Page 10 of Make Your Move

I am the secret ingredient.

“What’s with the aprons?” I ask him as he looks over at me with a grin breaking out across his lips. We don’t have a single apron in our kitchen, so they must be Lincoln’s.

“They’re fun,” he explains as he shrugs sheepishly. “They made you smile.”

Heat creeps up my neck, quickly spreading across my cheeks as he stares at me with those pretty, stupid eyes of his. I clear my throat, attempting to brush off his comment, and quickly change the subject. “What are you making?”

“Chicken Florentine.”

“It sounds and smells really good,” I admit as I look at the various pots he’s working on. “When did you start cooking?”

“Hand me that pepper,” he says, pointing to the counter as he reaches for one of the wooden spoons and gives the pan a stir. “I lived off takeout for a solid year before I started to get tired of it.” He takes the pepper from me as I hand him the jar. “I fucked up my ankle and couldn’t play for a little while and ended up falling down a rabbit hole of cooking videos. It was literally just something to do at the time—I didn’t think I’d enjoy it as much as I do now.”

I smile as I imagine him when he was first learning how to cook. Lincoln has always been the type of person that if there’s something he sets his mind on, he’s not going to let anything stop him from doing it.

Lincoln grabs a spoon from the drawer and dips it into the sauce. I watch him as he leans forward and holds his hand beneath it as he brings it to his lips.

“Is there anything you can’t do?”

He glances at me just as he puts the spoon in his mouth. His expression is soft and warm, and there’s something dancing beneath his eyes that I can’t put my finger on. “A few things,” he says quietly as he dips the spoon back into the sauce and turns his body to face me. “Try it,” he suggests as he brings the utensil to my mouth.

I stare back at him, my heart pounding in my chest as his gaze drops down to my lips. I part them, just enough for him to push the spoon against my tongue. His throat bobs and his nostrils flare as I close them around the metal, lightly sucking the sauce from it. His eyes flash to mine as the muscle in his jaw tightens.

My eyelids flutter shut as I savor the taste and release the spoon. It’s light and creamy with just the right amount of flavor. When I open my eyes, I’m met with the intensity of Lincoln’s stare as he watches me. “That tastes really good, Lincoln.”

A fire burns within his irises. “I can only imagine.”

“Something smells amazing,” Nash calls out as he walks over to the fridge. I freeze, my eyes widening as I look past Lincoln at my brother. I didn’t realize he was in the kitchen, and I don’t know how long he’s been in here. “What are you cooking?” he asks as he twists open a water bottle and takes a long sip.

“Lincoln’s making Chicken Florentine.”

Nash tilts his head to the side with his eyes wide. “You are welcome to stay here as long as you want,” he says with a laugh as he comes to inspect the stove. He curls all his fingers to his palm except for his pointer finger, and he plunges it into the sauce.

“Get out of here,” I scold him as I swat at him with my own hand. He quickly steps away, popping his finger into his mouth with a laugh. I accidentally end up smacking Lincoln’s arm.

His hand flies up to grab his forearm and winces. “I think you broke my arm, Nova.”

“Okay, you are both incredibly annoying,” I tell them as I take a step away. Reaching behind my back, I untie my apron and pull it over my head and toss it onto the counter. “I’m going to go change and relax, but feel free to let me know when the food is ready.”

“Come on, Novy,” Nash calls out as I make for the doorway to the foyer. “We know I can’t cook for shit, and I’m sure Lincoln needs some help.”

“Yeah, Novy,” Lincoln says mockingly as he pushes out his bottom lip and gives me puppy dog eyes. “Stay and help me.”

I shake my head at the two of them, a smile spreading across my lips. “Nope. The two of you can manage without me.”

I don’t wait for either of them to respond, but I don’t miss the way Lincoln looks at me before I head into the foyer. The memory of the look he gave me follows me up into my bedroom and bathroom as I remove my makeup and change into something comfortable.

Posey is just waking up when I make my way back to the living room. I glance out into the kitchen, watching Lincoln while his back is to me. It’s hard not to steal glances when he doesn’t see me. I crawl onto the couch with Posey, pulling her against me for a snuggle.

I think I’m going to need to move out.

After dinner, I take Posey upstairs and give her a bath before taking her to her room. She’s still tired from her long day, and I’m thankful I don’t have to go into the museum tomorrow. I’m able to do my work from my laptop at home, so Posey and I will have the day together. I only agreed to working two days a week, so she doesn’t have to spend all her time at day care.

She falls asleep while I’m reading her a story, and I tuck her in before turning on the nightlight and pulling her door shut. Nash is down in the basement playing video games, and I think Lincoln went down with him.

It’s nice seeing the two of them together again.

I slip into my bedroom and go to find my laptop so I can check my emails before going to bed when I remember I never brought it inside. I left my bag and all my things in the car when I carried Posey in earlier, and I never went back out to get them.

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