AllFreeNovel
Share Us
I can't bring myself to ask her to promise the same.
Yet.
22
JANEY
The front door opening startles me, but Jonas doesn't move from his spot on the floor in front of the oven.
"I told you," he says simply, staring through the oven door at the chocolate chip cookies. "They sensed the chocolate."
Laughing, thrilled with how easy things have been between us today, I greet our visitors with a smile. Kade and Becca come through the door, eyes searching the countertop.
"What smells so good," Kade asks, sniffing the air.
"You're two floors down," Jonas says, hidden by the cabinets. "I expected Zach to be here before you." Kade and Becca spin, searching for Jonas, looking really confused.
"I'm here," Zach says, tugging Maya through the door. A little dog trots in after them, stopping to sniff up at the cage holding the hamsters before continuing around the island to Jonas.
Maya tugs Zach to a stop and whispers urgently in his ear. He shakes his head in denial but finally gives in to whatever she’s saying. He looks longingly toward the kitchen. "Janey, would you and Jonas like privacy today?" he asks sadly.
"Yes," Jonas says flatly. "I don't want to share Janey or the cookies."
Snorting out a laugh, and honestly happy to see everyone, I wave them forward. Jonas pops up from behind the cabinets, startling a meep out of Kade. Becca laughs but wasn't startled at all. Based on everything I know about her, that makes perfect sense.
They all settle on the barstools at the island. Kade leans in, taking another big sniff. "Those smell so fucking good, Janey. Where did you learn to make cookies?"
"I helped," Jonas says defensively as he drops back onto the floor, a little put out by being excluded.
Kade's eyebrow wings up. "Wait, really? How many hours did it take?" Jonas glares at him, but doesn't respond.
"What do you mean?" I ask, moving into the kitchen next to Jonas and leaning on the counter. He rests a hand on the top of my foot. The movement is so easy and natural, I can’t help grinning.
Kade cackles. "Jonas likes to be really fuckin’ precise, in case you haven't noticed. We used to get him to help cook supper, but he'd take so fucking long chopping an onion, we'd be starving by the time it was ready."
I look down at Jonas, and something about his smile as he stares into the oven makes me pause. “Oh, my god. You did it on purpose, didn't you?"
Jonas's eyes fly up, meeting mine in surprise. "How the hell did you know that?"
I shrug, smiling. "I have no idea.” Those leaps of intuition are things I’ve just learned to trust over the years. And they’re almost always right.
He grumbles and turns back to his vigil. "Witchy woman," he mumbles to himself.
Kade’s mouth drops open. ”Wait. Are you fucking serious? You just didn't want to cook, so you were what...wasting time?"
Becca snickers and stands on the crossbar of her stool to see Jonas. "I always thought you were a bit of an evil genius. Obviously, I was right."
"Seriously?" Zach asks, looking a mixture of impressed and pissed. "How did I not know this?"
"You never asked." Jonas's response makes me crack up. I have no doubt that if anyone had asked him back then why he was cutting so slowly, he would be honest about it.
The timer rings, and all three men throw their hands up, cheering. A laughing Maya drops her head in her hands. I move for the brand-new oven mitts, but Jonas waves me off and puts them on himself. He proudly lifts the cookie sheets onto the stovetop, and leans over them, inhaling a look of absolute joy on his face.
Zach and Kade jump off their stools and crowd beside Jonas. Clearly in the way, I move to sit with Becca and Maya. All of a sudden, it hits me, Becca is my sister-in-law. I have a sister! I sneak a glance at her, wishing I knew her better. Wishing I knew exactly what to say. But she beats me to it.
"So, you tapped that ass yet?" she asks me casually, staring at the men.
My mouth drops open in disbelief. "I can't believe you just asked me that."
