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"That you have." She nodded as memories of their stay in the remote mountain cabin filled her mind.
Was she weird for thinking fondly of when she'd been Dalhu's prisoner?
Not at all.
They were fated mates, and she'd known that from the very start.
Well, maybe not at first glance, but shortly thereafter. At first, Dalhu had terrified her.
Amanda leaned to kiss Evie's drool-covered cheek. "Good morning, sweetie."
"Ma-ma." Evie offered Amanda her teething toy.
"Thank you, sweetie." She kissed her again. "Mommy is going to drink her coffee now, so you can keep chewing on your toy."
Whenever their daughter called her Ma or Ma-ma, Amanda's heart swelled with love. Dalhu was Ta or Ta-ta instead of Da or Da-da, but he didn't mind. The guy was putty in their daughter's little hands.
He placed a bowl of instant oatmeal with blueberries on the table. "That's the best I could do with what I had to work with."
"It's perfect." Amanda wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him on the lips. "Do you know why?"
He smiled. "Why?"
"Because you made it for me with love."
His smile widened. "Does it taste better when sprinkled with affection?"
"Of course." She let go of his neck and sat down.
Dalhu took out two cups of coffee from under the coffeemaker, put them next to the oatmeal bowls, and then added a container of creamer and another one with sugar cubes.
Sitting on Evie's other side, he glanced at their daughter's half-eaten cereal. "Do you want to feed her?" He lifted his gaze to Amanda. "She might be inclined to eat a little more if you are the one holding the spoon."
"If she doesn't want to eat any more, I won't force it. She'll eat when she's hungry."
It was one of the things that they did not agree on. Dalhu wanted to do everything by the book, while Amanda believed in being flexible and taking her daughter's wishes into account even though she was just a baby.
She wanted their daughter to grow up to be independent and resourceful.
Dalhu grimaced. "Evie doesn't eat enough because she's teething and it hurts her gums, not because she's not hungry."
Rolling her eyes, Amanda lifted the baby spoon, dipped it into the cereal, and offered it to their daughter.
Surprisingly, Evie opened her mouth.
"Look at you," Amanda grinned. "Such a good girl."
"You shouldn't say that," Dalhu murmured. "It's in the book. If you praise her for eating, she might associate that with pleasing you and overeat."
"Make up your mind." Amanda put the baby spoon down. "Do you want her to eat more or not?"
Running his hand over his hair, he sighed. "I'm sorry. I'm irritable today."
Amanda had a good idea why, and it was sad. They were getting married tonight, and this day was supposed to be idyllic, but the closer it got to the ceremony, the more stressed Dalhu became.
She put the cream and sugar in her coffee, gave it a stir, lifted the cup to her lips, took a sip, and sighed. "This is perfect. Thank you."
Perhaps the compliment would help Dalhu relax. He'd been tense since the day they packed their things for the cruise, and he got a glimpse of her wedding dress.
