"I'm fine." She shakes her head. "My stomach always does that in the morning. I'm not hungry."
"Bullshit." I grit it out.
I haven't taken many beefs with her mother over the years. But this food thing is going to fucking stop right now.
I drag her over to the island, lift her up onto the edge, and shove my body between her legs, settling her arms up onto my shoulders as I grab her by the waist. My fingertips practically meet along the indent of her spine.
"You need food. You cannot be your best starved half to death." She opens her mouth and I pull one hand from her waist and clamp it over her lips. "There are some things that are going to be non-negotiable. Your health is non-negotiable. So, we're going to get you on fresh real food. Fruit, vegetables, fish. I know you don't like meat. I'll respect that. But I already have the best naturopath in the city lined up. We have an appointment next week. Full panel of blood work. We're going to find out what your nutrition levels actually are, get you on whatever supplements you need, and then we're going to follow their advice. Your body is going to be healthy. You can dance, but you're not going to dance yourself into the ground."
I release her mouth and she exhales and I take whatever protest she was mounting with my mouth.
She tastes like cinnamon. She must have found the items in the toiletry items I set out for her.
I can’t deny the satisfaction that providing for her brings me. Over the years, I’ve bought things for her. Taken her shopping, bought her the car on her sixteenth birthday.
I took some shit for that one from Scotch. He and I are the same, but managing money has never been one of his strong suits. I’ve helped him out over the years. What’s mine is his, but he didn’t have the chops at the time to get her a car so I said I’d help.
He gave me a few grand he had and I guess he expected me to get her some beater but when I showed up with a black MercedesS580 with a pink bow on the top, I guess it hit him in the pride nuts a little bit.
Too fucking bad. Man up. It was about Elodie, not him. He got over it. In his heart, she’s the most important thing to him as well.
Another thing we have in common.
I work her little mouth with mine. Kissing is something I never enjoyed before. I don’t remember kissing a woman since I was probably twenty. I’d fuck. Do other things, but kissing…it was personal.
But, with Elodie?
Fuck, I’m like a teenager in the backseat of the car parked at make-out ridge. I could kiss her for hours. Days. A lifetime.
When I finally pull back, she gasps. “Wow.” Her eyes unfocused. “I’ve never really kissed before. I like it. I want to do that a lot.”
I chuckle, an unfamiliar sensation flipping around in my belly knowing she liked it as much as me. “Me too baby. Me. too.”
She helps me with the cooking because, I’m helpless when it comes to that.
I feed her sitting on my lap, another joy that has already taken root inside me. She waves me off after about a half a portion and I don’t push.
“Two more bites.” I say, “Then you can be done.”
She mounts a small protest but in the end, I win.
Daddy always wins.
CHAPTER 6
Elodie
Her mother's face fills the screen and I arrange mine into something neutral before she can read anything useful in it.
"Rye." A smile that doesn't reach anything. "Thank you for being there."
"Happy to help."
She has no idea how much.
Adrienne moves on from me immediately, which suits us both. I lean against the counter with my coffee, watching and listening.
"You look tired," she tells Elodie.
