Page 75 of Stolen Kiss

“What about you? Stay for breakfast?” I asked her.

She leaned up and said softly, “Do you think that’s a good idea?”

“Yes,” I answered with no hesitation. Besides the fact that Elodie was already in love with Emilia, I’d realized, sometime between the day I went to see her at her dance studio to our first date, that I wanted to make this work with her.

I hadn’t been able to get her out of my mind for close to a decade now. I doubted these feelings would go away now.

And I wasn’t a man given to procrastination or indecision. When I wanted something, I went after it with a bullheaded determination. I would not let Emilia slip through my fingers again.

“You must be hungry,” I added. “And it’s just breakfast.”

She still looked like she was on the verge of uncertainty, so I didn’t give her a chance to think. I hopped off the bed, walked out the door, and headed into the guest bedroom, where I found her prosthesis on the bench by the foot of the bed, along with some other stuff that I didn’t know the name to, but I was sure was a part of the prosthesis.

I grabbed everything and walked back in the room. Emilia was listening to Elodie’s babble about people from her daycare, but her eyes went to me when I entered. I placed her prosthesis on the bed.

I knew she was still self-conscious about this, so I would need to be careful how I approached her, but it would be best to let her know that I really didn’t mind it. I didn’t much care about it, and whether she had two legs or one made no difference to me.

I still just saw my Emilia.

“Don’t take too long to get ready,” I told her, planting a swift, chaste kiss on her lips. I grabbed Elodie from her lap and made my way down to the kitchen, where I placed Elodie in her highchair.

Immediately, I grabbed the box of sugar-free cereal and poured about a handful on the tray in front of her, hoping to keep her occupied while I made her a quick, small breakfast of peeled tangerine and a cut-up hard-boiled egg.

She immediately picked up one small ring of cereal with two little fingers and put it in her mouth, grinning up at me.

I smiled back, wiping off some drool with a soft piece of cloth nearby.

“Good?” I asked.

She nodded.

I took her in for a beat before I turned away and got to work.

Twenty minutes later, Elodie was just about done with her fruit, and I had just finished putting scrambled eggs and toast on two plates.

Emilia came downstairs with a reserved look on her face. She was favoring her right side a bit, which told me she was having some trouble with the pain from the prosthesis.

I didn’t comment on it and pretended I didn’t notice as she took a seat at the table. I placed the plate down in front of her and she looked up at me before quickly looking back down at her plate.

“Thank you,” she mumbled.

I didn’t know why she was so subdued, and a part of me was wondering if she was having doubts about us. I took a seat between her and Elodie.

Emilia ate her food quietly.

I was happy her mood didn’t seem to affect her appetite, and she was nearly finished with her plate by the time I was done with mine.

We had been eating in silence with only Elodie’s chatter to fill the space—not that I minded. I was perfectly content just sitting here and watching Emilia eat.

Sitting here with my girls.

“What are your plans for today?” I asked Emilia. A quick glance at the time told me it was barely a quarter past seven. Still early.

She looked up at me then, her fork paused midway to her mouth. “Um, not a lot. I have to be in the studio tonight,” she said, looking over at Elodie. “But that’s about it.”

I nodded. I didn’t want to say goodbye to her just yet. If I was being honest, I didn’t want to say goodbye to her, period. Only, I didn’t know how to tell her that without coming off as possessive. Even if that was exactly what I was feeling.

So fucking possessive over this tiny girl, I was more than tempted to lock the doors and not let her leave. Not let the world in.

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