AllFreeNovel
Share Us
"You don't have to handle it by yourself. I can help."
He chuckled darkly. "No, not with this, you can't. Trust me, you don't want to see what I'm going to do. You're too good to get mixed up in this shit. Let me handle it."
I blew out a breath and pulled out the next waffle, stacking it on the plate with the first one. "Are you sure? It's my problem, I don't expect you to deal with it."
"You're my brother. You'd do the same for me. I've got you." He grabbed another orange just as Amara came into the kitchen looking sexy as hell in my t-shirt and messy hair, rubbing sleep from her eyes. "True?"
"Yeah, mama. Maddox is here, too." She shuffled over to me and wrapped her arms around my waist, resting her head on my chest. "Hey, Mad," she mumbled.
"Morning, Point Break."
She lifted her head off my chest and narrowed her eyes. "Point Break?"
He chuckled. "Yeah, I hear you're quite the surfer now."
She smiled and snuggled back into my chest. "I've only gone a couple of times, but last time I almost stood up for a full minute. Sadly this little one is throwing off my balance for the next few months, so I'll have to just enjoy the view." She rubbed her little bump with her free hand.
Maddox dropped his gaze to her stomach and then cleared his throat, looking slightly uncomfortable. A smile tugged at my lips. One day, when he fell for someone and had his own family, I was going to tease the shit out of him.
I kissed the top of her head before squeezing her one more time and letting her go. I pulled another waffle off the iron and slid it onto a plate. I pulled out the syrup and whipped cream and set them on the island while Amara climbed up on a stool next to Maddox.
"I'm so glad you got up early and cooked. I woke up extra hungry this morning." Amara sighed.
"Was… that your stomach?" Maddox looked down, a concerned expression on his face, and I laughed.
Amara winced. "What? I'm starving. You try growing a lovable little parasite and see how your stomach sounds."
Maddox held up his hands. "Okay, okay. Don't bite my head off." He smirked.
She rolled her eyes. "I'm not that hungry."
"Okay," I cut in. "Breakfast is served." I slid the plate of waffles toward Amara and spun around to grab the bacon and eggs.
She piled her plate with waffles and bacon and then eyed Maddox when he went for the whipped cream. "Sorry, here ya go." He passed it to her and flashed me a slightly panicked look. I chuckled.
Once we were all stuffing our faces, I broke the silence. "Honey, what do you think about staying here this week? I have to meet with Harrison later this week, and it'd be nice not to have to fly back and forth. Can you work from here instead?"
"Yeah, and football tomorrow," Maddox chimed in between mouthfuls.
"That's right, we promised your mom." She looked thoughtful while she chewed. "Yeah, let's stay this week. I can swing that."
"Kennedy's going to lose her shit if she gets Amara for the whole week." Maddox scowled. "There's going to be so much girly squealing. I'll make sure to get there late and be drunk when I do."
"Whatever, Mad. Just wait, your time will come." I speared a piece of waffle with my fork and shoved it in my mouth.
His eyes darkened. "Fuck that. I'm good."
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Amara studying him as if he were a puzzle she couldn't wait to solve. I smirked. "Okay, whatever you say."
* * *
Sunday afternoon,we climbed out of bed to get ready for my parents. After bringing her breakfast in bed, we'd been lazy, indulging in each other and napping until we finally couldn't wait any longer to get up. Amara pouted and pulled the blankets closer around herself. "Just give me ten more minutes."
I chuckled. "You said that ten minutes ago. We're going to miss kickoff if we don't get up."
She looked up at me through her long eyelashes with big eyes. "Would that be so bad?"
"You're killing me. They're expecting us, and even though Hale won't be there, my mom
