to create a breakfast fit for nine. Once, after Madeline and Ruby moved in to the tower, Reid asked me how I felt about no longer being in charge of the penthouse kitchen. I’d smiled and told him I still was. Officially, it was Araneae’s home, and while she could toast and butter English muffins with the best of us, cooking wasn’t her forte nor did she want it to be. She was content to let me lead.
And if I were completely honest, breakfast and its preparation was my favorite meal of day. The sun rose and grew brighter outside the large windows as each of our inhabitants started their day alongside the others. No matter what had transpired the day before, the week before, or even privately in our own apartments, each morning was a new start.
My green gaze met the dark brown one I adored as a smile curled my lips and my mind slipped back to some time before the sun rose. Simply recalling Reid’s and my time together made my nipples tighten and my core twist. It wasn’t that Reid had left me wanting; that couldn’t be further from the truth. After he’d left me, my completely satiated body had melted blissfully into our bed under the warm cover of blankets, and I’d drifted peacefully into a hard-earned, sex-induced slumber.
Even upon waking, as my alarm rang its morning song, my mind was on my husband. Yes, I thought about his unmatched ability to bring me to orgasm, but I also thought about his words. More than once, Mason had said that Reid was quiet. I wouldn’t say my husband was boisterous in any way. His words were weighed and measured.
That quality made each and every one of them all the more sincere and heartfelt.
As if knowing my thoughts, Reid came closer and brushed a chaste kiss to the top of my head. “Did you get some sleep?” he whispered with a smirk.
Warmth filled my cheeks as I reached for the cup of coffee I’d just poured for him and handed it his direction. If we were alone, I could respond with an appropriate retort, one that would match the pink blooming on my cheeks. Instead, I replied, “Yes. Thanks for asking.”
“Breakfast smells wonderful,” Patrick said more loudly as he went to Madeline and kissed the top of her hair. “How are you feeling?”
She shook her head.
“We made her sit down,” Araneae offered. “I’m no expert, but I think you should stay in Chicago, Patrick.”
“Mom won’t say what’s going on,” Ruby added, “but she’s quieter than normal. Who would believe that I’d think my mom was too quiet.”
Patrick’s blue eyes opened wide as he stared at his wife. “Contractions?”
Madeline shrugged. “I think.”
The entire room stilled. If this were a television show, this would be the moment where one person would narrate, telling the audience the thoughts of each person. Instead, we all remained quiet as we waited for more.
Madeline lifted her hand as if to minimize our concern as Ruby walked over to her mother.
“They’re not strong or close together,” Madeline reassured us. “The doctor said to wait until they are regular.” She sucked in a breath as she sat taller.
“Mom?” Ruby asked, her one-word question laced with concern.
“I’m all right, honey.”
Patrick’s hand went to Madeline’s midsection. “Are you having one? Is it normal for you to feel so hard?”
Ruby’s hand joined her dad’s.
The rest of us stood quietly by as Madeline reassured her husband and daughter that it was normal and she’d call if things progressed. Ruby also promised to not leave her mother’s side.
As they stood there, the three of them, emotion bubbled within me. For any other family, to be together and having their second child in eighteen years may seem surreal. For the Kellys it was no less than a miracle.
It was as I opened the oven to remove an egg casserole we’d made earlier that I noticed Sparrow across the room. Leaning against a counter, wearing his suit for Michigan Avenue with his feet crossed at the ankle and a mug of coffee in his hands, his dark eyes narrowed and his jaw clenched as he silently observed Patrick and Madeline.
I nudged Araneae, standing nearby cutting fruit. Her soft brown eyes met mine. I tilted my head toward Sparrow. “If you ask me,” I whispered, “your man is realizing that childbirth will be something he won’t be able to control.”
We both turned to him, completely unnoticed. Sparrow was too lost in his