Poison & Wine - Melissa Toppen Page 0,80

hour sipping pretend tea and talking in horrible British accents. I can’t remember a time that I’ve laughed so much. It’s been the best night. A perfect night, and when we finally tuck our little girl into bed just after nine, I find myself wishing I could make it last a little bit longer.

“Snug as a bug in a rug.” I tuck Ellie’s blanket tight around her little body, kissing her forehead the way I always do.

Jace watches me from the opposite side of the bed. I can’t quite read his expression, but if I had to guess, I’d say he’s feeling a lot of what I am at the present moment.

I straighten my posture and look down at Ellie who immediately turns toward Jace.

“Wace, snug me.” She holds her arms out.

“I think your mommy already did that.” He points to the blanket tucked around her.

She wiggles around, tugging at the blanket until she’s undone everything I just did.

“Snug me,” she tells him again. He looks at me and I nod, letting him know to go ahead.

Leaning down, he repeats the process, tucking the blanket tightly underneath her.

“Snug as a bug in a rug,” he repeats, leaning forward to kiss her forehead the exact same way I did when I was done.

Tears prick the backs of my eyes. I can’t help it. Nothing can explain what this feels like. How incredible it is to be here, like this, after all these years. I swear I think a part of me is dreaming and that any minute I’ll wake up and none of this will be real.

“Goodnight, sweet girl.” Jace looks down at Ellie for a long moment.

“Goodnight, Wace.” She snuggles her elephant into her side. “Goodnight, Mama.”

“Goodnight, baby.” I slowly back out of the room, waiting until Jace follows me into the hall before flipping off the light switch. Her unicorn nightlight immediately kicks on, casting pink and purple unicorns across her ceiling.

Once I’m sure she’s not going to get up, which she does quite often, I slowly pull the door closed, leaving it cracked just enough that she can still see into the hallway.

“I just can’t get over how perfect she is,” Jace says as he follows me into the living room.

I take a seat on one side of the couch and he slides down next to me, dropping an arm around my shoulder before tugging me to his side.

“She’s really taken a liking to you,” I tell him, shifting to rest my hand on his stomach.

“Well the feeling is mutual.” I feel him smile into my hair.

It feels so natural. Almost as easy as breathing. Like there hasn’t been a day that has passed where we haven’t done this very thing.

“Stay the night.” I shift my gaze up to Jace’s face.

“You’re sure?”

“I am.” I press up, kissing his jaw.

“You realize if I stay, you won’t be doing much sleeping.” He gives me a knowing look.

“Oh my dear, Mr. Matthews. That’s what I’m counting on.”

My eyes flutter open, the bright morning sun warming my face as I stretch out in bed. My hand instinctively goes to the right, where Jace had fallen asleep the night before, but to my disappointment, I find myself in bed alone.

Sitting up, I throw my legs over the side of the bed and stand, grabbing my robe before heading to Ellie’s room to check on her. She usually wakes me up as soon as she’s awake, so I’m assuming she’s still sleeping.

When I push open her bedroom door, I find her bed is empty seconds before I hear her laughter coming from the front of the house. Tightening my robe, I follow the sound.

When I round the corner into the kitchen, I see Ellie in her booster seat, stuffing her little mouth full of pancakes. My gaze shifts to the stove where Jace is standing, a spatula in one hand and a heaping plate of pancakes in the other.

“Perfect timing,” he announces. “Breakfast is ready.” He sets the plate on the table, drawing my attention to the fact that it’s already set with plates and silverware along with two fresh cups of coffee.

“You did all this?” I question, sliding down into the chair next to Ellie.

“Little Miss woke up pretty early. Thought I’d let you sleep in, so I asked if she was hungry. She was pretty insistent on pancakes.” He chuckles. “Luckily, that’s one thing I do know how to make.”

“Jace.” I smile, looking around the table. “This is amazing. Thank you.”

“It’s the