Page 17 of Wildflower and Whiskey
“It’s fine. We had good bonding time,” Luc said with a grin. “He’s a handsome little guy. We’ve got a lot in common.”
A laugh escaped me. “You’re such a man child.”
He smirked. “Get some rest. I’ll take the couch and keep an eye on things. But come morning, we need to find a way out of this house.”
I touched his shoulder, gratitude burning in my chest. “I know. Thanks, Luc.” With heavy steps, I climbed the stairs, the weight of everything pressing down harder than ever.
From the hallway, I heard him settle onto the couch with a blanket. For the first time in weeks, I let myself believe I wasn’t completely alone.
CHAPTER 10
Elyna
I didn’t sleep much. Braden’s soft breaths came steady from the playpen at the foot of my bed, but every creak in the house kept me wide awake. I knew Luc was downstairs on the couch, keeping an eye out, but with Papa in the next room, I couldn’t shake the unease crawling under my skin.
Braden stirred, rubbing his tiny fists against his eyes. I checked the time on my cell to see it was almost seven. Time to shift back into mommy mode and start our day. I scooped him up, kissed his warm cheek, and whispered, “Good morning, baby boy.”
Downstairs, Luc was moving around restlessly on the couch, looking like he hadn’t slept at all. His hair stuck up, and the circles under his eyes told me he’d been listening for trouble more than resting.
“Morning,” I said quietly, bouncing Braden against my hip.
“Hey there, buddy,” Luc greeted, his face softening when Braden giggled. He reached out to tap Braden’s little hand, and my son rewarded him with a sweet smile.
A smile curved my own lips, despite my exhaustion. “Someone likes you.”
“I told you we hit it off.” Luc grinned, then went straight for the coffeepot. He then went upstairs to get ready for his day. I worked my way around the kitchen making breakfast for Braden and Luc, since I wanted to thank him for being such an amazing brother and babysitting last night.
By the time Luc came back downstairs I was feeding Braden his breakfast, and I had a steaming heap of cinnamon French toast waiting on my brother. I set the last thick slice of cinnamon French toast on the plate just as Luc wandered into the kitchen. Braden squealed in his high chair, flinging soggy cereal across the tray, and Luc grinned like the little mess was a prize.
“I made you cinnamon French toast as a thank you for watching him last night,” I said, sliding the plate toward him.
His stomach answered before he did, and he laughed. “Thanks, I would say you didn’t have to, but I’m going to enjoy this.”
“There’s maple syrup in the fridge. I bought it from Eric’s shop,” I added. “He expanded it and he carries great things.”
“Cool. So do you like working over there?” Luc asked as he pulled the syrup out of the fridge.
I shrugged, spooning more cereal into Braden’s mouth, even though most of it came right back out with a grin. “You know the Thornes, they’re all good people. Although working for Phoenix has been special. I don’t know what that guy’s problem is.”
Luc narrowed his eyes at me. “Do I need to beat up Phoenix because that may be a problem?” he asked around a mouthful of French toast drenched in syrup.
I shook my head quickly. “Nah, he’s respectful and does everything by the book. He’s just grumpy is all.”
“That’s Phoenix for you. He’s a focused guy. It’s impressive what he’s done with the microbrewery. It’s bringing a lot of people from the city to town.”
“He is a good businessman,” I admitted. “I just need to wait for one of those cabins to free up. They don’t have any housing options available, and everything else around here is either a dump or not something I can afford.”
“We’ll figure something out.” He sounded so sure, like he could fix everything, even if we both knew he couldn’t. “By the way, I should probably mention Izzy and I are dating. I’m going over to the Thornes’…”
I cut him off with a whistle. “Hallelujah. Took you guys long enough.”
His face tightened, all seriousness. “It’s complicated, Elyna. We’re best friends. Outside of you and Braden, Izzy is the most important thing in my life.”
“Actually, it’s Izzy first, then me and Braden. You’ve always been in love with that girl. Good to see you finally came to your senses.”
He rolled his eyes, but then his tone shifted. “Okay, well then. I was going to go upstairs and see if the old man is awake. I wanted to catch him sober to find out what the hell is going on.”
“He brushes his teeth with vodka in the morning,” I scoffed. “Not sure you’re going to find him sober.”
