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Marcos shook his head. He admired her—both the way she could fend for herself and her ability to admit that she couldn’t handle everything alone. He didn’t like the idea of her having to get a man in, though. It was unreasonable of him, and he knew it, but he resented any man coming in to help her out—any man that wasn’t him. “I’d like to volunteer myself for any new GAMI jobs that come in.”
She smiled. “Thank you. I’d like that.”
He nodded. “Me too. And the acronym still works. Now instead of just any old man, you can Get A Marcos In.”
She laughed. “Perfect!”
Chapter Ten
Molly woke late the next morning. Marcos had well and truly worn her out last night, or to be fair, they’d worn each other out. She rolled over to look at him, but he wasn’t there. She sat up in bed, her heart racing and then took a deep breath to calm herself. Panic was an unreasonable reaction to the fact that the man had gotten up before she did.
She went out into the living room and smiled at the sight of him in his boxers at the stove, cooking—bacon, and it smelled wonderful.
He turned and smiled at her. “I hope you’re hungry. I was starving, so I raided the fridge.”
“I’m starving, too. What do you want me to do?”
“Pull up a seat and keep me company while I cook. I’ll get you a coffee.”
She stood there staring at him for a moment. This wasn’t the Marcos she remembered. He should be handing the spatula over, relieved that she was up and could take over.
He placed a mug of coffee on the counter in front of her and pulled out a seat at the island. “There you go. How do you like your bacon?”
“Not crispy.”
He raised an eyebrow at her. “Is this okay? Do you mind me taking over your kitchen?”
She shook her head. “I don’t mind, I’m just a little surprised. And, to be honest, if this is an act to make a good impression, I’d rather you didn’t bother. We need to be who we are to find out if we’re still good together.”
He came to her and touched her cheek. “I promise. I will be honest with you about everything—in what I say and what I do. This isn’t ass kissing. This is me enjoying myself and wanting to share it with you. During the years I was back in Sicily, I spent a lot of time at my parents’ house because I didn’t enjoy being at my house. When my mom figured out how useless I was at anything domestic, she taught me to how to cook. Actually, I should say she taught me to love cooking.”
“Wow! I would never have imagined you loving to cook.”
He shrugged and went back to check on the bacon. “It helped me build a connection with my mom again, and it made me feel close to you.”
Molly’s heart melted. “It did?”
He nodded. “I know it sounds soft, but you always loved to cook. You were so good at it, and you enjoyed it so much. When I figured out what I was doing, I found I enjoyed it too. It felt like I knew you a little bit better, understood you a little bit more.” He shrugged again.
She went to him and wrapped her arms around his waist. “That makes me happy. I love that you were thinking about me even then.”
He landed a kiss in the middle of her forehead. “I never stopped thinking about you.”
After they’d eaten, they both showered and got ready to go for a hike in the hills.
“It’s been a long time since I’ve been out on the trails,” said Molly.
“Not as long as it’s been for me. And, if we find we’re too out of shape, we can come back or go into town and get some lunch.”
They weren’t out of shape at all. They walked for a couple of hours, and Molly loved every minute of it. He was such good company—better even than she remembered. It was as if all his sharp edges had been rounded off.
“What are you smiling about?” he asked when they reached the top of a rise and stopped to admire the view.
“You. I was thinking that I like you even more now than I did back then.”
He put his arm around her shoulders. “That makes me happy. I’ve changed.”
“I know you told me that, but now I’m getting to see it. This is what I meant. Conversations aren’t everything. We need to live the moments together before any of it will be real for me.”
