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“Like… sit in there?”

“Yes.”

“With you?”

“That was generally my plan.”

I don’t know why the answer makes my stomach flutter. “Oh, okay…”

Adrien turns me gently by the shoulders, his thumbs resting near my collarbones, and looks down at me. “One rule.”

A sense of relief washes over me. I nod, ready for my rule.

“You stay where I can see you unless I tell you otherwise.”

“That’s it?”

“For now.”

I nod quickly. “I can do that.”

The kitchen is bigger than I expected.

Not huge, exactly, but open and bright compared to my bedroom, with cream cabinets, dark counters, and a wide island dividing the cooking area from a small dining space. Morning light leaks around the closed blinds above the sink.

There’s a clock on the oven.

9:37.

I stare at it longer than necessary.

Adrien follows my gaze. “Yeah. Your room needs one.”

I glance at him. “You remembered?”

“Already ordered.” He gestures toward one of the stools at the island. “Sit.”

I do immediately. The cushion is firmer than it looks. My knees fit under the overhang of the counter with an inch to spare.

Then I realize what I did—sat down without question, like a dog—and my face gets warm.

Adrien’s back is already turned as he opens the refrigerator, white light spilling over his shoulders, so maybe he didn’t notice.

“Good boy.”

Nope. He noticed.

I hide my face in both hands before eventually lowering them and folding my arms on the counter and resting my chin on them, watching him move between the stove and refrigerator as he prepares breakfast.

He makes us pancakes, and even cuts mine up for me into bite-sized pieces before sliding the plate in front of me.

And when Adrien collects our plates afterward, I stay where he put me.

Not because I’m afraid to move, but because I know he’ll come back.

The first delivery comes at 10:28. I know because my eyes jump to the oven clock the second the knock echoes through the house. My spine locks, shoulders tightening.

Adrien’s gaze lifts from the counter. When he sees my panicked expression, he cups my chin, strokes my cheek with his thumb, and says, “It’s just a delivery, baby boy. Everything’s okay.”