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Pushing the sheet off, I swung my legs around and slipped out of bed. Deciding to keep only the shirt on, I made my way out of the bedroom. I smiled when I heard Taylor Swift softly singing “Maroon” in the background.
When I walked into the kitchen area, I leaned against the island and watched as he cooked the bacon. Uncracked eggs sat off to the side, as well as a few pieces of bread stuck in the toaster, ready to be pushed down.
“That smells good.”
Maverick glanced over his shoulder, and when he saw me, he smiled that smile that made my heart tumble around in my chest. From where I stood, I could practically see the sparkle in his eyes.
“Thought we could get a good breakfast in before we went riding.”
I pushed off the island and made my way to him. “Scrambled eggs?”
“If that’s what you want.”
“Do you have any mushrooms?”
“I do.”
I turned to the fridge and opened it. I spied bell peppers and an onion as well. “Do you mind if I sauté up some stuff for the eggs?”
He looked at what I’d pulled out and said, “That sounds good. Olive oil is right there.”
I spun the lazy Susan filled with spices and stopped at the bottle of olive oil. “You must like to cook.”
“I do,” he repeated with a lazy smile. “Do you?”
Nodding, I said, “Yep. I used to watch my grandmother and my mom and aunts all in the kitchen together, when they were baking or cooking for a holiday or some special occasion. I loved watching how they all interacted with one another like a well-run machine. Each one having their own thing to make or do. They never ran into one another or spilled anything. Never burned anything, or at least I don’t think they did. The end result was always the most delicious food.
“When I was old enough to join in, they would take turns teaching Morgan, Rose, me, and then Avery all the secret family recipes. Rose always liked to sit off to the side and draw the food, though. She never was one for getting in and preparing it.” I smiled at the memories.
“It must have been great growing up with a big family like that. You all seem more like brothers and sisters than you do cousins.”
Turning to look at him, I nodded and softly said, “Yeah, we are.”
Maverick focused on flipping the bacon. “There’s another pan in that cabinet in front of you if you want to get the veggies going.”
Without a word, I got a pan out, moved to his other side, and turned on one of the burners. I set the pan on it and asked for a cutting board. As I worked on cutting veggies, I decided to ask Maverick some questions.
“Do you ever have nightmares?”
I could feel his eyes on me. “No. Do you?”
Shrugging, I said, “I’m not sure.”
“Since I’ve never really had anyone sleep with me before…I guess I’m not sure either.”
I clenched my jaw tightly, conflicted about whether I should mention his nightmare last night.
“Want me to turn the gas on so the pan can heat up?”
What I needed to do was talk to my mother and father. They’d have advice on the best way for me to handle what had happened last night.
Maverick’s hand waved in front of me. “Earth to Lily?”
I let out a nervous laugh. “Sorry, I was daydreaming.”
He wrapped his arms around me and pulled me back against him. “About what?”
“You,” I said as I twisted my body some to look at him. It wasn’t a lie. Ihadbeen thinking about him.
