Page 50 of Their Greatest Strength

Leaning with her back to the counter, Blakely doesn’t lookexcited at all, and that doesn’t sit well with me. It’s too early for her to be so in her head.

“If you’re going to tell me that you don’t eat breakfast, you should know that I’m a huge breakfast advocate,” I tease her.

She chomps down on her bottom lip, avoiding eye contact. “We don’t usually have the money to order food. I’m not sure that’s the best way to spend it right now.”

“Did you forget what we spoke about before signing the paperwork?” I ask, taking a single step toward her. “Because I remember telling you that you aren’t spending a dime on anything for the duration of our marriage.”

Her eyes dart to where Nate’s sitting, still enthralled with my phone, before bringing them up to snare mine with unease.

“We’re not married yet.”

Her favourite reminder falls on deaf ears. “A technicality that won’t count for much longer.”

She doesn’t duck away when I risk another couple of steps closer. Her head falls back to keep our eyes connected, and I force myself to stop when there’s only a foot between us.

“I’ve been taking care of him since I was eighteen,” she reveals softly. “Everything we have, I’ve worked hard for.”

She’s twenty-three now. That’s a long time to be carrying everything herself.

“Letting someone else help from time to time isn’t going to take that away,” I murmur.

“Maybe not.”

“It’s only breakfast. We can start easy.”

She releases a breath. “Fine.”

“Hey, Nate, can you order for your sister too?” I ask without looking away from her.

Her hands are linked at her belly the way she seems to do when she seeks comfort. Setting my hand atop hers comes naturally. It feels right to lean forward and bring my lips to the top of her head, leaving them there for a few moments.

She inhales sharply and remains still, not pulling away and slapping me for overstepping.

“Got it! Still like french toast with Nutella, Lake?” Nate asks.

Blakely settles a hand on my chest, poised like she’s going to push me. Then she freezes. I bite back a smirk when she lowers her gaze to where we touch, cheeks blazing.

It wouldn’t take much effort to glide her hand a few inches down to the muscles I love teasing her with. With how fierce her touch burns my skin, I may not survive that, though.

“Loosen up a bit, Bandit. I’ve got you,” I whisper before stepping back, forcing her hand to fall.

She clears her throat and turns to face her brother. “Yeah, Nate. I do.”

Not wanting to continue to crowd her, I join Nate at the table, sitting across from him. He finally looks up and cocks his head at his sister when she takes the spot between us.

“Are you feeling okay? You’re really red.”

“I’m just thinking about how we’re going to explain everything to you,” she says.

“Yeah, I was wondering that too. Just figured you’d wait until we were eating.”

“It’s probably better to just get it done with sooner rather than later. Is everything added to the order?” I ask.

“Yep. Here you go. I’ve already put our address in too.”

“Thanks, buddy.”

He hands over the phone, and I add my breakfast to the cart before scrolling through what he’s chosen. It’s a bit slim and lacking the protein I’d recommend for a kid his age, but today isn’t about all that shit.

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