The taste of chocolate would be much better if I was tasting it from her fingers.
From her lips.
“Jack?”
I shake the thought away. “Sorry, what?”
Rumi’s cheeks redden, and her soft smile tells me she caught me staring, but she doesn’t say anything about it. Instead, she asks, “Can I lay her down in one of your extra bedrooms?”
“There aren’t any beds in either one of those rooms yet,” I answer, reminding myself that I need to order that baby stuff as soon as I get the chance.
“Oh, okay. I’ll guess I can just head h?—”
“No,” I interrupt, not even wanting to think about her going home yet. I can’t remember the last time I felt this light, this carefree, thishappyin months. I’m not ready for it to end yet. “We can lay her down in my bedroom.”
Rumi watches me carefully. “Are you sure?”
“Absolutely.” There’s a crack in my throat at the thought of Rumi anywhere near my bedroom, even if it’s just to lay her daughter down to sleep.
She ponders for a moment before looking toward the living room behind her. “It’s actually probably better if I can see her, so I think the playmat is a better idea. She’s a pretty heavy sleeper, but we might need to be a little quiet until she’s out.”
“Of course,” I say, and “I’ll put these in while you get her settled. We can save the park for another time since she’s tired.”
“Okay,” she answers, heading toward the living room where we left Evee’s playmat.
With Rumi putting Evee down, I can’t ignore the nervous energy in the air that wasn’t there just a second ago.
Up until now, any time I’ve been with Rumi, we’ve been around other people or it’s been me, her, and Evee. The awareness of it truly just being the two of us with Evee asleep wraps itself around me, causing a flicker in my stomach at the thought.
“What happened to only having a bite?” Rumi asks me, reaching to grab another cookie from the plate between us on the couch.
“These actually aren’t too bad,” I say, finishing the last bite of my second cookie. “Even with all the chocolate chips you added.”
“I’m glad you liked them. The burgers too. I know they’re not for everyone.” She takes a bite of her second cookie.
“What made you decide to go vegan?” I ask, never wanting to stop asking her questions, wanting to learn anything and everything about her.
She chews slowly, her brows furrowed as if she really has to think about the answer. “It wasn’t exactly by choice.” She putsthe rest of her cookie back on her plate, wringing her hands together in her lap.
I watch her carefully, waiting for her to continue. I can tell she’s nervous, and that puts me on edge.
“I had to get a kidney removed, and the doctor recommended a vegan diet to reduce my protein load and phosphorus intake, so I didn’t strain my remaining kidney since it was damaged too.”
This catches me off guard, and I feel a wave of protectiveness for her. “What happened? Was it from the accident?”
“No, it was from before. I had, um, a fall before I got pregnant with Evee. But I’m totally fine now. It’s more precautionary than anything.”
Her answer gives me pause, the same way she tries to make it seem like getting an organ removed isn’t a big deal. “You had a fall?” I ask, hoping she’ll tell me what the fuck kind of fall caused enough kidney damage bad enough to need one removed.
Rumi nods. “What about you?” she asks, her tone brighter than it was a second ago, but it feels forced. “Ever broken a bone? Stitches? An organ removed?”
I let her change the subject but just for a moment, leaning back on the couch and crossing my arms. “I broke my arm when I was nine. Bennett pushed me off a table, and I hit my funny bone so hard that it shattered my arm.”
“You broke your funny bone? Is that why you barely smile?” Rumi teases.
“Very funny, pretty girl. Tell me what other battle scars you have.” I need to know more about what happened to her—there’s no way she’s just a lightning rod for accidents.
“Well no kidney, and then I have my scar on my collarbone from the crash last year, and then the one from my C-section.” I don’t think she realizes that she wraps her arms around her midsection as she says the last part, even though she has asweater already tied around her waist. “But that’s pretty much it.”
