Page 147 of Always Red (Chasing Red 2)

“You didn’t say much last night when we got here,” he observed.

Here was his family cabin five hours outside town.

“Don’t tell me you’re missing my mom already. You spent a week together in Saskatchewan, and now you’re best friends?” he teased.

I gave him a big smile. We weren’t best friends, but Caleb’s mom had been quite apologetic for believing what Beatrice-Rose had told her, and she’d started warming up to me. Caleb had been very happy about that, and so was I.

“I do miss her,” I said. “And we would have spent more time together if you weren’t so clingy.”

“Clingy!” He pouted. “Who’s clingy?”

“You wanted to take me to all your meetings so you could keep an eye on me.” I rolled my eyes. “Remember?”

I rose from the bed, walking carefully to the en suite bathroom to brush my teeth. Caleb followed me.

He couldn’t possibly know what this town meant to me. How it had made me sick to my stomach as we drove past the welcome sign.

He lifted his shirt and scratched his stomach as he leaned against the doorjamb. “Is your leg still bothering you?”

I shook my head, but I didn’t look at him. “Not anymore.”

He sighed, pushing away from the doorjamb to kiss my shoulder. “I already made pancakes.”

He knew me well enough to understand that I needed to be alone to gather my thoughts. He also knew that whatever was bothering me, I would tell him when I was ready. Before Caleb, I was much, much different. I wouldn’t have thought of sharing my problems with anyone else.

His lips lingered on my skin as he looked up and met my eyes in the mirror. “I’ll meet you in the kitchen, Red.”

I smiled at him. “Okay.”

Caleb was just placing a plate of eggs and bacon beside a tall stack of pancakes by the time I entered the kitchen. His smile was huge as he stretched his arms out in a grand gesture, showing off the food he had prepared.

“A breakfast for my queen. Should you reward this loyal servant with a kiss?”

I let out a small laugh, kissing him on the cheek.

“Wait. That’s it?” He tapped his lips.

I kissed him on the lips.

He shook his head. “But you missed a spot.”

Laughing, I playfully pushed him away.

Sitting on one of the stools at the island, I looked around the kitchen. Like the rest of the cabin, it was spacious and had a charming, homey feel to it. Natural light came in through the wide glass windows. Caleb had opened a few to let in the morning breeze, which blew the white curtains and brought in the smell of flowers and grass.

“This looks good, Caleb. Thank you for making breakfast.”

He poured tea in the cup he’d placed in front of me. “I want to make breakfast for you every day. Want some eggs?”

My heart melted. I could only nod.

“Pancakes?” He gestured.

I nodded again.

“I made one in a perfect round shape. No, there are two,” he said excitedly, like a little boy. “Here, you can have them.”

My throat tightened. “I love you,” I whispered.

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