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Chapter 24
Ace got out of the shower to find breakfast on the table. There were pancakes, eggs, bacon and toast. The spread looked like it could be a buffet at a restaurant.
After he and Stephanie had made love once more on the couch, he’d heard her stomach rumble. He’d promised to make her pancakes after he took a quick shower. Apparently, she didn’t want to wait. And she’d seen his pancakes and raised him eggs, bacon and toast.
“I told you I was going to do this. You should be resting.” She was feeling better but he didn’t want her to overdo it. That might seem hypocritical considering the activity that they’d just engaged in, but he drew the line at making breakfast.
“I’m fine.” She beamed as she poured orange juice into two glasses. “Better than fine. And not just from, you know…the amazing sex.” A blush crept up her cheeks and he loved that even after all they did, how intimate they were with each other, she still got shy when she talked about it. “In the past few days, I’ve slept more than…I don’t even remember when. I feel more rested, more alert, more alive than I ever have.”
“Good, I’m glad.” Pride swelled in his chest. He’d been the one taking care of her so she could rest and he had been her partner in the amazing sex. He was responsible for the healthy glow she was rocking and he couldn’t be happier about it.
They sat down and ate in a companionable silence. Until he took his first bite he hadn’t realized how hungry he was. Over the past few days, he’d been so preoccupied with taking care of Stephanie he hadn’t been able to eat as much as he normally did.
As he poured syrup on the stack of fluffy pancakes she’d prepared he wondered how many times she’d skipped meals because she was too busy putting other people before herself. If he had to guess, he would say a lot. That was going to change. He was going to make sure that she was taken care of and that her needs were considered and catered to. She deserved for someone to put her first and he wanted to be that guy.
His plan had been to take things slow, to go at her pace. But when they were making love that plan had gone up in smoke. He hadn’t meant to tell her he loved her so soon, but he couldn’t say he regretted it. Even though she hadn’t returned his declaration, he knew that she loved him. And not just because she’d told him during one of her fever dreams, he knew because she was letting him in. Not as fast as he’d like, but he wasn’t about to complain.
Knowing what she’d been through in her life, the betrayals from her parents and Mason, he considered himself lucky that she was letting him in at all. If slow was what she needed then that’s what he was going to give her, even if it killed him.
As Stephanie buttered her toast she said, “Thank you for going to see Scott yesterday. You didn’t have to do that. Simone could’ve gone.”
“It wasn’t a big deal.” He shrugged. “Simone offered, but I said that I wanted to go. I like Scott and I wanted to spend more time with him. We had fun.”
The bread was halfway to her mouth when her hand stilled midair. “Really?”
“Yes, really.” He smiled. “Scott’s a good kid. He was having a little bit of trouble when I got there, but I told him about how I was recently in the hospital too, and that I didn’t want to get treated either, but you said you would stay with me. Then I told him if he wanted I would stay with him while he took his treatment.”
Her brows lifted causing a wrinkle across her forehead. “And he took it?”
“Yeah.” He nodded.
“And you stayed.”
“Yep. When he was done we put together a puzzle of a jungle. He told me about his favorite animals and I told him which ones I’d seen in real life. Then we watched Family Feud, and when he got tired I read more Harry Potter. It’s actually a really good book. I’m invested. I finished reading the chapter I was on after he fell asleep.
Stephanie stared at him, her expression blank. He couldn’t get a read on what she was feeling. She didn’t say anything and he wasn’t sure if she was happy, upset or shocked.
When a tear appeared in her eye and slipped down her cheek, he leaned forward and brushed it away. He knew that he should be her “crying board” as Grandma Lulu called it, but it broke him to see her upset. “It’s okay. It’s going to be okay.”
Her chin trembled. “Ace I…I love—”
Before she could finish what she was going to say, which he hoped was you, a loud knock sounded, interrupting their moment. They were both startled by the noise and looked towards the front door. A moment later the doorbell rang. Whoever was there wasn’t going away.
“Seriously?!” She let out an exasperated sigh as she pushed back from the table and stood. “I’ll be right back. Hold that thought.”
He would, he didn’t need a reminder.
“I swear, Simone has a sixth sense for when I make breakfast.” She started towards the door. “It’s like her super power.”
“How do you always kno—” her words trailed off and Ace stood, expecting to see Mason at the door. Every protective cell in his body roared to life. A shot of adrenaline rushed through him, ready to once and for all put a stop to this asshole’s harassment.
But, it wasn’t Stephanie’s ex standing on the porch. It was a woman that looked to be in her early forties. She had short brown hair and big brown eyes that reminded him of…
“Mom?” Stephanie breathed.
His protective instinct kicked into overdrive as he stepped to Stephanie’s side and wrapped his arm around her waist. He had a feeling this woman was much more of a threat to Stephanie than Mason ever had been and he wasn’t about to let her face her on her own. She’d never have to face another challenge alone as long as he drew breath.
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