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Eventually, I fell asleep in his lap, and I only jostled awake enough to curl against him in bed. I slept soundly against him that night, safely in his arms.
* * *
I didn’t wake until morning. I opened my eyes groggily, realizing it was much later in the morning than I typically slept.
Fuck.
I was going to be late for work. I pushed myself out of bed and raced into my bathroom. I brushed my teeth and pulled a hairbrush through my long tresses enough so that it looked presentable.
Hastily, I got dressed into something more presentable than my pajamas and made my way out of my bedroom only to stop short. Emma’s door was open already. She wasn’t in her bed. I strode quickly down the hall to the kitchen.
It was only when I saw Kieran standing at my kitchen stove that the events of last night came rushing back.
He was still here.
He hadn’t left me.
I swallowed hard, searching around the room for my daughter and not finding her. Without turning around, he cleared his throat loudly enough to capture my full attention and pull me from the fearful thoughts that were swirling around in my head.
“Emma is going to be spending the day with Irma visiting the Boston Science Museum and then going out for ice cream at a small ice cream parlor a bit north of here in Southie. I made her breakfast this morning that was quite a bit healthier than the cookies she was insisting on. You won’t need to worry about going into work either. I took care of that for you,” he explained.
“Oh. Thank you. You didn’t have to do that,” I replied, more out of a grateful sense of awe than anything else.
“I know, Leah,” he said gently.
“What are you making?” I asked shyly. I didn’t approach him right away. I couldn’t be brave enough to do that, especially after the mess he’d walked into last night.
“I thought I’d impress you today with my world-famous berry French toast.”
I couldn’t see it, but I knew he was smiling. It made me feel a little more at ease, but I was still pretty nervous about what he might ask to find out what had been wrong.
I edged a bit closer to him so that I could see what he was doing. I watched him coat each piece of toast with batter before throwing it in the frying pan until he had a nice stack of French toast piled on a plate. There was another pan cooking up a generous portion of bacon and the aroma filled the entire kitchen soon enough.
My stomach growled in anticipation of what looked to be an incredibly delicious meal to come.
“Take a seat. This will be ready in just a minute,” he grinned. He glanced at me and caught my gaze with his, making my heart pound instantly with feeling for this man.
I did as he said and sat down. I pressed my hands into my lap, watching intently as he plated breakfast. He topped the French toast with a slew of berries, topped it with a generous helping of whipped cream and maple syrup and I squealed in delight when he finally slid it in front of me.
“This shouldn’t be allowed,” I exclaimed, my eyes growing as big as saucers at the sight of it.
“It’s a special treat for a very special girl,” he winked and finally, all my nervousness faded away. He hadn’t run away despite what happened. He was still here, and I tried to focus on that.
I ate the rest of my breakfast quietly, feeling better and better with every passing moment. When I was finished, he cleared my plate from the table and washed the dishes. I didn’t protest this time, knowing he was just going to do it anyway. After he was finished, he sat down at the table and appraised me with concerned interest. He wanted answers now.
“What happened last night, Leah?” he asked gently.
I couldn’t look at him and I jerked my eyes downward, staring directly at a chipped tile down on the floor.
“I… Ummm… I just had a long emotional day. It was really nothing,” I answered. My voice trembled and I couldn’t help but glance up at him before immediately returning my attention to that same chipped tile.
He cleared his throat and my stomach twisted in knots.
“I saw the mark on your face last night. Someone hit you and I want to know what happened,” he pressed gently, but I could tell that there was a hint of warning in his tone.
“It was just an unruly customer. That’s all. He didn’t like his bill at the end of the night and got mad,” I lied, and he was quiet for a long moment before he sighed audibly.
I stared at that single spot on the floor, staying silent in the hopes that he believed me. I didn’t want to tell him about Trevor. There was no way he’d be interested in me after I told him that. I had enough baggage and I didn’t need to drag him down with me.
