“Deal.”
“Now, let’s go. Time to get the day started. We’re pulling names for Secret Santa.”
The game room was in the back of the house. Before we walked in, Dallas asked me was I good. When I nodded, she took my hand and pulled me into the room. “Look who I found. She pulled up right as I was calling her.”
I took my time greeting everyone in the room. When I got to Duke, I punched him. “That’s for not saving me any pancakes.”
“Shit,” he grumbled, rubbing his shoulder.
“They slapped too,” Blake added.
“That’s why I’m about to give this short stack I hid for you to Harp’s greedy ass.”
I gasped. “You saved me some?” I jumped into his arms and planted a kiss to his cheek. “Thank you.”
Duke led me to the kitchen to retrieve my breakfast. He stayed with me while I ate. “This is exactly what I needed,” I mumbled around the food in my mouth.
He leaned against the counter and smirked. “I bet.”
“Are you going to tell me where you were?”
I paused, fork midair. Swallowing, I said, “I don’t really want to talk about it.”
He placed a hand on mine. “Are you okay?”
I drank the rest of my orange juice and ate a piece of bacon, chewing slowly to stall the conversation. Duke wasn’t deterred, though. He just watched me. “I was at my mother’s house.”
His eyes widened. “Again… Are you okay?”
It was Duke’s way to not be concerned about the details. He only ever wanted to know if I was good. “Not really.” I explained the dinner scene briefly, then told him about Dorian. “So that was my holiday.”
“I guess it’s a good thing I brought you a plate, then.” He winked. “So you can make your turkey sandwich today.”
I grinned. Every year, I looked forward to the Day After Thanksgiving Turkey Sandwich. And Duke made it extra good. I pressed my palms together and bowed to him. “Bless you.”
He barked out a laugh. “Greedy.”
“I’ve been through a traumatic experience. I need good food to make it all better.”
Smiling, he searched my eyes. “I got you.”
“You do, don’t you?”
“You never have to ask.”
We stared at each other for a moment longer than normal. But it didn’t feel awkward. It felt… nice. It wasn’t even surprising because Duke had always been a constant for me. But it was also something more than nice, something I couldn’t name.
I blew out a breath and took another bite. “I’m getting full.”
“Stop eating then,” he said with a smirk.
My stomach did an odd flip, and I braced my hand there. “I will when I get done.” Deciding to change the subject, I said, “Dallas told me aboutyourThanksgiving.”
“I had no doubt that she would.”
“Well…?” I motioned for him to continue. “What made you go there?”
“Closure.”
