“Yeah, it is. Wait until you see them together. You’ll understand.”
Mia had this smile on her face I didn’t understand, but what I thought, what I felt, didn’t matter. As long as Mia was okay with it and happy, my opinions and feelings meant squat. She deserved it after everything she’d been through. Everything she was still going through. Hell, if anyone deserved their happily ever after, it was Mia.
“Okay then.”
“I love you for worrying about me, but you don’t need to. Not about this,” Mia assured me as she wrapped me in her arms.
I kissed the top of her head and pulled away. Now I was up, I needed a shower and coffee. “Get cleaned up. And hurry! Pancakes are cooking!”
Digging through my drawers, I found a pair of cut off denim shorts and a navy tank top. The day was barely started and already it was stifling. “Don’t forget your swimmers!” Mia sung from the hallway.
I heard Matilda giggle and got myself moving. Mia was right, I didn’t want to miss this. Dragging my ass into the bathroom, I stepped under the spray of the shower and got organised.
Ten minutes later, I slumped into the chair at the dining room table as Mia set a mug of steaming coffee in front of me. She knew me too well. Since Matilda had been born, coffee had become an essential part of my diet. Without it, some days I barely functioned. It was an addiction I knew I should kick, but I couldn’t bring myself to. I’d cut back to five cups a day, but when I’d tried to go lower, I didn’t function.
Taking a sip, it tasted strong and bitter, and I loved it. “Mmmm.”
“For your own safety, do not, I repeat, do not come between that girl and her coffee!” a deep voice rumbled.
Glancing up over the rim I saw Derek standing in the doorway wearing nothing but a pair of low riding grey sleep pants and a grin. He stretched his arms high above his head, his fingers catching on the frame, and stretched his back, displaying perfectly every single indention of his muscles. I barely contained the moan.
“Seriously! Would you put a shirt on at least?” Zoe’s voice cut through and Derek’s eyes snapped open.
Just as Mia predicted, I didn’t want to miss this.
“Zoe?”
“Hey Derek!”
Zoe set the plate piled high with pancakes and crispy bacon down on the table in front of me, and the smell made my stomach grumble. Dinner last night had been half a roast beef sandwich, and now I was famished, but I couldn’t drag my eyes away from the scene in front of me.
Derek’s arms dropped to his side and his eyes darted around the room as he struggled to catch up. “What-what are you doing here? Are you okay? What’s wrong?” He fired out the questions a million miles an hour and I understood what Mia meant. She had nothing to worry about. Derek didn’t even see Zoe like that. When he looked at Mia, in the moments he didn’t think I saw, he looked like he was ready to devour her. He always found ways of touching her, whether it was as simple as holding her hand while we watched TV or standing behind her in line, with his hands resting on her hips. With Zoe it was different. Very different.
“Breathe, Derek. I’m fine,” Zoe assured him as she moved towards him. Before I knew it she was wrapped in his protective arms, her head settled on his chest.
“What the hell are you doing here?”
“Mia invited me.”
“Mia?” his voice was low raspy.
“Zoe’s coming water-skiing with us today. She’s here for the weekend. For a visit. Thought she could use a break from work, and you know how much she loves Matilda…”
“Tilda!” Matilda called out her own name. Everyone paused and looked at my daughter, who was perched in her high chair making a mess. Zoe’d given her a pancake, and I don’t know how much had actually made it in her mouth, but there was bits of it spread as far as Matilda could reach. But she was having a great time, and that’s all that mattered. And she was quiet, a miracle in itself, really.
“Just Matilda, hey?”
“And you, you big boof head. You know I missed you,” Zoe admitted as embarrassment flushed her cheeks.
“I missed you too, Pip…Zoe.” Derek hugged her tight again before letting her go. “So, pancakes and bacon, hey?”
“Yep!”
“Sweet.”
After a few moments we were all sitting around stuffing our faces on possibly the fluffiest pancakes I’d ever eaten. Damn, Zoe could cook. I wondered if she’d consider moving in permanently. I could get used to waking up to a breakfast like this every morning. Well, my hips and ass would hate me, but they already did.
“So, when are we leaving?”
