Page 35 of Wild Pitch
“Wait, you aren’t going to carry me around like a caveman anymore?” I asked in jest, but I would be lying if I said I didn’t enjoy the way he easily picked me up and tossed me around.
He shook his head. “I’m going to feed you, and then, unfortunately, I need to drop you off on the way to the ballpark.”
“I’m going to Lily’s, sorry, my new place. I should get used to saying that, huh?”
“You’ll get used to it once you’re in there, and once that happens, it will become your reality.”
“That’s true. Right now, living there is just a concept. It’s hard to wrap my head around it.” I paused and watched his back as he walked ahead of me. “What are you feeding me?”
“Carbs?” he asked.
“Yes, please. What else?”
He grabbed my hand and pulled me behind him, leading us back downstairs towards the kitchen. I looked around, realizing that there was no sign of the mess we had made the night before.
“Um, did you wake up in the middle of the night?” I asked, confused and sure that I would have felt him get out of bed.
“No, Cindy came by to clean this morning. She also dropped off some groceries so that I could make you the breakfast you demanded.”
“I didn’t even hear her,” I said, wondering when she might have been in the house. Oh, no. I blushed furiously.
“Well, I’m sure she heard you.” Luc’s statement confirmed my most embarrassing fears.
“No!” I gasped, practically shouting as my face continued to flame in embarrassment. Had she heard me begging him to letme come? “You can’t just let people in and out of your house while we’re having sex.”
“It was either that or we’d starve. Cindy is discreet, which is why you didn’t even know she was here.”
“Please don’t do that to me again. Otherwise, I won’t be able to relax and let go.”
“I’m sorry,” he said, pulling me close and kissing the top of my head. “I’m used to having staff in and out of the house; I forget that other people aren’t.”
“Luc, I don’t even like asking someone to pump my gas.”
“Got it.”
He sliced two bagels and slipped them into the toaster while cooking bacon and eggs. I had intended to plop myself on the island chair and let him wait on me, but being a middle child, it was next to impossible to observe and not participate.
I searched through the cabinets, pulling out plates and utensils, and did my best to assist with the cooking.
“Ooh,” I said, staring at the complicated espresso machine. “I’m not going to be able to do much with that. Can you make the coffee, and I’ll take over the eggs?”
“Latte?” he asked.
“Do you have oat milk?”
“Almond, but I’ll add oat milk to the list for Cindy next time.”
I continued to man the eggs and bacon while Luc ground the beans and made the lattes.
“Almond milk is good for me. I don’t need you to order anything special.” Again, middle child thing, never wanting to make things more work for anyone else.
Luc stared at me as if he was trying to make sense of something before shaking his head and turning back towards the espresso machine.
“I feel like you had an entire conversation in your head.”
“I’m just trying to make sense of something. Maybe it’s because you’re so different from any woman I’ve known. I like it. That’s literally the entire conversation. I like it, and I like you.”
“That’s good, Luc. I like you, too.” The words easily came out of my mouth, and we briefly made eye contact, and I earned one of my favorite eye-crinkling smiles.
