Then she narrows her eyes. “Are you making tea?”
Pops answers for me. “He is. Apparently, he has hidden domestic talents that he hid for the last decade.”
Sloane’s mouth twitches. “Shocking.”
“I’m just full of surprises.” I lift a brow. “Don’t sound so disappointed.”
She rolls her eyes and starts unpacking the bags we got from the store. Applesauce, tea, a couple bananas, crackers—things she didn’t have to buy but did anyway, because that’s what she does. She plans for every possible need like it’s her job.
She holds out something I didn’t see in the cart.
“Here,” she says, handing me a bag of peanut butter M&M’s, which happen to be my favorite. “Figured you might deserve these as an award for being less annoying today.”
My chest tightens, and I have to look away. My gaze flies to Pops, who has a brow raised at me, a smirk causing the lines around his eyes to crinkle just a little more than usual.
Meddler.
She sets the applesauce onto the counter with a firm little thunk, then turns to me like she’s doing a formal report.
“There,” she says. “The world is saved.”
I smirk. “Thank God. I was worried.”
Sloane’s eyes flash. “You’re welcome.”
“I didn’t say thank you.”
“You don’t have to,” she snaps. Then her face tightens like she realizes what she just said.
Becauseshedid it.
And she cares so much it leaks out as anger.
Pops clears his throat, amused. “Do I get tea, or are you two going to do whatever this is all night?”
Sloane’s cheeks flush. “Tea.”
I turn back to the kettle, because focusing on water boiling is safer than focusing on her.
The kettle whistles. I pour carefully, hands steady, and drop the teabag into Pops’s mug.
Sloane watches me like she’s waiting for me to mess it up.
I glance at her. “What?”
She lifts her chin. “Don’t scald him.”
I huff. “I’m not incompetent.”
Sloane’s mouth twitches. “Debatable.”
Pops chuckles, taking the mug when I slide it across the table. “Thank you, son.”
The word hits me so hard my throat tightens.
Son.
He says it casually, like it’s natural. Like I’ve always been here. Like I belong.
