Page 144 of After All This Time

“Screw you!” she shouts.

“I mean we already have.”

She bites her bottom lip before licking her top and bottom lip. “Shut up.”

“Why don’t you come over here and make me?”

She wraps her legs around my waist, waiting for me to pick her up.

When I do, she gives me a show-stopping kiss.

After she’s done, she kisses my cheek and I plant her back down on the tile floor.

I separate the eggs, putting two groups of two together. “Okay, there are two eggs for you and two for me. That’s why there are four eggs.”

“You know I suck at math.”

“We learned this in kindergarten.”

“You’re so goddamn annoying.” She rolls her eyes. “By the way, I want one egg. Two is too many.”

“You got it, Boss.”

CHAPTER FIFTY-ONE

dani

“Will you go put on a shirt, please?”

“Can’t handle me shirtless?” He raises his eyebrows three times in a row.

“I can handle you just fine. Thank you very much. I really don’t want to take you to the hospital for third-degree burns or some shit like that.” The hot butter he’s melting in a skillet splatters.

He looks up at the ceiling, eyes wandering around and breathing in and out. He brings his head back down, so his eyes line up with mine. “Fine. I'll put on a shirt. Just because you asked.”

His eyelashes flutter like butterfly wings as he walks away.

I watch him walk out of the kitchen and smile like an idiot.

Walking over the air fryer oven, I plug it in to turn it on and stick a plain bagel on the rack.

Feeling big strong arms around my waist, I jump. “Why do you do that?” I turn around, punching him in the arm.

“You know, I don’t like it when you punch me.”

“Don’t scare me like that, and maybe I won’t punch you.” I move a small, glass bowl closer to him. “Will you just crack the eggs, please?”

He salutes me. “Yes, Chef Dani.”

I close my eyes, letting out a deep exhale.

Noah keeps his hands to himself as we prepare breakfast.

Our bagels are almost done toasting, the edges gradually turning golden brown.

He plants a wet kiss on my forehead. “They’re perfect.”

He grabs the tongs out of my hands and pulls out both halves, placing them on the small plastic plates that are sitting next to the oven.

---