Page 14 of Single Mom for the Mountain Men
“No, by all means, join in on the fun.” He smiles, his eyes crinkling at the corners. I give him a matching smile, and that’s when Sophie decides to walk in.
“Hey, baby, sleep well?” I ask my daughter as she sits on her stool, yawning loudly. “Cover your mouth, Soph. Where are your manners?”
“Let her be, Lena. She just woke up,” Aiden comments, and Sophie turns victoriously to me, her eyes twinkling.
“Yeah, Lena,” she parrots, and that’s when Aiden turns around to eye Sophie critically.
This action makes me burst out in laughter, and Sophie pokes out her tongue at me. It feels so nice that Aiden is comfortable and frank enough with Sophie to play around with her like this.
The two go on to bicker some more, and just watching them causes this strange feeling to fill my heart to the brim.
Aiden presents me with a plate of hash browns along with scrambled eggs, but he did make them slightly runny, as if tocompromise. He gives Sophie a hearty plate of pancakes. He remembered Sophie’s and my favorite breakfast foods, which makes the weight I’ve been carrying on my chest for such a long time disappear entirely.
It feels freeing and fulfilling to be taken care of like this, without it being made into a huge hassle or argument. Judging by the genuine look of happiness in his eyes, cooking us breakfast was something Aiden wanted to do. He wanted to take care of Sophie and I, even when he could have simply disappeared back to his place this morning.
I take a sip of my burning hot coffee, nearly scalding my tongue as Sophie tells Aiden about her newest interest. He listens with rapt attention and responds as if Sophie is another adult. Sophie hates being treated like a child, and Aiden has cracked the code on how to make her happy in only two weeks.
I finish my breakfast with a smile on my face, feeling light in a way that I haven’t in years. Sophie ventures into the living room to fiddle with the TV, so she can watch one of her favorite cartoons. Once she’s distracted and no longer paying any attention to us, Aiden presses me against the kitchen counter, his hips solid as they press into me.
Flashes from last night and yesterday creep into my mind, and I flush, trying to maintain decorum.
“We can’t do what we did here last time again,” I tell him in what I’m hoping is a firm voice. Realistically, I know I sound like a whiny kid.
“And what did we do? Can you help me jog my memory? Only works if you give me a practical demonstration,” he says cheekily while folding my hands into his.
I nod in an exaggerated manner. “Yes, of course, sir. Any other requests?”
“Yeah. I want in your bed again.”
I slap his stomach, peering at the doorway to see if Sophie heard.
“There’s children in this house!” I hiss after I make sure there’s no chance of Sophie noticing us.
“Oh, please, like that stopped you last night.” He rolls his eyes mockingly.
I scoff. “Okay, first of all, don’t show me this kind of attitude in my own house.”
“This is Jack’s house, though.” He grins stupidly, and I press a chaste kiss against his lips. He pauses for a bit, then his face erupts into a wide smile.
“You’re being annoying on purpose, so I’ll kiss you to shut you up?” I ask against his lips, eye darting every now and then to the door.
“Damn, gave myself away.”
I shake my head, endeared. “All quiet when I first met you, and look at you now. All you want to do is crack these lame jokes.”
He grins and his arms snake around my waist.
“What’cha doing today?”
“Oh, nothing. I was thinking of maybe chilling with Sophie inside the cabin. Do you wanna do something?”
“Yeah, I just wanna hang with you two today. Is that all right?”
My heart bumps loudly in my chest, affection warming me from the inside out.
“More than all right,” I answer.
The entire day, Aiden is glued to me. He’s at my beck and call, helping me around the house with the most basic chores. Even when I tell him not to worry about anything, he doesn’t sit down.
