Page 225 of Small Town Firsts
She made a little humming sound. “I don’t want it anyway.”
“Coffee is manna from heaven.”
The deep voice behind me made my skin instantly flush. Seth slipped his arms around my waist and dragged me back against him. He tucked his chin into my neck. “I thought I liked the T-shirt, but those boxers are giving me ideas.”
Right then, I was very glad I had an apron on. I elbowed him and Laurie giggled.
“Hi, Daddy.”
“Hi, Munchkin. What are you making?”
“We’re gonna make nana pancakes,” she said.
“Banana pancakes? I could go for those.” He flicked his finger under the apron and stroked across my belly. “Are you having a craving maybe?”
I rolled my eyes and slipped out of his arms. I felt weird cuddling with him in front of Laurie. Weird because I wanted it so very badly.
Her eyes tracked over us and a lopsided smile tugged at her lips. “Daddy has scruffles.”
I slid my palm over my neck. “He does.”
“You have red marks all over. Did Daddy play tickle monster with you?”
Seth snorted and covered his laugh by turning toward the bacon on the stove.
“Don’t eat all of the bacon.” I glanced over my shoulder and sure enough he had a piece in his mouth.
“Just one.”
I moved to Laurie and poured flour and cinnamon into the mixer.
“I can do it!”
I winced. “Sorry, kiddo. You can crack the eggs. Hang onto your chair.”
“M’kay.”
I swung over to the fridge for supplies and with my arms full, I couldn’t avoid Seth’s ambush. He cupped my face and settled a soft kiss on my lips. He tasted like toothpaste and bacon and all of that was wrapped in his toasted sugar scent.
“Daddy!” Laurie’s giggle filled the room.
“Sorry.” He turned and did the same to his daughter, you know, without the tongue part though.
My system had little time to readjust from the highest highs of touching him, and sleeping with him all night, and now to domesticity. It was all so jarring. I’d been careful not to allow our interactions in front of Laurie to be too familiar and now it seemed like every boundary was gone.
Was it just my imagination? Or maybe I just wanted it that way.
“Ally, hungry.”
“Right.” I blinked out of my stupid overthinking moment and grabbed the bananas on my way by. I dumped all the fixings on the counter and went to work teaching Laurie how to make banana pancakes.
By the time we were done, we were covered in flour and my arms were dusted in cinnamon. The three of us soon figured out a system for the pour, flip, and finish of each silver dollar pancake.
Seth stole a kiss when I passed him the cup of Nutella.
“Hey. None of that.”
He leaned down with a smile and nibbled at the corner of my mouth. “Was just getting the bit of chocolate there.”
