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Chapter Twenty-Six:
A Good Day for an Omelet
Aftercare with Sterlingwas ... there were no words. He fixed something in me I’d only been able to patch since having my heart broken, something I hadn’t even realized needed fixing. He’d worn a proud smile when I told him I’d done research, and how he put the internet’s definition of aftercare to shame.
First, he held me for so long I felt home, like I’d always belonged right there in his arms. Then he cleaned me like I was the most precious thing he’d ever touched in his life. He gave me water, snacks, and most of all he gave me more praise than I’d ever heard in my life. To my surprise, I believed every single compliment that came out of his mouth.
He made sure I did.
When I drifted off, he stayed close, playing with my hair and kissing wherever he could reach whenever he could, and I fell asleep to the music of his thumping, steady heart.
I’d never slept better in my life.
When I awoke, I was alone in his clothes, and everything around me smelled like him. It was delicious, and I missed being in his arms the second I rolled over to hug his pillow. But that was when I noticed how bright the sun peeked in through shutters.
I had overslept.
“Shit!” I jumped up, leaving my robe behind and rushing to Charlie’s room to check on him, but he was already in his chair near the window. “Charlie? I’m so sorry, I slept in.”
“It’s quite alright, Sterling took care of everything. He said you needed rest,” he said with a soft, knowing smile. “Did you have a good night?”
I blushed, knowing absolutely nothing got by Charlie in this house. “Yes. I definitely got some much needed ... rest. Did you sleep well?”
“Other than that brief few minutes where I thought the house was collapsing, yes.” He raised his eyebrows at me and barely hid his amusement. “Must’ve just been the wind, hm?”
I huffed an embarrassed laugh. “Um ... yes. Really windy outside ... howling winds. I’ll be right back.”
I rushed to shower and put on some proper clothes, but my body was so sore I went with leggings to be comfortable. It felt amazing, inside and out, even if those words just for tonight still echoed in my mind. Sterling took care of me in a way no one had before, and whether it ever happened again or not, it would stay with me forever.
As would his clothes.
He’d be prying those from my cold dead hands if he tried to take them back, and even then, I’d haunt him for it.
I grabbed myself a coffee and went back to sit with Charlie, smiling when my sore muscles groaned right along with the older chair. “How was Sterling this morning?” Nice and subtle, dumbass.
“Sterling? Oh, fine, fine. He’s fine. He smiled at me,” he said with a huff. “I haven’t seen him smile before nine am in years.”
“Wow. Mr. Sterling Bishop smiled at someone? Were pigs flying along with that howling wind?” I teased, fighting the urge to text Sterling right then and send him a smiley face emoji.
Charlie chuckled and pushed himself up from his chair. “Is that what the kids are calling it these days?”
“I believe we’re calling it snoring,” I muttered under my breath and stood with him. “Do you need help?”
“No, no. Just need to use the restroom. I’ll be down soon, why don’t you go see how many eggs we have? It’s a good day for an omelet.”
“It is, isn’t it?” I made my way downstairs with Carl to check, happy we still had plenty of eggs and bacon and I got to work on those omelets. Most of me wished Sterling were here to have one with us, but I’d just have to make him a good dinner tonight as a thank you for the good lay.
By the time Charlie came down, I was sprinkling some extra cheese on top of his and then walked over to put some music on low. “Hope you’re hungry.”
“Ravenous, actually.” He sat, scooting his chair closer. “So spill. What did Miss Pope want with my son this time?”
“Believe it or not, she wanted a job. The fucking nerve, right? He told me the history with her; I almost wish I knew before. I would have sat there and pretended to have dinner with them so she could be embarrassed to ask.”
Charlie shook his head as he chewed. “That woman doesn’t know how to be embarrassed. She’d have asked anyway.”
“Yeah, probably. But I still could have found a way to make her uncomfortable. I don’t know, maybe her coming over was a good thing.” I contemplated that as I put our food on plates. If she hadn’t come over, would Sterling have opened up? I wasn’t sure.
“So it would seem.”
