Page 37 of Married to the Enemy

Chapter 23

Mia couldn’t remember the last time she’d had so much fun.

Dinner had barely finished when she announced, “Hot fudge sundaes,” and all three faces around the table lit up—Freddy’s most of all. She set out bowls, ice cream, jars of sprinkles, a can of whipped cream, and even a jar of maraschino cherries.

“Sprinkles!” Evangeline clapped her hands together, as gleeful as a child.

“Can we play a board game?” Freddy asked, already halfway to the cabinet. “I found one in the back.”

Mia arched a brow. “What game is it?”

“Looks old,” Freddy admitted, setting the box down with a thump. “But still good.” He was still in his wheelchair for most of the day, but the physical therapist was working diligently with him, so he was starting to get up and balance occasionally.

Evangeline beamed. “Perfect. Nothing makes a sundae taste better than a little competition.”

So, they scooped ice cream into bowls, drizzled the fudge liberally, sprayed spirals of whipped cream higher than was sensible, and crowned each mound with a cherry and rainbow sprinkles. Mia sank into her chair, laughing as Freddy teased Evangeline about the size of her cherry tower and Raffe pretended he wasn’t secretly enjoying the whole ridiculous scene.

The first few rounds of the game went smoothly. Freddy crowed every time he rolled well, Evangeline muttered dire warnings whenever Mia pulled ahead, and Raffe played with a casual, competitive focus that made Mia want to beat him even more.

It was perfect. Almost… normal.

Until Mia glanced down at her bowl and realized half her sundae had vanished.

She frowned. Had she eaten that quickly? Surely not.

“It’s your turn, Mia,” Freddy called out.

She pulled her gaze away from her bowl and glanced at the other boardgame pieces. “Okay, come on, sixes!”

She reached for the dice—then froze. Out of the corner of her eye, she caught movement. Not her spoon. His. Raffe’s hand, holding his spoon, dipping into her bowl as though he had every right.

Her hand shot out, grabbing his wrist. He blinked, startled, but didn’t let go of the spoon. And then he grinned. Unrepentant ice cream thief!

She glared at him, then used his wrist to bring the spoon closer and popped it into her own mouth.

The table erupted. Freddy clapping, laughing so hard his piece tipped over. Evangeline wheezed with mirth, pointing between them. “Caught red-handed!”

Freddy grinned wickedly. “Do it again, Raffe! Bet you can steal the cherry before she notices.”

“Don’t you dare!” Mia yelped, clutching her bowl protectively.

“Oh, I dare him,” Evangeline said, eyes dancing with mischief and winked at Raffe. “Go on, young man. Show her who’s boss!”

Raffe leaned back in his chair, spoon still in hand, eyes locked on Mia. For a second, she swore he might actually take the dare. Her stomach fluttered at the challenge in his eyes, and the room seemed to shrink around them.

But then he smirked, dropped his spoon back into his own, empty, bowl, and muttered, “Not worth the risk.”

“Coward!” Freddy jeered, then laughed harder when Raffe looked at him with one dark eyebrow lifted ominously.

The game continued, but Mia was hyperaware of every flicker of Raffe’s gaze, every time he shifted in his seat.

Eventually, the bowls were empty, the board game folded away, and yawns began to overwhelm the laughter. Together, they cleared the table—Raffe rinsing dishes, Freddy loading the dishwasher, while Mia put the ingredients back into the pantry while Evangeline offered “supervision” from her wheelchair.

Later, Mia helped her grandmother into pajamas, smoothing lotion onto her frail hands, tucking the blankets under her chin. Evangeline was getting stronger as well, but at the end of the day – even taking a few gentle steps herself with the help of the physical therapists. But at the end of the day, she was a bit too exhausted to do everything herself. In the other room, she could hear Raffe’s deep voice rumbling, patient, as he helped Freddy settle into bed. He too was generally exhausted at the end of each day. Both of them were pushing hard to recover their health and it was inspiring, Mia thought.

When she finally stepped into the hall, Raffe appeared at the same moment from the opposite doorway. They paused at the top of the stairs, the quiet pressing down around them like a living thing. Now that the others were asleep, it felt as if nothing could stop them from getting what they both wanted.

Mia’s breath caught. The dim light from the sconces painted shadows over his jaw, his blue eyes catching hers and holding, heat sparking there that made her stomach twist.