Page 78 of Undone

I shook my head with a grin. “I thought we were making pancakes, not a mess.”

“We can do both,” Dorian said, stepping behind me and wrapping his arms around Gracie’s waist, lifting her up into the air. “But maybe we should focus on breakfast before we end up covered in it.”

Gracie squealed in delight as Dorian spun her around and set her back down in front of the bowl.

“Okay, okay! No more food fights. Let’s finish so we can eat. I’m hungry.” Dorian said.

The three of us got back to work, stirring the batter and pouring it onto the griddle.

As the first pancake started to bubble, Gracie leaned over toward me. “Can you help me flip it?”

“Of course,” I said, picking up the spatula. I handed it to Gracie and helped guide her hand as she flipped the pancake over, revealing the perfectly golden side.

“You did it!”

Gracie’s face lit up with pride. “We’re the best pancake team ever.”

“Agreed,” I said, smiling at her as the smell of cooking batter filled the air.

“Um, excuse me. What about me?” Dorian said.

Gracie giggled. “I don’t think I’ve ever had this much fun making breakfast.”

I glanced at Dorian, who was looking at his daughter with all the warmth in the world. There was no doubt this man, who seemed closed off to others, would burn the world down for his little girl.

And that fact had my insides tingling.

After a few more pancakes, we all sat at the table, a stack of golden goodness in front of us. Gracie, still grinning, doused hers with syrup and started cutting them into tiny, uneven pieces.

“Noah, what’s your favorite kind of pancake?” she asked between bites.

“Hmm,” I said, thinking. “I’m a fan of blueberry pancakes. How about you?”

“I like chocolate chip pancakes the best. Daddy makes them sometimes when it’s a special day.”

“Chocolate chip pancakes sound amazing. Maybe next time, we can make those together.”

Gracie’s eyes lit up at the idea. “Can we? Please, Daddy?”

Dorian gave me a look, his lips twitching into a smile. “Sounds like we’ve got another pancake date on our hands.”

“Yay!” Gracie cheered.

“And maybe Noah can come to more breakfasts with us?” Warmth spread through me at her words. I glanced at Dorian, unsure how to respond, but his gaze softened as he nodded.

“Maybe she can,” he said, low and thoughtful. The moment was simple, but it meant more than I could put into words. As we finished breakfast, I realized how much I’d come to care about this little family—and how that terrified me more than anything.

I listened intently as Gracie nailed the passage she’d been working so hard to master over the last few weeks. She finished and looked up at me with a smile on her face, clearly revealing how proud she was of herself.

And that made my heart want to burst.

This sweet, creative girl worked so incredibly hard to get to where she’s at now.

“You did it, Gracie. That was flawless!”

“I did it, I did it! Wait… what does flawless mean?”

I chuckled. “It means it was perfect,” I explained.

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