Page 42 of Rebel

Instead of answering, I scooped her up in my arms and grinned. “Rumor has it that someone out here is thirsty.”

“Me!” Her smiling face still showed lines from her pillow. “Did you and Mommy have a sleepover?”

Shit, how the fuck was I supposed to answer that? “Yeah. I came by to check on you girls and then I fell asleep.”

“Mommy’s bed is really soft and nice, isn’t it?”

“Cold water or room temperature?” I asked the question as I sat her on a chair, hoping she didn’t notice that I never answered her question.

“Cold is the best!” I bit back a smile and grabbed a plastic cup to fill with water. “Is it too early for breakfast?”

Hell if I knew. I rarely ate breakfast and when I did it was usually at some overnight diner when we were on the road. “Are you hungry?”

Livvy looked up at me with big, pleading green eyes and smiled bright. She nodded slowly, to sell her lie.

I knew I was being played, and I didn’t even care. “How hungry are you?”

“I could eat a whole stack of pancakes.”

I barked out a laugh at her blatant manipulation. “Sounds good but you have to help.”

She let out a shocked gasp. “I get to help?”

I stared at the cabinet and groaned. I knew shit about making pancakes. “How about French toast?”

Somehow Livvy was even more excited about dunking the bread in the milk and egg mixture than she was about whisking pancake batter. After we’d finished making the French toast, sheturned to me with a grin and said, “I’m dirty,” like it was a badge of honor.

“Come on, let’s get cleaned up so we can eat.”

That was how Nikki found us sometime later when she rushed down the stairs in nothing but a short robe that showed off miles and miles of her beautiful legs. “Um, hey. What’s going on here?”

“Mornin’ Mommy! Me and Mr. Rebel made French toast and it’ssoooogood.” She held up her syrup stained fingers with an equally syrup stained smile. “Real good Mommy.”

Nikki pinched her lips together to stop her smile. “That’s good, huh?”

I nodded slowly and pushed the stack towards the empty place setting. “Better get some before they’re all gone,” I teased.

Her expression was unreadable, but I’d seen that expression enough on my own mom to recognize a pissed off woman when I saw one. “I think I will.”

Bless that adorable little distraction.

At least until she finished her breakfast and went off on her next adventure, leaving me alone with Nikki.

chapter Nineteen

Nikki

“I’m sure you’re pissed off,” Logan began, his tone half-apologetic even as his heated gaze took me in. “But,” he sighed and leaned back in his chair, eyes still fixed on me, “it was either stay in the bedroom and let her attempt to get her own water, hurting herself in the process, or let her see me. I guess I chose wrong.” He looked torn up about it, which made me feel like the bad guy.

“I’m not upset that you chose to keep Livvy safe,” I groaned and tightened the sash on my robe. “Now I have to explain to her why you were in my room.” Not that she knew anything about sex, but she knew that mommies and daddies slept together.Oh shit.I needed to tell him. I couldn’t put it off any longer. Last night Logan asked me to forgive him, and I told him I had. I believed him about the misunderstanding, and I wanted to move forward. But I needed him to offer me the same grace, which he might do. If I told him. Soon.

“Don’t worry about it, she understood that your bed is nice and soft. I neither agreed nor disagreed. I swear.”

A reluctant smile teased my lips. “Thank you, Logan. I appreciate it and this French toast is amazing.”

“Must be Livvy’s fingers. She got all up in that batter.” He let out a laugh that made me smile because it was such an affectionate parental type of laugh. “You sleep okay?”

I licked my lips and took another sip of coffee, ready to let the lie spill from my lips. But his knowing expression stoppedme. “Decent. Too short.” My mind raced too fast to let me get any sleep.

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