Prentice’s fingers unlaced from hers and they both got up on an elbow to look to the foot of the bed.
Then Prentice rolled to his back, his arm pushing under Elle as he did so, turning her so her front was to his side, his arm tight, fastening her there.
“Come here, baby,” Prentice murmured to his daughter, his voice deeper with residual sleep and Elle decided she liked his just woken up voice.
She liked it a lot.
Sally didn’t hesitate; she crawled up Prentice’s body.
Elle decided she liked that too, watching Sally crawl up her father’s long body.
She liked it a lot.
As Sally collapsed on Prentice’s chest, her eyes never left Elle and she announced, “Me and Jace have made you muffins!”
Fear shot through Elle at the very thought of Sally and Jason operating the oven.
“You what?” she whispered.
Prentice’s voice was a great deal more effective when he asked, low and vibrating, “I’m sorry?”
“We didn’t cook them.” They heard from across the room and all the inhabitants of the bed looked to the door.
Jason was standing there, his stance awkward, his expression showing, quite clearly, he didn’t know what to make of the goings-on in the bed.
Elle’s body went tight.
And when it did, so did Prentice’s arm.
“We just made them and put the batter in the tin. We thought Elle could cook them,” Jason gamely continued, still obviously uncomfortable.
It was then it hit her that Jason called her Elle. Not only then but he and Sally had been doing it for days. Even in front of Prentice, who never corrected them.
She felt something relax deep inside her, something that had been coiled tight for so long she didn’t know it could relax.
But it did.
“I’ll cook them,” Prentice offered, completely unaware of the momentous event that happened someplace deep inside Elle. “How’d you make them, Jace?”
Jason looked to the floor, shuffled his feet and mumbled, “One of Mum’s cookbooks.” He took in a deep breath and looked at the wall. “Mum never made them though.” His eyes skittered to the bed then to the opposite wall before he finished, “They’re blueberry. We used the leftovers.”
Elle’s heart went out to him and she wanted to say something, she just had no clue what to say.
Sally, on the other hand, never had any problem knowing what to say.
“Jace decided that we should make Elle breakfast to pay her back, since she’s always making us breakfast.” Sally grinned at her father. “We had fun.”
Elle wondered briefly what Sally’s version of fun did to the kitchen.
Then she looked to Jason and said softly, “Thank you, honey.”
Jason didn’t reply. He looked like he was willing himself to spontaneously combust.
Then he muttered, “I’ll just go and –”
Prentice cut him off by calling, “Hey mate, I’ve a question for you.”
Jason eyes hesitantly went to his father.