School. Monday. Of course. Matt hadn’t even considered that. He’d been so focused on seeing Tessa that he’d forgotten about normal weekday routines.
“Come on,” Tessa beckoned him toward the kitchen. “Would you like some coffee? I just made a fresh pot.”
“That would be great, thanks.”
The kitchen was warm and inviting, with children’s artwork pinned to the fridge by an array of magnets and a vase of wildflowers on the table. Tessa moved around with comfortable familiarity, reaching for mugs from a cabinet.
“How do you take it?” she asked, pouring the rich, dark liquid into a mug.
“Black is fine.”
She handed him a mug decorated with painted handprints that were clearly made by small fingers. He took a sip. The coffee was strong and perfect.Like our mate,his bear said.
Oh yeah,Matt replied.
“I’ll be right back,” Tessa said. “Need to wake the girls.”
Matt nodded, taking another sip as she disappeared upstairs. He could hear her voice, gentle but insistent, calling to Aria and Lucy.
“Time to get up, sleepyheads! Matt’s here with a surprise for breakfast!”
There was a muffled response he couldn’t quite make out, followed by Tessa’s laugh. A sound that made him smile.
When she returned to the kitchen, Tessa pulled plates from a cabinet and carefully extracted the pastries from the bag, arranging them on a serving dish.
“These look incredible.” She looked up at him with a smile. “You know, you’re welcome for breakfast every morning if you bring these.”
Offer accepted,his bear said happily, practically purring with contentment.
“I might take you up on that,” Matt replied, trying to keep his tone light despite the surge of hope her words had triggered.
“It’s beautiful outside.” Tessa looked toward the window as her cheeks flushed pink. “Want to sit in the backyard? The morning sun is perfect right now. It’s one of the things I love about the house. That and the view of the mountains.”
“It’s a view I’ll never tire of,” Matt replied.
And I’ll never tire of the view of our mate,his bear added.
They carried their coffee and the pastries out to the small patio. Dew still clung to the grass, sparkling in the early light. A gentle breeze carried the scent of the flowers blooming along the fence line.
“Rachel’s worked hard on the garden since she moved in,” Tessa said, settling into a chair at the small wooden table.
“It shows,” Matt said, sitting across from her. The morning light caught in Tessa’s hair, highlighting strands of gold among the chestnut waves. He took another sip of coffee to distract himself from staring.Tessa pointed to a section near the tree where the fairy house they’d built still stood. “The fairy house is still standing.”
Matt chuckled. “I saw. And I’m relieved. I would not want to let the fairies down.”
“You do not,” Tessa agreed, as she leaned back in her chair. “Lucy insisted we add more sparkly rocks yesterday because, and I quote, ‘Fairies need extra sparkle on Mondays.’”
“Smart kid,” Matt said. “Mondays definitely need extra sparkle.”
Tessa broke off a piece of pastry, the flaky layers shattering delicately. “These are incredible,” she said after taking a bite. “Seriously, I’ve had pain au chocolat in actual French bakeries that weren’t this good.”
Heat crept up Matt’s neck at the praise. “Thanks. Baking was my first love in the kitchen. I love creating pastries and tempting desserts.”
“Is that why you became a chef?” Tessa asked, leaning forward slightly, her eyes intent on his face.
Matt thought about it for a moment. No one had ever asked him before. “Partly. But mostly it was growing up in a family where food was... everything. Not just sustenance, but connection. History. Love.”
“That sounds wonderful,” Tessa whispered.
