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The way she gets up in the middle of the night to stand outside Milaya’s door. The way she checks the security system again and again and again before we go to bed.
Hopefully, with time, those scars will fade, too.
I limp over to her, a hand pressed to her lower back. “Yes, I’m listening.”
“Good,” she says, dropping a hunk of butter in the cast iron skillet. “Because this is the important part.”
“I thought cooking the steaks was the important part,” I say. “It is called steak au poivre, after all.”
“Yes, but a badly made pan sauce can ruin the entire dish,” she says. “Now, pay attention.”
I grab her waist and press my body against her backside, nuzzling into her neck. “I love it when you boss me around.”
Eve circles her hips, grinding back into me, and then bangs her spoon against the pan loudly. “Eyes forward.”
I stand to attention, grinning. “Yes, ma’am.”
I watch and listen as she drops shallots into the butter, letting them brown, and then adds a broth.
“That comes to a simmer,” she says, turning away from the stove to grab something on the counter.
When she is mid-reach, I wrap my arm around her middle, spin her into me, and kiss her.
“Luka,” she moans against my mouth. She is doing her best to sound annoyed, but her hands are gripping the backs of my arms, holding me against her. “I’m in the middle of things here.”
“The soup needs to simmer,” I say, waving a hand towards the stove.
“Thebroth,” she corrects, rolling her eyes. “Clearly, someone wasn’t paying attention.”
I kiss her again, nibbling on her lower lip. “Clearly, I just need a less distracting teacher.”
When I finally let her go, she grabs a bottle of Cognac from the bar and adds it to the pan, stirring as it begins to bubble and reduce.
Milaya screeches happily from her high chair, and I walk over to her, grabbing the large wooden spoon she was playing with.
“I believe you dropped this, madam,” I say in my worst British accent.
As soon as I hand her the spoon, she screeches and throws it again, sending it skittering under the sink.
“She’s hungry,” Eve says. “I’ll feed her as soon as I’m done with dinner.”
“She could have played in the other room while we cooked,” I say.
Eve looks at me from the corner of her eye before turning her attention back to the pan. “I know. I didn’t mind, either way.”
I limp back over to her and kiss her cheek. “You flinched when I suggested it.”
One by one, she grabs the steaks and places them in the sauce, flipping them over to ensure they are all evenly coated and cooked through.
“I’ll get better,” she says softly. “It will just take time.”
“Is it the security system?” I ask. “The company told me it is the highest quality package they offer, but I can find another company. We can get second and third opinions.”
“No, it’s fine,” she says. “Though, I have been thinking about a dog.”
“A dog?” I ask, eyebrows raised. “I never took us for dog people.”
“Me neither,” she admits. “But since … everything. I don’t know. I think it could be nice to have a dog around. Something to bark at strange noises and scare people away.”
