AllFreeNovel
Share Us
"I'll call you soon." He hung up, and I tossed my phone onto the nightstand and then got ready for bed.
* * *
I woke up early. Ass crack of dawn early. When the nocturnal animals still prowled.
Okay that was a little dramatic, but still, accurate.
I was a bundle of nerves and this trip into the city felt like an early morning flight you didn't want to miss. Like your trusty alarm clock would choose that very day not to work.
So I'd tossed and turned, and sleep never came.
Hence the baking. I vaguely recalled a muffin recipe I used to make with my mom when I was a teenager and decided to give it a go. Sebastian and I would have fresh goodies for the drive. What could be better?
Except the muffins were....
Gooey. Underbaked on the inside, somehow burned on the outside.
I really fucked up this recipe.
Maybe I should have used Google and not fuzzy memories from a decade ago.
Damn. I drank deeply from my coffee cup and blinked several times, suddenly overwhelmed that I'd messed up the muffins so bad. I had made these so many times with Mom and I couldn't remember how to do it.
Would all of my memories of her fade just as this one did?
Now was not the time for a breakdown. More coffee would help. And some of Constance's cinnamon rolls, but unfortunately we didn't have that on hand.
Just then, little paws clicked and clacked against the wood floor.
I threw my arms around Willow when she entered the kitchen. Impressed with the reception, she started peppering me with kisses. My mood immediately brightened.
"Everything alright in here?" Sebastian asked.
I had been so busy receiving my kisses that I hadn't heard Sebastian's footsteps. I popped up from the ground and flattened my hair. "Everything is fine."
I turned just in case my eyes were still red. He didn't want to hear about how I was missing my mom or how nervous it made me to go back into the city.
It had intimidated me before, and I hated that it was now.
I searched the cabinets. "Do you have any to-go cups in here? I made us coffee."
He laughed, and the sound had me twisting to face him. He carried two to-go cups in his hands. "I swung by the coffee shop in town. I know better than to drive you uncaffeinated."
I swallowed the distance between us, noticing that his eyes darkened as I approached. I patted his chest, just because I wanted to. "Good boy."
His arm swung around and locked my hand to his chest. "Trust me, I’m all man."
Heat flared low in my belly. I needed a fan to cool down.
After a beat, I took a step back. "Which one is mine?"
Sebastian handed over the cup and I clutched it to my chest. "Should we drop Willow off with your mom?"
"No need, I'm here," Constance said as she entered the room from the back door, pulling the collar of her jacket. "It's crisp out there. Don't forget your jackets."
Sebastian just shook his head. "Morning, Mom."
Constance patted her son's cheek. "Morning, sweetie. I've come to take Willow on a walk and then I'm going to the book club at the library."
