Page 85 of Done with You

Eve’s eyes went wide and she licked her lips. “I like the apple pie one the best. No, wait. The lemon. No, the strawberry cheesecake. No … ahhhh! I can’t decide.”

“I thought the maple bacon ones were your favorite?” Rayma said with a chuckle. “That’s why I grabbed that one.”

“Oohhh right!” Eve gently smacked her palm to her forehead. “I totally forgot. Yep. That’s my favorite. Thanks, Auntie Rayma.”

“Maple bacon?” Oona asked, wrinkling her nose at the thought of bacon on a donut.

“Don’t knock it until you try it,” Eve said, sliding off her brother’s back and plopping her hands on her hips in a sassy way that reminded Oona so much of Rayma.

“I guess I’ll have to try it then,” Oona said.

“I’ll share a bite with you.” Eve beamed.

Oona grabbed the two donuts the kids selected then cut them in half, putting a half on a plate for each of them.

“Eat them at the island, please,” Pasha said from the dining room.

The kids took their bounty to the big white quartz kitchen island and pulled up bar stools.

“Want a bite of my donut?” Eve asked Oona before she even took a bite.

“I’ll just try a sliver off this piece,” Oona said. “But thank you, sweetheart.” She sliced off an almost see-through piece of the donut and popped it into her mouth. Eve watched her like a hawk.

And, surprisingly, it wasn’t half bad. She made sure to get a small piece of crumbled bacon and maple drizzle for the full affect.

“What do you think?” Eve asked, hopeful.

“Not half bad,” Oona agree, delighting her niece, who then proceeded to cram her whole piece into her mouth.

“It’s my favorite,” Eve said with her mouth full, crumbs flying out of her face.

“Eve! Mouth closed,” Pasha scolded.

“Well, I’m going to eat my feelings,” Rayma said, leaning over and grabbing a donut decorated with dried purple flowers and taking a giant bite. “Mmmmm, Earl Grey and lavender.” She tipped her chin to Oona. “I grabbed two of these because I thought you’d like the Earl Grey.”

Oona wasn’t normally one for such sweets or even donuts, but she had to admit an Earl Grey lavender donut sounded pretty delicious. She cut the other one in half and picked up one piece, taking a bite. An explosion of flavor caressed her tongue. The subtle notes of bergamot and the floral hints of lavender had her closing her eyes and humming in delight.

“Told you,” Rayma said, playfully elbowing Oona, which prompted her to open her eyes.

“Well, don’t hog them all for yourselves,” Mieka said. “Share the mouthgasms this way. We’ve got a grumpy preggo over here.”

“Hey!” Triss said. “I’m not grumpy. I’m just achy. This little man has decided my pelvis is his new playground and my bladder is a trampoline.”

Oona brought the box, along with plates and napkins over to the table and set it in the center, while Rayma finished off making the tea in the kitchen.

Even though the sisters didn’t spend a lot of time together, the five of them, now that they were all adults and working hard at improving their relationships and bond, there was no awkwardness between them. One finished off where the other started without even thinking about it. It helped that Triss and Mieka lived on the same ranch in Colorado and that Rayma and Pasha lived in the same city. Their proximity had definitely aided in their closeness.

Oona often felt left out. She wanted to be as close as the others were. Both in proximity and relationship, but being in Montreal made it hard.

The door leading down to the basement opened and Heath’s enormous frame filled the doorjamb. He smiled at Rayma. “How you doing, kiddo?”

Rayma reached for another donut. “Eating my feelings, one donut at a time.”

Heath’s eyes widened when he spied the box. “Are there enough to share?”

“Bought two dozen because I knew I was coming to your house, big man, there’s enough.”

Heath’s blue eyes twinkled as he reached over his wife’s head and grabbed a chocolate-covered one. “Bathroom sink is fixed. It was just a loose coupling nut that was causing the leak.” He took a bite of the donut and moaned before addressing his wife. “Was gonna take the kids shopping, unless you’d prefer that I leave them here for the sugar to kick in.” His grin was cheeky and teasing as he chewed. For a behemoth of a man with blond hair nearly down to his shoulders, and a way about him that sort of screamed killing machine, Heath was just a big teddy bear. Not to mention how he clearly worshipped Pasha, and was such a hands-on, amazing dad, there was no doubt in Oona’s mind that her sister had hit the absolute jackpot. All her sisters had.

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