Page 86 of Burden to Bear

He listened.

And he wasn’t selfish.

“It thrills me that you remember my aversion to eggs right now, but I guess what I really want to know is why you’re asking me about what I’m willing to eat as though you intend to be the one to cook.”

Brock stood a little taller and declared, “Because I do intend to cook. You are going to grab a seat and talk to me while I do it.”

I shook my head slowly, the corners of my mouth tipping up.

“Why are you shaking your head?”

“You’re going to get yourself into trouble by spoiling me like this,” I warned him.

He laughed. “I’m okay with that. Now, if I use eggs and make some French toast for you, do you think you could stomach that?”

“Oh, I’d love nothing more than to smell some French toast cooking in here right now.”

“That’s a start. What about eating it, though?” he pressed. “I don’t want this to be a lemon cookie situation. I want you to be able to eat with me.”

The way Brock cared and would switch things up just to accommodate me warmed my heart. I wasn’t sure I’d ever get used to the way he made me feel.

“I’ll eat it, too,” I promised.

“Are you sure?”

Nodding, I confirmed, “Yes.”

“Good. Grab a seat and let me take care of the rest,” he ordered.

I didn’t hesitate.

Brock seemed intent on doing this for me, and I was in a place where I was willing to accept any opportunity I could get to rest and have someone cook for me.

But no sooner had I sat down when my phone buzzed on the counter. Brock moved around the kitchen, grabbing everything he needed to make breakfast as I picked the phone up and looked at the display.

My body froze as soon as I saw the name, and my breath got stuck in my lungs as soon as I read the message.

Brock must have noticed, because he stopped moving and asked, “Is everything okay?”

I lifted my gaze from the phone and said, “Susie texted me.”

“Susie? That’s?—”

“Todd’s sister,” I confirmed. “She said that Todd told her what happened last night.”

“And?”

“And she’s curious if I’m doing okay.”

Brock held my stare for a few beats before he reasoned, “Well, I think that’s a good thing, isn’t it?”

“Yeah. She’s a good woman, and I know she’s going to be very involved in the baby’s life,” I explained.

“Why do you seem so concerned right now?”

I shrugged. I didn’t know why I was having the reaction that I was. I liked Susie. I always had. And she’d never given me any reason to believe that she wanted anything less than the best for me.

“I don’t know. I guess I don’t want her to be disappointed, because she’s always been kind to me,” I said. “I mean, she’s not saying anything bad or jumping to some conclusion, but I wonder what the story was that she was given.”

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