Page 62 of Chasing Shelter

She shrugged, the motion drawing my attention to what she was wearing. A T-shirt she swam in that exposed long, tan legs and ridiculous, fuzzy purple slippers. But my gaze went right back to the tee.Myshirt. The one I’d given her the night she almost set her house on fire.

The worn cotton skimmed over her form like my hands itched to do. It slid to one side, exposing a smooth shoulder, and the thin cotton hugged her breasts in a way that told me Ellie was definitelynotwearing a bra. My jeans felt instantly tighter.

Fucking hell.

I squeezed my eyes closed for a second, trying to think of anything but Ellie. My daughter was here, for God’s sake.

“You okay, Chief? You kind of look like you’re having a stroke.”

In for three. Out for three. “I’m fine.”

“Then why are your eyes still closed?” Ellie pressed.

I opened them then, trying desperately to hold on to my mask. “You screamed,” I accused her. And when I heard that strangled sound, I’d instantly had visions of Jasper breaking in andhurtingher.

Ellie shifted her weight, rocking on her feet. “I yelped. The doorbell startled me.”

“Why?” I pressed. Something was off. Ellie’s face was paler than normal, and her hands trembled slightly.

“I don’t know. Maybe because I wasn’t expecting anyone to be ringing my doorbell first thing in the morning.”

“We came to make you breakfast,” Keely offered helpfully, now rocking the dog to sleep like one of her dolls. “Breakfasts on Saturdays are the best breakfasts, so you had to get it, too.”

Ellie’s brows rose, and she beamed at Keely, a smile spreading across her face. “Bestie, that is so nice.”

For the first time in my life, I was jealous of my kid. I cleared my throat. “Thought you might like some cooking lessons.”

Ellie’s pale green gaze, even softer in the morning light, turned to me. “I’d like that. Just give me a second to change.”

“Bestie, is that my daddy’s shirt?” Keely asked, all innocence and curiosity.

Ellie’s cheeks flamed, turning a deep pink. “He, um, let me borrow it. And it’s cozy. I’m just going to change.”

She bolted for the stairs, but I had the sudden urge to beat my chest like a damn gorilla. I wanted her to stay in the shirt. To wear it all damn day so a piece of me was with her. God, I needed to get a grip.

“Daddy, it’s so nice that you shared your shirt with Ellie. Maybe you can be besties, too.”

I stared down at my daughter. “Maybe we can, Keels.”

The only problem was that I wanted to be way more thanbesties.

“What doyou think about learning a scramble? If you’re okay eating eggs,” I asked, glancing at Ellie. She’d changed into black jeans with tears in them that exposed snatches of skin my fingers ached to trace and boots with laces that had me imagining her keeping those on as I—nope. That was a no-go zone.

Keely is sitting at the breakfast table. Keely is sitting at the breakfast table. Keely is sitting at the breakfast table.

“I think that sounds like an ambitious goal, but I’m here for it,” Ellie said with a grin.

“Okay, first things first. Since you’re a veggie-only fan, we need to make sure you’re picking things with enough different flavors.” I gestured to the array on the counter.

Ellie saluted me. “Veggie queen, reporting for duty.”

“I wanna be a veggie queen,” Keely called from where she was coloring with Gremlin on her lap.

“Do you want to give up pepperoni on your pizza?” I asked.

Keely’s face scrunched. “A halfsies veggie queen?”

I chuckled. “That sounds like a plan.” I turned back to our options. “We’ll start with onions and peppers. That gives us a good base. Then, we can add the kale for a little greenery. You’re good with dairy, right?”

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