Why is he this considerate?
Another burst of laughter echoes down the hall, followed by quick footsteps and the unmistakable skitter of Marbles’ paws across the floor. My lips curve despite everything.
The boys are having fun. They’re happy. Whatever I’m doing—or where I am—is probably the last thing on their minds right now.
Still…responsibility settles back in. They need breakfast. Gear. A ride to hockey. Most Sundays are chaos. This one even more after I’d failed to set my alarm and because Lucas can’t drive them today.
I stare down at the clothes in my hands, my thoughts already racing ahead. How am I going to get them to practice? I pull open the door just as Josh zings past me.
“Morning,” he calls over his shoulder, already halfway into his room.
I linger for a second, listening. Voices drift up from downstairs—Tuck’s low, steady rumble and Lucas’s lighter one weaving in and out. My stomach flips. Is Tuck giving him advice…on his love life?
Oh dear God.
I hurry down the stairs, my pulse picking up, and the second I step into the kitchen, two sets of eyes swing my way. Tuck’s expression shifts the moment he sees me—something warm and soft curling at the edges of his mouth—and he’s already moving, grabbing a coffee pod and sliding it into the machine.
“My alarm didn’t go off,” I say, still trying to catch up with the morning.
“It’s okay, Mom. Tuck made us pancakes.”
I freeze.
“Oh no,” I murmur, stepping closer to Lucas and pressing the back of my hand to his forehead. “Are you feeling okay?”
“They were good,” he insists, shrugging me off with a grin.
Tuck lifts a box from the counter, one brow arched. “Hard to mess up ‘just add water.’”
A laugh slips out of me before I can stop it. Lucas finishes the last bite and carries his plate to the dishwasher.
“Run up and brush your teeth,” I tell him, glancing at the clock. “We need to be out of here in ten minutes.”
He nods and takes off, his footsteps pounding up the stairs. I wait until he disappears before turning back to Tuck.
“You’re up early.”
He closes the distance between us, hands sliding around my waist. The kiss he drops on my lips is soft, unhurried, and I melt into him.
“I told you I’d take care of things.”
My body instantly betrays me, remembering exactly how he took care of me last night. Heat blooms low in my stomach.
“Mmm…a man true to his word.”
His mouth curves, eyes searching mine. “Sleep okay?”
I exhale, leaning into him just a little. “Your bed is dangerously comfortable. But I think it was the bath… the massage…” I pause, my voice dipping as I meet his gaze. “And, well… you know.”
Something flickers in his eyes—heat, yes, but there’s something softer underneath it. Something that makes this feel like more than just an easy morning after. And that’s the part that makes my heart beat just a little faster.
“Glad I could help.”
“I really appreciate you making breakfast.” I hesitate, then ask, “Did they ask about me?”
“Not a word.”
I huff out a laugh, folding my arms loosely over my chest. “Wow. I feel incredibly important in their lives right now.”
