Page 134 of Stealing Sunshine

She entertains me for a couple of minutes and then pulls back with a bump of our noses.

“Eat, Bryce. We both have work today.”

“I’d rather stay here.”

“Me too. But it’s too short notice to find a sub, and I want to keep my sick days for the next time you find yourself kneeling over a toilet.”

I chuckle, propping myself up against the headboard and folding my leg to make room for her to sit on the bed. “How do you know it won’t be you puking next time?”

Her chin tips toward the ceiling when she sits and places the food on the mattress beside my stretched leg. She holds my knee and takes a peanut butter–smeared pancake between her fingers.

“I never get sick. It’s a Mitchell family blessing.”

“Must be a sham because Johnny’s gotten sick plenty of times.”

“You mean he’spretendedto be sick plenty of times,” she corrects me.

I lean forward and steal a bite of the pancake held to her lips.

“Do you like peanut butter on pancakes?” she asks, taking in my expression as I chew.

Swallowing, I take another pancake from the stack. “I’ve never had it until now. Who doesn’t like peanut butter?”

“You’d be surprised. But I love it. It’s been a while since I’ve had it on pancakes, though. Johnny hates peanut butter and used to hide the jars our moms would buy for me.”

“Johnny’s a shit disturber.”

She giggles, and I decide right here, right now, that I never want to start a day again without hearing that sound.

“I had a good time yesterday,” she murmurs.

“Poppy’s going to meddle into Delaney’s life, you know?”

“Would that be such a bad thing?”

“It will be if she’s doing what I think she is and getting herself involved in Delaney’s relationship with Darren.”

“I’m assuming he won’t be any happier about that than Della?”

“I told him she was coming with us yesterday, and he called me six times while we were gone. I haven’t answered him yet, but I’ll need to soon.”

She rolls her lip between her teeth before letting it go. “He’s mad at you for letting her come? You should tell him that it was my idea.”

“I won’t be doing that, so he needs to get over it. I’m glad she came. It was nice.”

I mean it too. Delaney is good company. And Darren is a grown man with a child old enough to learn from the examples he sets. He can sort himself out before he self-destructs. They’ve been separated for nearly a decade.

Daisy nods, accepting my explanation without a doubt, showing her trust in me. I take her hand and guide her up onto my lap. She hovers over my thighs and sucks a smear of peanut butter off her thumb.

I zone into the movement, desire coiling low in my belly. Depending on what time it is, I could convince her to get back in bed for a few minutes . ..

She releases her thumb with a loud pop, and her lips curl high when she notices my stare. “Don’t even think about it, Ms. Punctuality. Eat and then get dressed.”

“I’m not thinking about anything.”

“Liar,” she whispers, leaning forward to kiss the tip of my nose.

“I want every morning to be like this,” I admit, pushing past the voice in my head that tells me not to be so obvious with my love.

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