Page 77 of Sworn to Protect

“Yeah, waffles.” Nick bolts from the room, yelling for his brother. Crisis averted. For now.

“Oh my God.”

I sag against the pillow, but Nate’s hand glides over my stomach, pulling my focus back to him. His amber eyes burn into me, filled with something deeper than heat. Love? He’s never said the words, but in moments like these, I feel them.

“I’m sorry,” he murmurs. “We sort of crashed last night.”

I can’t stop the smile from forming. “You think?”

His lips trail over my shoulder. He groans, the vibrations dancing across my skin. “Last night was incredible. I hate to get up.”

“Me too,” I admit. “But if I don’t hurry, Nick will be back in here.”

That gets him moving quickly. He kisses my forehead and climbs out of bed. I try not to gawk at his gloriously toned body, but damn. Confidence from last night vanishes in the daylight, and I stay tucked under the sheets until he dresses and heads to the kitchen.

Once he’s gone, I quickly get dressed and go make breakfast.

“You want blueberries in your waffles?” I ask, measuring the flour.

Three voices chime in with yeses.

“Okaythen.”

“I’ll get them for you.” Nate strides over to the refrigerator. Seeing him so effortlessly fitting into our morning routine shouldn’t make my heart ache, but it does.

As he washes the berries, Liam recounts his night with Grandma. “We played this old dice game. Grandma said Mom used to play it, so it must be ancient.”

Nate chuckles. “It must be prehistoric, then.”

“Hey!” I swat his ass with a wooden spoon. Bad move. His firm muscles barely register the hit, but the spoon snaps back and smacks my leg. The kids burst out laughing.

“Well, now that I’ve embarrassed myself…” I huff, rubbing my thigh. “What game?”

“Yahzoo,” Nick says, his lips puckering at the last syllable.

“No, it’sYahtzee.” Liam corrects, exasperated. “I told you this a million times.”

“But I like saying ‘zoo.’ It’s fun.” Nick shrugs. “Plus, I want to go see the penguins.”

“We’ll have to remedy that once Liam’s leg heals.” Nate chuckles as I mix the batter.

Nick cheers, but my mind latches onto something else, Nate speaking like we have a future. “Yay! I finally get to go see them!”

I swallow hard. What he needs to tell me must not be about leaving. So what is it? I decide to wait until after breakfast to ask. The sooner we eat, the sooner we can talk.

“Are the kids settled?” Nate asks.

“Yeah. Nick’s glued to Liam’s side.”

He pats the couch cushion beside him. “I don’t know. I never tire of their mom by my side.”

Heat floods my face as Isit beside him.

“Last night, you kept telling me we needed to talk, but I deterred you,” I admit.

His eyebrow quirks. “Is that what you’re calling it?”

I lick my lips, trying to suppress a smile. “I did have a goal last night.”

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