“Okay…”
“Let me hear you sayI got this, Young Prince.”
LJ puffed out his chest. “I got this.”
“Aight!” Xander laughed. “So go ‘head, crack them in this bowl. Try to keep the shells out, but if they get in there, it’s cool.” He pressed a hand to his chest. “Uncle Xander will help you fish them out.”
“Cool!” LJ shouted, already reaching for an egg.
Xander turned to Nova. “Let’s get the pancake batter together so you can mix it up, Princess.”
She did a little dance on her way to the bowl that made him laugh out loud.
He loved this—being here, in their world, soaking up their energy.
And he thought Rylee was warming up to it too.
But every chance she got, she tried to cool it down.
He understood why. And yeah, it still stung.
Nova was stirring batter when Rylee moved past him to toss her empty coffee cup in the trash. He stepped behind her, pressing his hands to the counter on either side of her, caging her in.
“You gonna tell me I make better pancakes than you again?”
“No,” she replied flatly, turning in his arms to face him. “I’m gonna tell you not to pop up anymore… again.”
He leaned back slightly, a little stunned. But he forced a smile, pecked her cheek, and buried his face in her neck.
That pulled a giggle out of her before she pushed him away.
He tried not to take it personal. He hadn’t planned this—hadn’t meant to fall for her or her babies. But once he did, everything just fit.
Her. Her kids. This life.
How the hell was he supposed to ignore that?
“Aye.” He caught her arm gently before she could walk away. “I’m sorry, okay? I was in the area on my day off, and I just wanted to chill with y’all this morning.”
She sighed and whispered, “Which makes me a totalbitchfor even fussing about it, Xander.”
“Aye, yo,” he whispered back, flicking her lip playfully with his fingertip. “Don’t youevercall my girl abitch. Are you crazy?” He stepped closer, lowered to her level. “You want problems with me? You tryna square up? What’s up? What’s good, shorty?”
She tossed her head back laughing, then pushed him again.
“I did it!” LJ announced. “No shells!”
“Perfect!” Xander clapped. “I knew you could do it. I’ll be over there in two minutes.”
Rylee’s voice came low. “The kids are getting too comfortable.”
Damn. She really said that. Out loud.
It burned. But he knew better than to push. She wasn’t there yet.
He furrowed his brows. “Too comfortable with what? Being loved, Snoop?”
She blinked quickly, then squeezed her eyes shut. Her hands slid down her face and dropped to her sides. “I just… I don’t want them thinking you’re their daddy.”
