that seemed fancier than they were.
