Page 11 of Manny's Surprise Baby
I straightened. “Oh, um…” I gestured toward the door. “There’s tons of food in the kitchen.” I looked at Emily. “Are you hungry now?”
She slid her gaze to Pierce. “Sure.”
I was positive the only reason she was eating was because Pierce had said he was hungry. I wasn’t sure if he’d done it on purpose, or if he really was hungry. But I was glad she was willing to eat and leave her room. I led the way to the kitchen, and Pierce went straight to the fridge and opened it. Emily came in slowly, moving to where Pierce was.
“You have like every flavor of yogurt made.” He laughed.
“I didn’t know what Emily liked.”
She gave me a shy glance. “I like them all.”
“Good. Then we’re set.” At least I’d done something right.
“I’m kind of in the mood for a cheese omelet,” Pierce muttered.
“I like eggs and cheese.” Emily twisted her hands behind her back.
“Do you?” he asked. “Well, I could make us omelets.” He faced me. “Do you like omelets?”
“Yes.”
He grabbed the eggs, butter, and cheese. “Which cupboard is the pan in?”
I went and grabbed the frying skillet from the bottom shelf across the kitchen. “This is my best pan, so use the rubber spatula. If you ruin this pan, I might cry.”
Emily gave a tiny laugh, and I felt like a superhero.
Pierce heated the butter and cracked the eggs with one hand.
“Where did you learn to do that?” Emily asked.
“My grandma. She was the best cook in the world.” He sighed and patted his flat stomach. “I was much chubbier then.”
Against my will my eyes scanned his lean, masculine frame. I looked away, disconcerted by why I seemed so physically aware of him. Maybe I was just tired and he was here helping me, so I felt drawn to him because of that.
“You guys want toast?” I asked.
Emily looked to Pierce before answering. When he said yes, she immediately said yes too. I dropped the bread into the toaster and leaned against the counter watching the two of them. Emily had immediately bonded to Pierce way faster than she had with me. I wasn’t sure if it was because he was younger or because he’d lost his mom too. I was surprised by how warm Pierce was with her because he’d come off kind of cold when I’d first met him. He obviously had a different reaction to kids and non-alphas. Colin had explained to me that Pierce was leery of alphas, but he hadn’t really gone into detail. I couldn’t help but be curious. But there was no way in hell I was going to ask Pierce why he didn’t like alphas. He’d probably tell me to go fuck myself.
Once Pierce had almost finished cooking the omelets, I pressed down the lever on the toaster. When the toast was ready, I buttered it and carried it to the table. Pierce sat across from me, and, no surprise, Emily sat next to him. The omelet was buttery and delicious, and we ate in silence for a few minutes. Eventually, Pierce started talking about moving back to LA and how different it was from where he’d been staying. He mentioned he’d lived in the mountains, but not specifically where. I wanted to ask questions, but I didn’t. I felt it was better just to sit and listen to the two of them.
After we’d eaten, I cleared the table, and Pierce and Emily sat at the table talking softly. Emily didn’t laugh much, but she seemed less panicked than when she’d first arrived at my house. I was thankful Pierce had agreed to help me. I couldn’t even fathom what the last hour would have been like if he wasn’t with us. Would Emily even have come out of her room?
Pierce and Emily filled the dishwasher, and I excused myself to work on my computer. I had a new assignment the next day, and I needed to read up on my client. After a few hours, I heard the two of them in her bedroom, and it sounded like they were laughing and actually enjoying themselves. I felt a tiny nudge of jealousy that my own daughter preferred him over me, but there wasn’t much I could do about it.
We’d agreed Pierce would live with me while Emily was here because my hours were so screwy at work. I made up the other guest room for Pierce, making sure he had clean towels. I also took the liberty of putting his backpack on his bed, since he’d left it on the couch in the front room. I went back to studying my new client’s bio, but by eleven o’clock my eyes were tired, and I closed my laptop down. The two of them were still talking quietly in Emily’s room, and I tried to listen in. I felt like the only way I’d find anything out about Emily was if I did it without her knowing I was around. She was way too shut off with me. But their voices were soft, so I crept out of my office and stood in the hallway listening.
“Mommy didn’t come home a lot of nights,” Emily said.
“Were you alone then?” Pierce asked quietly.
“Mostly. Sometimes she’d have our neighbor Ted watch me. But he wasn’t always available. I didn’t like being alone because the apartment seemed to have so many creaky noises at night.”
“Was it her job that kept her out?”
“Sometimes.” Her voice was soft.
The vulnerability in her tone made my heart hurt. I felt guilty that I’d never been there for her, even though I knew it wasn’t really my fault.
