“Your place doesn’t look like a bachelor’s pad,” Madi said as she walked up behind me.
“Thank you?” I assumed she meant because it was clean and tidy.
“It’s a compliment.”
“Thank you.” I resisted the urge to wrap my arm around her shoulder. “You want a coffee?”
“Yes, please.”
My coffee maker was on the bar, so I didn’t have to disturb Mary to grab the pot.
Chapter 53
Madi
While my mom cooked what was now being called brunch, I sat at the table with Matt, Shane, and my dad. I was only half listening because my mind kept going back to Matt calling his apartment our place, his bed our bed.
Our.He keeps throwing that word around, but I don’t live here.
I couldn’t talk to him about it until we were alone again, so I tried to focus on the conversation as Shane told Dad more about his ranch and they compared stories about raising rowdy teenagers.
“You okay?” Matt asked, grabbing my hand.
Two extra sets of eyes strayed toward me, waiting for the answer.
“Yeah, just tired.” It was more an exaggeration than a lie. “Food will help.”
“Good thing it’s done. John, can you help me carry it in?”
Dad was on his feet in a heartbeat. So was Shane.
Mom had made scrambled eggs with green onion and tomato, pancakes, bacon, sausage, toast, and hash browns. Plus, she’d cut up fresh fruit.
“Looks like you got your wish,” Shane said to Matt.
“What wish was that?” Mom asked as she finally sat down.
Matt grinned, “I was hoping you’d make enough for leftovers,” he admitted with zero shame. “I make breakfast for myself, but nothing half as good as this. This,”—he spread his good arm—“is a feast fit for a king.”
“Well, you deserve it.”
“Dig in,” Dad added, lifting his fork.
Matt didn’t bother answering; instead, he took a big bite and savored every second.
Watching him was hypnotic and a bit of a turn on. The joy on his face. The happy groans he made. The sparkle in his eye when he caught me staring.
“I’ll get it,” Matt said when someone knocked on his door.
When he closed the door, he had a floral arrangement in his hand.
I wiped away the extra moisture in my eyes when he set the crystal vase packed full of purple, pink, and white flowers on the table where my plate had been.
“They’re beautiful.” I leaned in and inhaled the heady floral scent. “Thank you.”
Dad ushered Matt and me to the living room while he and Shane cleared the table. “It’s not every day you get to have someone take care of you. Sit back and enjoy it.”
So I did. Enough so that when I sank into the big, dark brown leather couch, my eyelids gained a hundred pounds and I didn’t have the strength to hold my head up.
