Myeyesblinkedopen,my vision slowly adjusting to the low light coming in from the edges of the closed blinds.The first thing I saw was Addy’s forehead.The second thing was her nose.And then I felt her finger poking my cheek and smiled at her.“Good morning, ladybug.”
She stopped poking and climbed up to squeeze in next to me.“Imagine if you had a beard and no eyes.”
“Not sure what I’d be more worried about, having a beard or no eyes.”
Her head resting on my shoulder moved up and down, and she hummed under her breath.“Imagine if you had two mouths and three arms.”
“Now that would be great.I could eat all the food and hug you more with my extra arm.”
I squeezed her to me, tickling her side.“What if your hair was made out of rubber, and instead of skin, you were covered with a layer of diamonds?”
Addy giggled.“That’s silly, Momma.”
Elana appeared next to the couch, her hair sticking up on one side and plastered to her face on the other.Her little bunny was clutched tight to her chest, and her eyes were only half open.“Can I have diamonds?”
A knock on the door made her abandon her mission of getting up on the couch, and she rushed to the door.“I want to open it.”
Addy crawled over me, her knee hitting my stomach, the breath escaping me in a rush.“I want to.”
Rolling to the side, I caught my breath and sat up.“Girls, check who it is before you open the door.”
Elana’s hand was already on the door handle, but she didn’t turn it and instead called out, “Who is it?”
“Vance.”
The deep baritone was unmistakable, and Elana and Addy must have thought so too, because they ripped the door open.Orange danced around their legs, his whole body vibrating when he saw it was Vance.
“Good morning.”He kneeled down, and the girls high-fived his outstretched hand before he gave Orange a scratch behind the ears.“I brought breakfast.”
Addy and Elana jumped up and down, talking over each other.“What is it?”
“Is it ice cream?”
Vance held the box out in front of him so they could see inside.“Donuts.”
The girls cheered and Vance stood up, chuckling.Elana held her arms up, and he scooped her up, settling her on his hip and holding her with one arm, the other hand carrying the box inside.Orange followed, his excitement now barely contained, his whole body shaking back and forth from the movement of his tail.
Vance’s eyes flicked to me, heating as soon as they wandered over my sleep-rumpled state.I wore an oversized T-shirt and shorts to bed.Not an outfit I’d ever considered to be sexy.But when Vance looked at me like that, it made me feel as if I was only dressed in skimpy lingerie.
He kicked the door closed with his foot, then walked into the kitchen, setting the donuts on the counter and Elana on one of the barstools, his eyes never leaving me.
I tugged on the hem of my T-shirt, still sitting on the couch, not sure if it would be better to stay there or get up.I wanted to get dressed, but that would mean walking to the bathroom in full view of Vance.
Addy took the decision out of my hands when she waved a donut over her head, grinning at me.“Vance has your favorite donut.”
I walked the four steps it took me to get to her and stretched out my hands, making grabby motions.“Come to Momma, my precious.”
Addy handed it over with a giggle since she knew how much I loved salted caramel.I closed my eyes once I’d taken the first bite, savoring the sweet treat.
When I opened my eyes, they clashed with Vance’s, and the expression on his face was hard to interpret.He looked to be partly in pain, partly angry.A quick check of the girls confirmed they hadn’t done anything other than devour their donuts.
Elana’s was a squishy mess, since she’d first licked the outside and was now taking bites out of random spots.Addy was holding hers with a napkin, not wanting to get her fingers dirty, taking dainty little bites.
My cheeks heated under Vance’s unwavering attention.“So, um, what are your plans for the day?”
Great question, Mae.
“I want to show you the house I bought since I need help furnishing it.”He turned to the girls.“What do you two think?Is your mom good at picking out furniture?”
