Page 32 of Defensive Zone

The damn flutters picked up speed. It wasn’t her fault. He’d put her mind firmly in the gutter with the thought of him in the shower and being big.

She sighed in frustration.

She might be beyond help at this point.

Why was she so fixated on him? It wasn’t a topic she wanted to do a deep dive on because she was afraid to really think about her newfound reaction to him. It served her no purpose.

“Go shower, and I’ll save you a few. But only if you stop calling me Gabster and stop irritating me.”

He leaned in, his smirk deep. “Admit it, you secretly love this teasing and banter between us.”

“I do not,” she bit out.

“You’re a liar,” he said.

“And you’re going to go hungry,” she said, grabbing the crepe pan from his hands. “Or maybe I should whack you on the head with this.”

He chuckled. “So violent. And I like fresh whipped cream and strawberries with a drizzle of Nutella on my crepes.”

She turned to the stove and set the pan down, refusing to acknowledge him, but his chuckle as he walked away settled down in the pit of her belly.

What the hell was going on with her?

She went to work making the crepes and slicing strawberries because everyone liked strawberries in crepes, not just him. Then she whipped up fresh cream into a frothy cloud—

again, that was a crowd favorite—and gathered thin-sliced ham and cheese for a few savory fillings.

“That smells amazing,” Ava said when she walked into the kitchen ten minutes later with Elise in her arms. The infant’s eyes were wide and she smiled at Gabi.

She was such a beautiful and happy baby; Gabi couldn’t get enough of her.

“Should I go get the kids up?” Gabi asked.

“No. Max said he would. He was getting out of the shower a few minutes ago,” Ava said, setting Elise in her highchair and moving into the kitchen.

“Come, make a plate. I have tons of fillings and plenty of batter,” Gabi said, focusing on breakfast and not Max in the shower.

Get it together.

“I haven’t had crepes in forever. Makes me think of home. Well, Montreal,” Ava said, grabbing a plate and two thin crepes.

“Do you miss it?” Gabi asked. “Wish you were back with your parents for now?”

“I do miss it, but I’m glad we came to stay with Max. It’s a fresh start, but still with family. Greg was never in this house if that makes any sense.”

Gabi tucked her friend into a side hug.

“Thanks for listening to me last night,” Ava whispered.

“You never have to thank me for that. I’ll always be here for you. We pinky swore, remember?” Gabi said.

Ava gave her a soft smile. “Yeah.”

And that was why she would push away any weirdness with Max. She would do anything for Ava. The woman had been her rock all those years ago and she could never repay her for that, even if they had only been kids at the time.

---