Page 39 of Derek

“Yes, babygirl, I did.” Derek leaned back in his chair as he sipped his coffee. Derek almost sloshed the contents over everything when Snuggles jumped on his lap. He’d forgotten about the cat. Snuggles wasted no time curling up and started purring.

Derek stroked his fur and took another drink. He needed to get her a better machine, but the coffee was decent. At least she ground her beans fresh, and her blend was high quality. Sonjacared about her drinks and food—not surprising with her job. However, he had a concern he needed to address. It was time for an adult conversation with her.

He placed a rainbow skewer on her plate and asked, “How come there’s no fruit in your house?”

Sonja pulled off the grape from the tip and popped it in her mouth. She chewed and swallowed before answering, “I don’t eat fruit—it’s too much trouble to fix, and I end up throwing it out so”—she shrugged—“I don’t buy it anymore.” She ate the blueberry and the strawberry.

Derek frowned. “You need to eat a variety of fruits and vegetables to get all your vitamins and minerals, baby.”

Sonja ate the melon, placed the piece of banana on her plate, and put a chunk of pineapple in her mouth. After she swallowed the fruit, she used her napkin to wipe her hands and mouth, the piece of banana forgotten on her plate.

“If I could buy fruit like this in the shop, I would. Thank you for making me breakfast.”

“It was my pleasure, babygirl, but aren’t you going to finish your fruit?”

She looked down at her plate and scowled. “I don’t eat banana.”

“Why not?”

“I don’t like the taste.” Sonja crossed her arms in a defensive gesture, and Derek narrowed his eyes. There was more than just her distaste for the flavor.

“You know bananas are a great source of potassium. We can try other ways for you to eat them, like blended in a smoothie or banana pudding.”

Sonja looked over at him with tears in her eyes and said, “No banana pudding, please.”

Derek carefully picked up Snuggles from his lap and placed the cat on the ground. The cat scuttled away indignantly.Derek could have laughed about his demeanor, but he was too concerned about his babygirl.

He slipped out of his chair and went down beside her on one knee. Derek cupped her face between tender hands and kissed away a tear that had leaked from her eye and was running down her cheek. His tender gesture made her lose her composure, and she started crying. Derek just held her, patiently waiting for her to settle down. He had no problem with consoling crying subbies.

After a while, she settled down, and he used a fresh napkin to clean her face. “Better?”

“No.” She pouted. “My throat is sore, and my eyes must be puffy and red.”

Derek bit back a laugh.

“You don’t seem bothered by tears,” Sonja observed.

“Why should I? Tears are cleansing. Like rain after a dry spell, they wash away dust and make the scenery clearer and more visible. As rainwater helps plants and trees grow, I believe tears feed growth in a human.”

Her mouth formed a big ‘O’.

He lifted an eyebrow and prompted, “So, bananas?”

She scowled at him. Had she really believed a crying bout would get her out of talking?

Sonja sighed, “If you need to know. My grandmother made the best banana pudding, and the fruit makes me think of her. It’s the one dessert she made that I never learned the recipe for. She was the closest thing I had to a mother, and I still miss her.”

Derek pressed a kiss on her cheek. “Thank you for telling me, baby. I’ll find another way to feed you potassium.”

Sonja laughed at that, and he kissed her thoroughly this time. She tasted like coffee and fruit, and she gave her all in the kiss.

CHAPTER TWENTY

Sonja groaned as she pressed snooze to silence her alarm. The previous weekend, she had slept just fine, but the past three nights had been her normal four or five hours of fitful sleep. The slightest sound would rouse her. Usually, she would wake between 2:00 and 4:00 am, only to fall asleep again an hour or so before her alarm went off.

She pushed herself up on one elbow and grabbed her phone.

6:32 am:Hello, Daddy.

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