“I’ll never finish a meal if I let you help me in the kitchen all the time.”
My hands skate under the hem of her T-shirt and run up her ribcage. “I’m not doing anything.”
“You know exactly what you’re doing.” She laughs.
“Okay then.” I step back, and she glances over her shoulder seeing me leaning against the opposite counter, watching her. “What are your thoughts about cooking naked?”
“I think I like my skin too much.”
I laugh, but we’re interrupted by the oven buzzer for the bacon. I grab the hot pad and pull the tray out of the oven before putting the strips on the paper-towel-covered plate she already set out.
Then I butter the toast as she finishes the eggs. This is exactly what I want every day for the rest of my life. Just her and me conquering simple tasks together.
I plate our meals while she puts all the dirty dishes in the sink, then I take the plates to the table.
Her breakfast nook is tucked into the corner of the kitchen and is the only part of the house that feels like her. Built-in benches wrap the walls, the cushions covered in some soft, pretty fabric I never would’ve chosen. It shows the promise of what this house could become with some time and attention.
Pen slides in next to me, her knee hitting mine. “There’s just one more thing.”
“And here I thought I was the list-maker out of the two of us.” I pick up my fork and dig into my eggs. I barely ate my meal last night, and although we raided her kitchen in between shower sex and me discovering how much she loves my mouth on her pussy, I’m still starving.
“These are important issues.” She sits back and brings her coffee mug to her lips. “And you’ll come to learn we’re on a time crunch. Hazel is supposed to be home at noon.”
“I’ll be leaving at 11:59 then.”
She laughs, and I bump my knee to hers. There’s a lot of stuff ahead of us that we have to deal with, but I know we’ll do this together.
“It’s about Hazel’s dad, Deck.”
I stop eating when I hear her tone. The worry there raises my antenna. I wipe my mouth and sit back to give her my full attention.
“I can’t tell you who he is. I signed an NDA while I was still pregnant with her. He pretty much…” She puts her mug down and inhales a deep breath.
I take her hand, squeezing so she knows she can tell me whatever it is, and I’ll still be here. That there’s nothing she could tell me that would ever make me leave.
“He paid me off to go away. It’s the reason I don’t have to work and have had the luxury of being a stay-at-home single mom. But if I tell anyone who he is, including her, I have to pay restitution plus a large percentage.”
The fuck? Who the hell is Hazel’s father? That’s my first thought. I’m not even sure how much money we’re talking about. This house wasn’t cheap, and I assumed it all came from her mom’s family. Her mom’s side is well off. The wealthiest family I knew of in Philly. So I assumed she got some kind of trust when she turned a certain age.
I squeeze her hand again. “Okay.”
“You’re okay not knowing? It’s a secret between us, and I don’t want anything between us.” A tear slips down her cheek.
I push her table back and urge her to straddle me on the bench. She does, and I take her face in my palms, brushing away the tears.
“It’s okay. I get it. Whatever the two of you decided is your business. We’re good.”
“Really?” She says it as though she can’t believe I would be good with this news.
“Whatever happened in between all of our almosts stays there. Hazel is wonderful, and I feel bad that her dad didn’t want a relationship with her, but I’m glad she has a mom who didn’t back down. You fought for what you want.”
“You don’t think I’m weak for just taking the money?”
My thumb catches more tears. “God, no. You did what was best for you and Hazel, and your future.”
She falls into my arms, and I run my hands down her back. “I wish I could tell you. I really do.”
“It’s fine, Pen. I mean that. It doesn’t matter to me. I want to get to know Hazel even more and figure out where my relationship can stand with her.”
