Page 15 of The Secrets We Built Together

"Umphhh." It was all I could manage before coffee hit my system.

Delaney passed me the largest mug in the house, which was already filled to the brim. I'd claimed it as my own the very first morning I'd been here, and I definitely wouldn't have survived this long without it. I swear my eyes crossed as I looked at it and then inhaled the steam like an addict about to get their first fix.

My eyes snapped open as that thought registered with my brain, and I shook my head as I refused to acknowledge I had a problem.

"I'm never leaving you," I whispered at the coffee and took that first blissful sip. "Precious, precious baby." I practically floated to a seat at the kitchen table as I cradled the beautiful mug of liquid life.

"She's doing it again," Cade sang as he came and sat next to me. "Mom said coffee stunts your growth."

"I didn't know you'd already started drinking it," I snarked, sticking my tongue out at him.

He laughed and poked me in the ribs as I hunched protectively around my mug.

Cade was ten years old and next to Delaney, my absolute best friend in the world. No, that wasn't inappropriate. The kid was more interesting than most of the adults I'd ever met, and I'd honestly prefer hanging out with him than most people.

"And breakfast is served," Trace declared, laying a large platter in the middle of the table.

My mouth watered at the options on display. Dang, even the bowl of fruit salad looked appetizing, and that was saying something.

Cade and I piled our plates high, and I was just shoving a piece of bacon into my mouth when a squall pierced through the air.

I looked up in surprise, blinking. I could have sworn I just heard... shaking my head in denial, I put the bacon in my mouth and started chewing.

Trace and Delaney looked at each other and then at me. I could see the confusion on their faces, so I turned to Cade only to find him happily eating away.

Maybe it was just me, and I'd finally inhaled too many paint fumes. Not that I'd been anywhere near any paint fumes recently. Oh great, now I was going to start out the day all depressed and stuff.

There had to be a solution to this stupid art block I was going through. Lord, I was getting sick of this internal monologue. Maybe that was the trick, I could annoy myself into action.Oh woe is me, art is so hard… nope nothing.

I looked around the table at the people I was sitting with. I loved it here. Willowbrook was such an unexpected surprise to me. As soon as I'd driven into town on that first morning, I felt like I was at home. I’d felt a spark to create, but even as I walked around this cute little town, cradling my sketchbook to my chest, it still hadn’t come.

At first I’d thought settling into new surroundings would do the trick. I had friends here. Like actual adult friends. And I was determined to get into the most exclusive club in town—Wednesday Lunch Club. Those ladies weren't only a riot, they knew everything about everyone and everything. All of the best gossip around was to be found at that table, and who wouldn't want to be part of that! I probably wasn’t obsessing about this just because they'd told me I couldn't. No wasn't really a word I liked to hear, and if anything, it just made me dig my heels in further.

The loud cry pierced the air again as I leaned back in my chair, my fingers tapping against my chin.

"Lanes, the baby's crying," I muttered.

If I could figure out the problem, I could definitely get enough momentum to pull together at least ten pieces for the show. It was less than I would have liked but...

"What the hell?" Trace suddenly shouted, leaping out of his seat so it clattered behind him and made me jump in my chair.

"Gah! What are you shouting about?"

Delaney and Trace were both dashing out of the kitchen and heading for the front door. I looked at Cade in confusion, and he frowned at me and shrugged, turning in his seat to watch his parents. Then he turned back to me.

"We don't have a baby yet," he pointed out.

My brain finally caught up with what was happening, and I quickly rushed after my friends. It said a lot about the current state of my mental health that I needed a ten-year-old to remind me of that.

I caught up with them just as Delaney was pulling the front door open, and then we all froze, staring down at the parcel I definitely hadn't ordered.

"Erm, that's... unusual," I said, staring into the two blue eyes that watched me from the car seat in front of the door.

Those eyes—a startling shade that reminded me of the cornflowers that grew wild along the fence line at the edge of Delaney's property. Alert and somehow...knowing. They locked onto mine with an intensity that made my breath catch.

"Oh my God," Delaney rushed out, dropping to her knees and checking on the now quiet baby that watched us all intently. "How long have they been out here? Did someone really just leave a baby on our doorstep?"

Delaney scooped up the poor child out of the car seat, holding it carefully as Trace moved past her to the front porch. "Whoever it was, they're long gone now," he said, shaking his head. "Take it inside, and I'll give Xander a call to come and check on them. I guess we call the police too?"

---