Page 26 of Love in the Storm

“On eggs? Are you sure?” That sounded disgusting.

That earned him a mischievous grin. “Yes, I’m sure. Are you picking on me?”

“Not at all.” He gave her a quick wink before turning back to the griddle.

If Lyric’s low tone and Asa’s instinct to wink were any indication, they’d now moved to the flirting stage. He had no idea how to flirt. It had been over a decade since he’d dated, and those dates had always been leading to a lifetime together. His relationship history consisted solely of Danielle.

He should stop whatever was getting started with Lyric. Their protected and imagined life inside this cabin wasn’t real, and it was dangerous to fall into that comfortable trap.

“I’ve got the napkins,” Lyric said behind him before rushing back to the table.

But they made such a good team. Why did it affect him so much that they moved easily in the same spaces together?

Lyric was hardworking. He could appreciate that about her.

And she was beautiful. He couldn’t forget that after he’d memorized her features while she bandaged his head last night.

He’d have to be dead to miss her selflessness. She’d run out into the storm to help him–a stranger.

Asa plated the scrambled eggs and brought them to the table. “Breakfast is served.”

Lyric’s lighthearted happiness was a complete change from her nervousness last night. The storm was gone, for now, and so were her concerns.

“Thanks so much. This looks great.” She eyed the food but didn’t reach for any of it.

“What’s wrong?” Asa asked.

A glimmer of that uncertainty was back. “I was waiting on the blessing. I was hoping you would say it.”

Asa relaxed. It felt good to share a meal with someone who wanted to thank the Lord first, even if she wasn’t comfortable enough to say it out loud herself.

“Sure.” Asa bowed his head and blessed the food.

Lyric reached for the bacon as soon as her eyes opened. “Where’d you learn to cook like this?”

“Mom made me learn. She said I didn’t need a wife if I needed her to cook for me.”

Lyric covered her mouth as she choked on a bite of eggs. “She did not.”

“She definitely did. It came in handy when Danielle got sick.”

“I’m sorry.” Lyric pushed her scrambled eggs around her plate. “What happened?”

“Cancer. It took her quickly, but we still had to witness those awful days when she was in pain.” The memories still stabbed him in the gut from time to time. Watching the person you love suffer got a hard zero out of ten.

“How did Jacob take it?”

“Horribly.”

Lyric tilted her head, clearly upset over the loss of someone she’d never met. “I can’t imagine. It’s great that he has you though.”

“Actually, having each other got us through some hard times.”

“That’s good.” Lyric looked at her plate. “My sister has kids.”

The question bubbled up his throat, but he swallowed it back down. Asking Lyric if she wanted kids felt too much like a conversation a man and woman would have if they were dating.

But he wanted to ask. So what if they’d known each other for half a day? They only had each other now, and every minute here had the feel of time condensed by pressure. The end was in sight, and it gave him the urge to cram everything into these dense moments.

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