“You are in bed already,” I say, tugging the blankets over us.
She giggles. “I thought I should go to my own…”
“Stop thinking and let me hold you, princess,” I whisper gently, pulling her up against my body and savoring the way she fits perfectly against me.
Selene falls asleep in my bed, wrapped in my arms, and I think to myself that there is no place I ever want her to fall asleep again. This is where she belongs. With me.
***
In the morning, we both wake up to the sound of Arron calling from his bed.
Selene sits up in fright. She has a mischievous grin on her face even though she’s not fully awake yet.
“He’s awake!” she grins. “I should…”
I pull the blankets aside. “I’ll go see to him. You grab the gown from the back of my door. Have a shower, take your time, I’ll steer them to the kitchen and make pancakes.”
She smiles, tilting her head to the side. “Are you sure?”
I grab her jaw and pull her into a kiss. Quick but intense. “Of course I’m sure.” I smile at the most beautiful woman in the world.
We are all sitting around the table with pancakes piled high on a plate in the middle. The kids are covered in syrup and having the time of their lives. Solenne is sprinkling hundreds and thousands over her pancake… and all over the table and the floor.
“Sweetheart, you need to slow down and pay attention to where the sprinkles are going,” Selene explains, making her shake the bottle more slowly and with more careful aim.
Arron is trying to fit a whole pancake in his mouth. Fascination keeps me from saying anything because I’m curious whether he can do it.
He’s got three-quarters of it in his cheeks, and I am quietly giving him the nod when Selene notices. Then she notices me grinning, and she throws her hands in the air. “You two are troublemakers!” she laughs loudly, taking the pancake away from him and telling him to spit it out and eat it properly.
My phone rings, and I see my brother’s name across the screen. “Sorry, I need to take this, it’s Matvei.”
“It’s not like you were helping control the chaos anyway,” she teases me.
“Hey, I was impressed he got that far,” I grin.
I slide my finger across the screen to answer the call as I walk away from the table, leaving the laughter and happy sounds behind me. I’m still smiling when I say his name.
“Matty, how are you this morning?”
“We need to talk. In person. This is serious. When can you get to the warehouse?”
“The warehouse? Did something happen? Was there another attack?” I ask tensely.
“No. This is about… It’s abouther. You need to come here now, Simon.”
I sigh, pushing my fingers against my eyes. “What’s going on?” I ask.
“In person,” Matvei snaps. “We’re waiting.”
I slip the phone into my pocket and turn back towards the table. Selene is standing, her movements paused, her head tilted to the side, with the empty breakfast plates in her hand. “Is everything okay?” she asks.
“Yes. Matty is hyped up over some work stuff. I’ve got to go into the warehouse now. I shouldn’t be long though.”I wonder if she heard any of the conversation. I don’t want her to worry. Maybe I should tell her I will defend her no matter what they say to me?
Selene puts the plates back down on the table and walks over to me. She looks up at me with beautiful green eyes that pierce into my soul. “Please be careful,” she says, gently reaching up to touch her hand to my chest.
I smile at her. “I will be. When I get back, we can take the twins somewhere? Maybe they want to go to the toy shop?”
“They’d love that,” she smiles.
