Page 51 of Playing with Fire

I needed to shut my brain down and try to get a few hours of sleep. I had a feeling tonight was going to be a long one. The trick to not being exhausted by the end of a night shift was to try to sleep as much as possible between calls.

I typed out one last message to Izzy.

Me: Goodnight sweetheart.

Izzy: Goodnight Logan.

Chapter Twenty-Six

LOGAN

Coming homeand spotting Izzy moving around the kitchen to her own beat, swaying to music that blasted loudly from her phone, was the best. Never did I think loud and chaotic to be something I'd crave, but here we were. It was impossible to avoid getting swept up in her energy.

“Daddy,” Alice bolted my way.

I lifted her into my arms and moved further into the kitchen.

“Want to help us make French toast?”

I chuckled. “Sure.”

The smirk Izzy sent me would have me agreeing to anything. “Hope you don't freak out when they get egg everywhere.”

Wait. Was she serious?

“Chillax.” She giggled. “I was only kidding. It's usually only a little bit of egg.”

My facial expression must have given away my disgust.

“And I'll clean it right up. Promise.”

I shook my head. Jesus, what had I gotten myself into. But I came around the island and helped dip the pieces of bread into the egg mixture, then handed the plate to Izzy to toss onto the griddle. Ten minutes, and a surprisingly minimal amount of mess later, the girls were happily eating their French toast.

“I'll pick them up from school again,” I said, leaning back against the counter and crossing one ankle over the other.

She nodded. “Okay. Did you want me to drop them off so you can head to bed?”

Wanting to take her to bed ran through my mind, but I couldn't say that, so I gave her a clipped nod instead. “Yeah. If you don't mind, that'd be great.”

“Not at all.”

I was amazed at how much of a smooth routine she had down and how well the girls knew it, too. They were running upstairs with instructions to get dressed and brush their teeth as soon as they finished eating, while Izzy finished packing lunches and put them in their backpacks.

Finally, I couldn't stand it anymore. Pushing away from the counter, I grabbed her hand and pulled her toward me. Tangling my fingers in her hair, I pressed my lips against hers, parting them with my tongue and savoring the way she melted into my embrace.

I broke the kiss and rested my forehead on hers. “I missed you.”

“Me too.” She sighed. “Two more nights of this?”

I chuckled even as fresh worry bubbled up now that she saw how sucky the hours could be. But I nodded. “Yeah, tonight and tomorrow night. And then I'm off for a few days.”

“That'll be nice.”

We stood like that until we heard two sets of feet bounding down the stairs.

She stepped back and smiled. “See you tonight, papa bear.”

I growled, and she sent me a wink before turning toward the girls and ushering them out the door.

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