Page 71 of Darkest Retribution

In the kitchen, I figure out Jade’s coffeemaker with ease. Then I rummage around the cabinets, searching for all the proper ingredients.

Before my mom left, she used to make pancakes for me and Blaze every Saturday morning. My dad always worked nonstop—one of the reasons she left him, I’m pretty sure—so he never joined us.

As Blaze and I got older, Mom let us get involved in the process, until we were practically making the pancakes ourselves. Blaze hates them now, but they bring me a sense of nostalgia and comfort. It’s bittersweet, sure, but I don’t want to tarnish all the memories from our childhood. We had a lot of fun in the kitchen on Saturday mornings.

As I’m mixing the batter, I hear a high-pitched, “Huh?” from over by the stairs. I look up, spotting Rosie. Her curls are all messy, spilling over her purple nightgown. It’s got a unicorn leaping over a rainbow on the front.

“Morning, squirt.”

“Mister Dominic? What are you doing here?”

“Making pancakes. Does that sound good?”

She perks up. “Yeah!” She runs across the room and around the counter before reaching her arms upward to me.

I take her into my arms, resting her on my hip. It’s a little difficult to work this way, but I manage. The whole time, Rosie chatters away, telling me about school and asking me questions.

Just as I’m pouring batter onto the griddle, I notice Jade in the corner of my vision. She’s standing by the fridge, leaning against it, watching us. When I turn to say good morning, I freeze.

The look on Jade’s face is one of fear. Or anger. Not the sleepy happiness I was hoping would be there.

Fuck. I didn’t make sure it was okay for Rosie to see me here this early.

“Morning,” she says tightly. Her gaze travels across the counters. “You’re... making breakfast?”

“Pancakes. Mom’s recipe.”

Her expression softens. “That’s really sweet. Thank you.”

I nod to the kitchen table. “Sit. The first batch will be done in a couple minutes.”

“Here, give me Rosie.” She comes up to us, her fingers brushing down my arms before she takes Rosie. “I’ve gotta get your hair combed, honey.”

“Nooo!”

“I’ll be as gentle as I can.”

While Jade combs Rosie’s hair at the table, I keep an eye on the pancakes. The smell of them cooking on the griddle brings me back to my childhood. Blaze always drowned his pancakes in maple syrup, whereas I preferred only a little bit. Mom liked eating hers with fruit and whipped cream.

I smile, taking the pancakes off the griddle and putting them on two plates. I set them in front of Rosie and Jade’s places just as they finish with her hair.

I drop a kiss to the top of Jade’s head, and for a second, she melts into me. But then Rosie gives us a confused look, and I pull away.

Eating breakfast with Rosie and Jade is nice. Rosie seems enthused that I’m here at all, and spending time with them like this fills a part of me I didn’t even realize was empty. I don’t care that it probably won’t last. I’ll take what I can get, and I’ll enjoy every second of it.

Once we’re done eating, Jade gets Rosie ready for school. We wave her off together, and I can’t help but put a hand on Jade’s back as we stand on the front porch. As soon as the bus is out of sight, Jade leans into me with a happy sigh.

“C’mon,” I say, tucking her under my arm and moving back inside. “Let’s get the dishes done.”

Never in my life have I thought I’d be excited to do dishes with someone, but here I am.What are you doing to me, Jade?

I wash and Jade dries, since she knows where everything goes. We work in silence, but I don’t mind. I’m still trying to wrap my mind around the fact that I’ve slept with Jade twice. She probably needs some time for her brain to catch up, too.

As we approach the end of cleanup, I think back to the look on her face when she found me and Rosie making breakfast. Is she upset? I know I crossed a boundary. Not only did I break my own rule of not doing relationship-type things like spending the night, but Rosie saw me, too. Jade and I didn’t discuss if we were going to let that happen.

I’m about to ask, but she speaks first.

“Is your brother okay?”

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