Lawson’s smile is wider now. Smug. “You’re standing just fine.”
I pointedly eye the counter I’m gripping. “Am I, though?”
“You look good from here.”
It takes me a beat. “Fucking hell, youareflirting.”
Lawson chuckles, the sound one I’m not likely to ever forget. “I’ve found I like knocking you off-kilter.”
“Why’s that?” I ask, not sure if my heart is ready to hear the answer.
He hums. “’Cause you’ve always held me up, Oak. I guess it’s nice being the one to pull you to your feet now and again.” After the briefest of pauses in which, yes, my heart thumps erratically, he says, “Plus—”
“Oh Lord, help me.”
“I’ve found it’s real easy to get you hard. And when you’re hard, you fuck me.”
“Nope,” I tell the man, aiming a stern finger his way. “Nuh-uh. You’re recovering from whiplash. You’re an injured man.Behave.”
Lawson chuckles again. Thankfully, I’m saved by a knock at the door.
“I’ll get it,” he says.
I pull the eggs off the stove as Lawson heads to the front door. When I hear who it is, I grab three plates from the cupboard instead of two.
“What are you doing here so early?” Lawson asks his daughter.
“Morning, Wen,” I call.
“Morning,” she calls back, toeing off her shoes. “Figured I’d bring this by. I know you still have a little work to finish, and you’ll just be anxious until you get it done. Even though your doctor told you to rest.”
I keep my amusement to myself as Lawson accepts his laptop bag from Wendy.
“Also,” she adds a little shyly, “I wanted to see you. ’Cause I love you or whatever. What’s for breakfast?”
“Bacon-and-cheddar biscuits plus eggs,” I tell her, catching Lawson’s eye as the two near. He’s doing his best to keep ittogether, but I can see the emotions he’s battling. “Orange juice?”
“Please,” Wendy says, pulling out a chair at the table. “So… You two?”
Lawson and I exchange a look.
There’s a lot we still need to figure out. What we’re calling this. How this change will affect our lives, separately and together. Whether or not we’ll be living in one house or two. Or if Laura is going to be a problem.
But it’s clear we’re on the same page when it comes tothis.
“Yeah,” I tell Wendy, my lips curving into a smile as Lawson’s brown eyes hold mine. “Us two.”
Chapter 29
Lawson
“I was wondering when you’d come by,” Laura says, holding open the door.
I step inside her house, onceourhouse, and take off my boots. Laura leads the way into the kitchen, pouring me a glass of water without asking if I want it.
“Feeling better?” she asks, waving me toward the living room.
“I am,” I tell her. “Neck stiffness and headaches are mostly gone.”
