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I reach around him, not bothering with a response as I grab the pot of coffee he’s already made and pour it into a mug.
Noel shuts off the stove, plops pancakes onto a plate, then proceeds to add butter and syrup before cutting them up. I draw an inquisitive brow, unsure why he feels the need to cut food for me—a grown-ass man.
His eyes widen when he realizes I’m staring at him. Then a nervous laugh escapes. “Sorry. I’m used to cutting them for Ani.”
My smile fades, and I let out a frustrated grunt before swiping my plate and heading for the table. Noel follows, quick on my heels. He sets his plate at the seat across from where I’ve dropped mine, but I pull at his wrist and tug him to the bench beside me. Here, we have a perfect view of the sunrise outside of the window.
Why is it that I’ve never noticed just how romantic my cabin in the woods is? Beautiful scenery, a warm fireplace, the heat of Noel’s shoulder rubbing against mine.
“For a killer, you sure do have a lot of natural light in here,” he mumbles.
I stab a piece of pancake and shove it in my mouth.
“You’re not worried someone will come out here? That they could see in?”
“I’d kill them before they even made it close enough to the house to see me,” I say through a bite full of food.
“Oh.” He pushes his fork around his plate but never actually takes a bite.
The meal is quiet. Noel is too nervous to speak, and I’m dreading the conversation we have to have. I don’t want to argue with him, but I’ve spent enough time with him between the shower and keeping him snug against me through the night to know that I’m not sharing him with Ani. She can’t come here and hog up my precious time with him. I don’t share. Never have, and certainly won’t be trying it now with my sweet Noel.
“Can we… talk about what’s going to happen?” he asks as he grabs my plate to take it to the sink. He scrapes the dishes free of food and then sets them into the dishwasher. I stay at the table, sipping the hot, bitter liquid.
“The Bratva already knows you’re still alive. It’s best you lay low for a while. You’ll call your family and tell them you’re going somewhere tropical for the holidays,” I say.
“They won’t believe that, Collector. I’m a family man, and I wouldneverleave Ani for Christmas.”
“A family man,” I murmur behind the lip of the cup. “Noel, the husband?”
He shakes his head.
“Boyfriend?”
Another shake of his head.
“Partner?” I ask.
“Father,”he whispers, and the air swooshes from my lungs.
* * *
As soon as Noel said father, we got ready and drove back to the city. There she is, Ani.The girl I’ve been so fucking jealous of. She’s hisdaughter. Damn, I’m an idiot. My gaze travels toward the police officer she runs for outside of her school. He’s crouched low, a smile on his face and arms spread wide. When Ani reaches him, he scoops her up and squeezes her into a welcoming hug.
She’s familiar with him, and the way Noel keeps bringing up his mother and brother along with sweet little Ani, has me wondering if this is the brother.
I scrub a hand over my face. Leave it to me to bring home a single dad whose sibling is involved in law enforcement. I’m normally one to think before I act. Yet Noel makes it impossible. Impulse control comes naturally for me at this point, after years of intense composure. Yet, I didn’t stop to think of the ripple effect my actions could cause.
Stupid, reckless, beginner move.
You’d think I learned my lesson. But no. Here I am debating on kidnapping a little girl. As if holding up my little baker and his daughter in my cabin in the woods is a perfectly normal and acceptable response toward him witnessing a murder.
“Where is her mother?” I ask, my grip on his wrist keeping him planted inside the car with me.
Noel’s gaze stays on her as his brother sets her on the sidewalk, and they begin to walk away. His green eyes sparkle, a tight smile in place, and one shoulder hitches in an indifferent shrug. “We were high school sweethearts, until one day we weren’t. She chose drugs over us.”
I run my finger along the back of his hand, soothing the heartbreak I can feel through his stern tone. “She’s missing out.”
“She is.” He forces a slight smile, then turns to me. “Are you sure we will be safe? With you?”
