This time when Trey smiled, Magnus was almost certain he saw Trey’s heart in his eyes.
***
Ava was roused from a good dreamby a delicious smell. She wasn’t sure what it was, but it was definitely food.
She rolled from her stomach to her back, sniffing the air as she opened her eyes and brought the room into focus. It was dark, with the exception of the lamp on Magnus’s nightstand. It was dimmed, but she could see enough to make out his form sitting on the edge of the mattress.
“Mornin’,” he greeted softly.
She smiled. “Mornin’. What time is it?”
“Five.”
Ava grumbled, closing her eyes and covering them with her arm. “But I don’t hafta get up till six.”
“Today you do.”
“Why? Are you plannin’ to ravish me again?” She peeked out from under her arm. “Because I certainly wouldn’t say no to that.”
“I’ll be more than happy to, but first, I made you breakfast.”
Too curious not to look, she dropped her arm and opened her eyes. “Magnus Storme, you don’t know your way around a microwave. How’d—”
Magnus produced a plate of chocolate chip pancakes with a dandelion sticking out of the top. The moment she saw them, she grinned so wide, her eyes darting to his face as her belly did a somersault.
“Happy birthday, Ava.”
Her throat constricted, and tears formed, but she couldn’t stop smiling. She knew she looked like an idiot, but these were her favorites. The last time she’d had them had been… It had been so long ago.
“It was your tenth birthday,” Magnus said softly. “You stayed over, and my mom made these for you.”
“An all-you-can-eat pancake breakfast,” Ava noted.
“I didn’t realize the significance of them until I watched her give them to you. You fought the urge to cry even though your smile was so bright it nearly blinded me.”
“You remember that?”
“Every detail.”
Ava propped up on her elbow and plucked the dandelion from the center. “And the significance of this?”
“Trey’s idea. I didn’t…” His gaze lowered. “I don’t have any candles.”
She put a hand on his arm. “This is even better.”
Ava knew Magnus didn’t have candles, not for birthday cakes and not for home decor. There wasn’t even a lighter in the house, nor were there any matches or anything else that would produce a flame or require it. Even the stove was electric, as were the water heater and the heat pump. She understood why, although Magnus had never said.
“It’s perfect.” She drew it closer but resisted the urge to blow on it since the seeds would go everywhere. “Your dad was right when he told us if we could blow them all off in one breath, the person we loved would love us back.”
Magnus set the plate of pancakes on the nightstand, took the dandelion from her fingers, and set it aside before pulling the blankets off her and crawling into bed. His warmth was more than enough to keep the chill at bay.
“Where’s Trey? He still makin’ pancakes?”
“He’s takin’ Billy some. A thank you for lettin’ me be here with you.”
As he moved over her, she curled her arms around his neck. “I knew you didn’t make them.”
“At least this way, they’re edible,” he whispered, placing a kiss on her lips.
