Page 80 of Reclaim Me

“Thank you, Nugget.” I smile at her, letting my appreciation show on my face. “I couldn’t have done it without you.”

“Who’s going to eat those?” She asks, eyeing the burnt stack with a mildly horrified expression.

I can’t help but laugh. “Those are for me. The pretty, golden ones are for you and Mommy.”

“Oh, good,” she says, relief rushing over her features. “I don’t like burnt ones.”

“What’s burnt?”

The sound of Rae’s voice makes me turn around just in time to see her striding into the kitchen on bare feet. She’s got a lightweight sundress with flowers all over the skirt and bodice, which hugs her breasts and makes it clear that she’s not wearing a bra.

“Daddy’s pancakes.”

“But not yours or hers,” I assure Rae as I lift Riley off the counter and set her on her feet. She doesn’t waste any time rushing over to the table, taking a seat next to Rae who’s laughing at me with her eyes. “What?” I ask, smiling despite myself. She’s so damn beautiful like this. Well-rested and relaxed, with the light from the window over the sink spilling onto her features.

“Nothing, just waiting for you to demonstrate those cooking skills you were bragging about the other day.”

“You won’t have to wait much longer.”

To prove my point, I set about fixing our plates in record time, adding a serving of bacon and eggs to each of them before bringing them over to the table that Riley set after we came back downstairs to let Rae get dressed. Riley digs in first, dousing her stack of perfectly golden cakes in syrup before passing the bottle over to her mom.

“This looks good,” Rae admits, adding butter and syrup to her stack.

“Told you I could cook.”

“Don’t get too cocky. I haven’t even tasted them yet.”

“I have,” Riley chimes through a mouth full of food. “They’re really good!”

I arch a brow at Rae, and she rolls her eyes before taking a dainty bite meant to convey her skepticism. I watch her chew, all of my attention on the way her lips move and then how her throat works as she swallows.

“Well?” I ask, my voice unnecessarily husky.

She picks up her glass of orange juice, taking a slow sip just to keep me on the edge of my seat. Then she smirks. “They’re all right.”

“All right?” I rear back, placing a hand on my chest to feign offense. “You hear that Riley? I think your mom just challenged me to a pancake war.”

Riley’s eyes get big, ignoring Rae as she shakes her head, trying to reel us back in. “Yes! I want to have a pancake war! Can I be on my own team?”

Clearly exasperated but also a little amused, Rae places a calming hand on our daughter’s shoulder. “How about you be the judge?”

“Oh, yeah, I like that idea,” Riley says, her face turning serious. “I’m a good judge.”

I nod, already devising a plan to bribe her. “You’re the best judge.”

Rae sees right through me, and I catch her rolling her eyes. “But most of all, Ri, you have to be a fair judge, and that means not taking any bribes.”

“I won’t take bribes,” Ri swears, placing her hand over her heart like she’s taking an oath. It’s the cutest thing I’ve ever seen. “I promise.”

“So when are we doing this?” I ask, finally taking a bite of my pancakes and trying to hide the grimace on my face when the acrid flavor of burnt butter hits my taste buds. Rae snickers under her breath and stands, placing her hands on her hips.

“Now.”

I look up at her, my gaze slow and studious as I drag it up her body. “Now?”

“Yep. Right now.” She tosses the words over her shoulder, hips swaying as she moves over to the fridge. “Unless you’re scared?”

I glance at Riley who is already looking at me with wide eyes that ask if I’m going to pick up the gauntlet her mom has just thrown down. They grow even wider when I set my palms on the table and push to my feet, and stay glued to me as I move over to the counter across from Rae and smile.

---