Page 114 of The Life We Left Behind

“Why am I being punished like this?” Blake lamented as she came down the stairs, looking slightly like death, and I winced in guilt. “Coffee. Please, God. Let there be coffee.”

“Fresh pot in the kitchen,” I shouted after her as she drifted away.

Cade hurtled down the stairs, his sneakers in his hand, and sprinted into the kitchen for breakfast. I swear we used to be better at mornings than this.

I shook my head as I followed the two of them and saw Cade sliding into a chair at the kitchen table, his eyes wide in surprise.

Yeah. Trace might have gone ever so slightly overboard with breakfast.

“Bacon!” Trace started to slip some onto Cade’s plate as he shuffled around the table, picking up random plates and then putting them down again. “I didn’t know if you’d want eggs or waffles, so I made both. Then I made a fruit salad because Ididn’t know if you should have some fruit because you’re a kid, and it’s good for you.”

I looked at the breakfast burritos, French toast, sausage links, and avocado toast and wondered how he’d reasoned those out but chose not to say anything.

“Dad, chill. And I’ll take a waffle.”

Trace practically had stars in his eyes at the mention of the word Dad. I was pretty sure that Cade was enjoying saying it, too, because since it had slipped out this weekend at Trace’s parent’s house, he’d taken every opportunity to say it.

“You guys are so cute.” Blake sighed as she propped her elbows on the table and dropped her chin in her hands as she watched Trace fuss around Cade.

She must have downed a coffee already to have gone from her grumpy morning self to this starry-eyed version so fast.

As I helped myself to some bacon and eggs, I watched the people I loved the most in the world around the table. This was such a normal thing to happen in the morning in most houses, but it was the first time I’d ever really had this. Even back in the city, it was rare that the three of us would sit down and all have breakfast together. We were all just too busy, and mornings were always the worst.

So much was changing, and most of it was for the better.

“Did you say you have some deliveries coming today?” Trace asked around a mouthful of sausage.

“Yeah, but the tracking says they won’t be here until mid-morning, so I have plenty of time to get Cade to school and then get back to the house.”

“First day of a new school,” Blake pointed out yet again. “You’re going to break so many hearts today, kid.”

Trace laughed and shook his head while Cade flushed that shade of red that only kids could manage.

He was still firmly in his girls are gross phase, and I, for one, was glad of it. I did, however, hope that he’d find some kids to be friends with today. Moving him at the end of the school year didn’t seem like the best idea, but Trace had pointed out that it gave him a chance to make friends to see over the break. Even Cade was excited to get started at school. I was the only one who seemed to be nervous about it.

“Do you mind dropping me at the office after we do the school run?” Trace asked.

I looked at him in surprise, and he must have realized why without me even needing to say anything.

“I’ve got a couple of things I need to tie up, and I want to make sure that Rosie is okay.”

“Yeah, no problem. You know, if she’s as good as you say she is, she’s always welcome to come and work with us as soon as we have the business moving.”

Trace perked up a bit at the suggestion. “I like that idea. Rosie is a good kid. She works hard so she can look after her little sister. I don’t want my falling out with my parents to affect that for her.”

I could see why that was important to Trace. He and his brothers had always been close when we were teenagers, and it would have hurt him to see them move away without looking back. I was surprised he’d managed to stay around his parents for as long as he had, to be honest. I knew he must have held some resentment toward them for pushing Xander and Gage away.

“Okay, how long do you think you’ll be? I need to go to the store and do a few things in town, so I could drive you home if you don’t think it will take too long. I just need to be back by eleven for the first of the deliveries.”

“I should be an hour tops.”

Blake sighed happily, and I looked at her in confusion. “You guys are the picture of domestic bliss. I feel good about my decision to move out now.”

It came so out of left field that my mouth hung open in surprise.

“Move out?”

“Yeah, you didn’t think I was going to hang around and be your third wheel for the rest of my life, did you?” Blake laughed, and I tried hard not to admit that I had kind of assumed exactly that. Not that I’d ever consider her a third wheel.

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