the bedroom, I see she’s fallen back asleep, so I wake her again then pull her up to stand in front of me, ignoring her grumbling.
“I’ll bring you coffee.”
“Mm-hm,” she mumbles, stumbling into the bathroom.
I tag my sweats from the floor, put them on, and then leave the room, heading across the house to open Max’s door first before turning on the lights.
“Seriously, already?” he asks, lifting his head while Melbourne stands and does a stretch.
“Yep. Sorry, bud.”
I leave his door open and go to Mitchell’s room, expecting him to be asleep when I walk in. But surprisingly, he’s up, sitting on the side of the bed. “I’m up.”
“I see that,” I say, and he grunts in response before rubbing his hands down his face and standing. I leave him and stop to look in Max’s room just to make sure he’s up and see him at his dresser, so I head to the kitchen and start a pot of coffee.
The minute there’s enough in the carafe, I pour December a cup, add her creamer and sugar, and then take it back to my bathroom, where she’s blow-drying her hair and wearing nothing but a short, baby pink robe. I set the cup on the counter next to her, and she shuts off the dryer and picks up the mug, looking at me in the mirror. I wrap my arms around her waist and press my nose to her neck, breathing in the scent of her body wash that smells like berries.
“Are the boys up?” she asks breathlessly, making my cock twitch.
“Yeah.” I flick her earlobe with my nose. “They’re both zombies, but they’re up.”
“Mornings suck.” She takes a sip of coffee.
“My morning didn’t suck.” I smirk, and she blushes as she smiles at me in the mirror over the rim of the coffee cup. I turn my head and kiss her neck then meet her gaze once more. “You want breakfast?”
“Just toast please.”
“Got it.” I give her waist a squeeze and kiss her neck before letting her go. I scramble eggs for the boys and drop bread in the toaster for her and them, and as I’m stirring creamer into my second cup of coffee, I feel fur slide against my ankles. I look down at Melbourne as he circles my feet.
“Dad, is December still picking me up after practice?” Mitchell asks, coming into the kitchen as I go to the pantry to grab a container of Melbourne’s food and dump it in his dish.
“Yeah, why? What’s up?”
“I have a test in English coming up, and I’m going to ask her if she can help me study for it while we’re at her place.”
“I’ll totally help you study,” December says, appearing at the edge of the counter with her hair pulled back away from her face in a low ponytail. She’s wearing dark slacks and a hot pink button-down shirt that has green dinosaurs on it that match her bright green flats. Fuck, she’s the only woman I know who can wear shit that is completely ridiculous and still look fuckable.
“Thanks, I need all the help I can get. I barely passed the last test in that class.”
“I’ve got your back. We’ll go over the stuff you don’t get tonight and make sure you’re ready for the next test.”
“Cool.” He smiles at her, and she smiles back before walking her empty coffee mug to the dishwasher and putting it inside. When she comes back to the counter, I hand her a plate with a piece of toast then watch her pull off the crust before she starts to eat it.
I look at the clock, and when I see the time, I yell, “Max!”
“I’m coming!” he yells back, and I take a sip of coffee.
A minute later, he takes a seat next to his brother, then after a grumbled “Good morning,” he starts to eat.
“I think this summer we should enter the boys in one of those hot dog eating contests. I bet we could make a killing,” December says loud enough for the boys to hear. They both grin as they continue to shovel food into their mouths. “Seriously, you two are pros. It doesn’t even seem like you need to breathe.” She laughs as they eat even faster, and then she looks at the clock and places her last bite of toast in her mouth, chews, and swallows then reaches for my coffee, which I hand over.
“I’ll see you tonight.” She smiles, handing me the cup back after