Poison & Wine - Melissa Toppen Page 0,79

her hand again before releasing it.

“I love you too.”

“Now go, get out of here. Go have fun tonight. You deserve it.”

“As do you.” She turns, heading toward the front door. “And Oak,” she pauses in the doorway, “for what it’s worth, I really hope all this works out.”

“Yeah.” I force a smile. “Me too.”

“This is delicious, Oak,” Jace tells me, shoveling another bite of chicken parmesan into his mouth. “How did I not know you could cook like this?”

“Well, to be fair, I didn’t used to. Keira. She taught me a few things. She’s a master in the kitchen.”

“Don’t let me forget to thank her the next time I see her. Seriously, this is so good.”

“Is it really that good or is it because you eat microwave meals and ramen noodles all the time?” I give him a knowing look.

“It’s really that good.” He grins and I get the familiar swirl in my stomach that I’ve gotten used to feeling over the last few days.

I can’t explain it. Everything he does. Every smile. Every wink. Every crinkle of his forehead. It does something to me.

“What do you think, Ellie?” Jace turns his attention to the little girl sitting at the head of the table on either side of us.

She answers by picking up a handful of noodles and shoving them into her mouth, her fork abandoned on the side of her plate. She smiles around her mouthful of food.

“There you have it. I think she loves it too.” His gaze slides back to mine, his expression growing serious. “Thank you for this, Oak. Seriously. These last few days. Well, they’ve been the best of my life. And I owe it all to you.”

“You did this. Not me. You did the work. You got clean. You’ve earned the right to be here. And for what it’s worth, I’m really glad you are,” I tell him honestly.

“Me too.”

The remainder of our meal goes by with easy conversation and a lot of smiles and giggles, especially from Ellie. She adores Jace; that much was clear from the get-go. And her fondness has only grown over the past week.

While I clean up, Ellie drags Jace back to her bedroom to play. Even though he wanted to help me, I insisted he go with her. He should have this time with her. He’s already lost so much.

I purposely take my time, washing and drying each dish before putting them away. My heart feels light. My spirits high. And the sound of Ellie and Jace’s laughter floating from down the hall sure doesn’t hurt things.

I never thought I’d find this again. This peace. This comfort. And while yes, it’s not without worry and uncertainty, I wouldn’t change a single thing. I feel like after all these years we’re exactly where we were always meant to be.

Once I’m done cleaning, I tiptoe down the hall and listen to Jace and Ellie in her room. From the sound of it, they’re having a tea party. That much is clear when I hear them clinking their tea cups with all of Ellie’s friends—her stuffed animals.

When I peek my head into the open doorway, I have to cover my mouth with my hand to stifle a laugh. Jace is all crunched up in a tiny chair, pinky up as he drinks imaginary tea from a white, flowery cup.

Ellie is wearing her plastic tiara, per usual, because she always has to be the princess. And she’s somehow roped Jace into wearing a top hat that is entirely too small for him. If I’m not mistaken, it actually belongs to one of her teddy bears. Regardless, he looks adorable. They look adorable. And it’s one of those moments I wish I could bottle up and keep forever.

When Jace’s gaze swings in my direction, he gives me a wide, child-like smile and leans into Ellie, whispering something into her ear. Her eyes come to me and she gives me a toothy grin.

“It would appear as though the queen has arrived,” Jace announces, pulling out the tiny chair next to him. “Sorry, Mr. Rabbit, but you have to drink your tea on the floor,” he tells the stuffed animal, setting it on the floor to make room for me to sit.

“Mama needs her crown,” Ellie announces, hopping to her feet right as I’ve sat down.

Moments later, she returns from her dress up chest with a gold, plastic crown. I lean forward and let her place it on top of my head.

We spend the next