“We really need to figure this out, baby, because I’m going to have moments where I can’t worry about how my tone and words will affect you,” he said. “I am always on your side, though, so can you maybe give me a little leeway?”
I bit my lip. “Can you promise you’ll at leasttryto be kinder even when you’re stressed?”
“Yes.” He kissed my nose. “Drink your coffee. Do you want a muffin or something?”
“Are you going to tell me what’s going on?”
“No.”
I frowned. “Then, the wifi password would be great.”
“You need to eat.”
“I need to get some work done,” I said.
“I’ll give you the password as soon as you tell me what you want to eat,” he bargained.
“Eggs over easy, bacon, hash browns, and an English muffin.”
He dropped his head back and laughed. “I’ll see what we have in the kitchen.”
He gave me the password, then walked away and I focused on getting some work done.
About half an hour later, Stoney walked back over to me, lifting my computer off my lap. “Breakfast, or more accurately, brunch,” he said, taking my hand and pulling me off the sofa. He led me into the kitchen where eggs, bacon, and hash browns awaited me. “We only had sourdough, so hopefully, that’ll work.”
“Oh my god, I was half kidding,” I admitted. “This looks amazing.” I faced him and gripped his vest. “Thank you.”
“Forgiven?”
“You were forgiven before this, honey. This absolutely gives you bonus points, though.”
He grinned, leaning down to kiss me. “I’ll take ’em.”
We sat at the big industrial island and ate our breakfast while another pot of coffee brewed. His phone buzzed and he frowned as he answered it. “Yeah? Shit. No, Aero, it’s non-negotiable.” He glanced at me, before standing and walking out of the room.
I sighed and finished my breakfast, then cleaned up and went back to work. I didn’t see Stoney again for over an hour. This was actually not a bad thing, because I managed to get quite a bit done, which meant I had time to take a legitimate break.
“Hey,” I said.
“Hey,” he returned, distractedly. He was reading something on his phone and then his fingers were flying over the screen.
“I was going to make something to eat. Unless you want to go out?”
“No time, baby.” He finally looked at me and smiled. “And you can’t leave the compound, so we’re not goin’ out.”
“I have to pick up Felix in an hour.”
“Can you get your brother to do it?”
I frowned. “Is it that serious?”
“Yeah, baby, it is.”
“What’s going on?”
“I can’t tell you right now.”
“That’s not good enough, Noah,” I said.
