Page 76 of Obsessed Mate

She grinned. “Yep. I need a Leo hug. What are we making for dinner?”

I laughed. “Where are you getting all this energy?”

“Don’t know. Don’t care.” She hopped up from the couch and swung her arm around my waist. “Now, let’s get you a shower before we have company again.”

At the sound of that, I could definitely get used to her taking care of me.

***

The ecstatic patter of footsteps barreled toward me from the living room. Leo skidded to a halt next to me and gently wrapped his arms around my leg.

“Uncle Andres, I was worried about you,” he expressed. “Aunt Sadie said you got really hurt.”

I glanced toward the living room. “Aunt Sadie?”

Xavier walked in with Galanthia next to him. “Yeah, uh…Is that okay?”

Sadie beamed as she entered the kitchen from the hallway. “That’s perfectly okay with me. Oh, is that bread?”

Galanthia happily held up a bread pan. “It’s milk bread. I made it from scratch.”

Sadie and Galanthia sped off with the milk bread as Xavier and Leo came to the rescue with the spaghetti. I wasn’t fumbling my cooking or anything, but I was having trouble standing. Soon, the kitchen was being taken over by everyone else and I was being forced to sit down.

Well, I could have gotten used to being nursed so long as it was Sadie doing the nursing. And only in the way she had done it an hour ago. Having Xavier and Galanthia take over my kitchen along with their darling child irked me a bit. But all that went away when I saw how Sadie and Leo got along.

I craned my neck from the living room to keep an eye on them. Sadie turned into such a loving caregiver when Leo was around. I didn’t think she realized it, and I certainly didn’t think she noticed how much I watched her when she did it. She showed Leo how to set out the plates, and then carried him around the length of the table so he could set up the utensils.

While my family was occupied, I took out my phone and texted Izdor. I had time for a few quick updates. He reported that the basement was good to go. An email from Raven confirmed that renovations would begin within a few days. I smiled while looking over the architecture plans I had done while Sadie was sleeping.

“What have you got there, Uncle Andres?”

I almost dropped my phone but managed to lock the screen and put it away. “Nothing. Nothing at all.”

Leo looked suspicious. “Aunt Sadie said dinner is ready.”

“Alright, sport. Give me a hand?”

Leo grinned while yanking on my hand. His strength was growing by the day. I couldn’t imagine what it would be like when he got older. Though the kitchen was hot, it didn’t feel stifling. It just felt like a hearth heated by a generous fire.

Life had changed significantly in just under a week. Just when I thought I’d spend the rest of my days by myself, Sadie came back to me, and she came willingly. She showed me that she wasn’t going to abandon me. She was going to stay by my side even when we started hitting those speed bumps that couples often hit.

I wondered if we needed to go to therapy, but when I saw the way she lit up next to me, I cast the thought aside. This was the therapy she needed. Quality time with family was the bread and butter of our relationship, the very salve that would ease our pains. As the two of us got cozy at the table, Xavier served us platefuls of spaghetti while Leo and Galanthia grated cheese.

“I feel like I’m being spoiled,” I joked, to which the table responded with a round of laughter.

Xavier and Galanthia kept trading glances. They’d just been married, but they seemed happier than ever. It made me ponder how things would go with Sadie once we had our ritual performed.

My gaze dropped to my plate.I still haven’t gotten her a ring. And she hasn’t asked.

I glanced at my bride, enjoying the way the light brightened her features along with her smile. Not a care in the world sat in that brain. Nothing but delight lived there tonight. She wasn’t bothered by anything. And that was all that I ever wanted for her.

Dinner didn’t end until we were all struggling to keep our eyes open. Xavier and Galanthia cleaned up while Sadie cradled a sleeping Leo to her bosom. Once the kitchen was clear, the two lovebirds gathered Leo and wished us goodnight. We thanked them for the wonderful evening and sat on the porch for a while, listening to the crickets chirp in the grass.

“Can we get married this weekend?”

Pleasure ignited me. “I’ve been waiting to hear you say that all day.”

“Really?”

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