Page 74 of Shattered

And his use of my nickname after I hadn’t heard it for so long only adds to the bombardment of emotions flooding my system. I vaguely recall hearing him say it last night, but I was too preoccupied to let it sink in and acknowledge it.

Curling a finger under my chin, he tilts my head to look at his sleepy face. “Is that too soon?”

Too soon? I almost laugh.

Perhaps it is for some, but not for me.

I dreamed about hearing those words when I was younger; I spent nights as a teenager imagining them whispered in my ear. And he just spoke them to me, loud and clear.

“No,” I say softly. “Because I love you, too.”

Seeing his face break into a smile that has his dimple appearing makes my stomach erupt with flutters from every winged insect.

All the shit we went through in the past, all the mistakes we both made, even the fact that we both know Jason won’t approve of us—none of it matters right now. Not here in this little bubble we’ve created.

His eyes drift over my face for a minute, as if he’s memorizing the distance between each feature and the placement of each freckle, and then finally, his head sinks back into the pillow. Hugging me tight, he closes his eyes again.

I feel like I’ll be too buzzed to fall asleep, but eventually, the warmth from his body and the warmth he creates in my chest have my eyes drifting shut.

I awaken sometime later, with my head on a pillow and empty space beside me. It looks like the sun has long since risen, making me wonder what time it is and how I slept in so long. I get up and dig through the bag I brought yesterday—just in case Neilix made me stay the night. Once I find my leggings and T-shirt, I put them on and head for the door.

The sound of Adi giggling hits my ears when I step into the hall, and my lips immediately spread into a smile. I don’t think I could ever get sick of hearing that. I stop at the bathroom to take care of business and brush my teeth before walking into the dining room to join them.

My steps come to a halt at the doorway, my heart ready to explode at the sight of them. Both of them are sitting at the table, shirtless, wearing only pajama pants, and Adi is holding a paintbrush while Neilix takes a picture of his painting. I’ve never walked in on something so unbearably cute in all my life.

“I’ll send this to Mommy,” Neilix says to him just as I go to take a step, and I end up pausing. As much as I try to fight it, a weird feeling makes its way into the pit of my stomach, reminding me of the past we’ve only just moved on from. I know Navi will always be in his life. I’ve talked to her several times at the daycare, and honestly, I really like her. But sometimes things like this are a little reminder that she’s the one with whom Neilix broke my heart.

Thankfully, the feeling is short-lived, and I’m able to shake it off.

The thought of Navi does make me wonder whether she will have a problem with the fact that the person Neilix is seeing also works with her son. I need to ask him about that later.

I combed through the entire policy a couple of weeks ago, and nothing stated that I couldn’t date a parent, so I’m not doing anything wrong, but I still want to make sure everyone is okay with it. That’s why I’m going to talk to my boss, Cindy, about it when I get back to work tomorrow morning.

“Senna.” Adi calling my name snaps me out of my thoughts, and I see both sets of eyes on me. “Look, I paint.”

“Hey, little man.” I move further into the room, tucking away those thoughts for now, and a grin pulls up my lips when I look down at the painting he’s working on. “Wow. You did such a good job.”

I run my gaze over the different paintings he’s already done, and suddenly, I wonder if this might be confusing for him—seeing me at daycare and at his father’s house. He is only three, so it’s hard to tell, but it doesn’t seem to faze him.

Happy with my praise, Adi dips the brush into the tray and keeps painting.

Glancing up, I find brown eyes on me filled with a softness that always seems to be present when he’s watching me and Adi together. “I made some bacon and eggs and cut up some fruit.” Neilix rises to his feet. “Do you want some coffee?”

“I’d love some. Please.” I follow him into the kitchen and lean a hip against the counter. “How long have you been awake?”

“A while.” He pours some coffee and passes me the mug. “Adi doesn’t usually sleep in.”

I take a sip of the deliciously hot liquid, and the memory of the early morning comes to mind—along with a touch of guilt. “I’m sorry I woke you earlier.”

“I’m not,” he immediately replies.

All softness leaves his eyes, replaced by a heat that says he’s also remembering what happened this morning. If I weren’t still tender and Adi wasn’t sitting twelve feet away, I might suggest we go back into the bedroom to try something else, because the way he’s staring at me has my nipples hardening to points.

“You can’t look at me like that while licking your lips.”

My eyes fly up to his face after realizing they had dropped to his chest. “You started it.”

Taking the mug from my hands, he places it on the countertop and pulls me to stand between his legs while he leans against the breakfast bar. Warm lips meet mine in a quick kiss, and his arms come around my back, making me melt into him.

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