My mother gave me a look that said she didn’t believe for one second we…rested. I felt my cheeks heat at her look. Then she smiled, grabbed her purse and said, “My work here is done.”
Truitt and I both watched her ease out of the kitchen like a leaf floating on the breeze.
“Why do I get the feeling she meant that in a totally different way?” Truitt said with a bit of humor in his voice.
“Because she did. She thinks she got us together.”
Truitt laughed. “Well, technically, she kind of did.”
I leaned against the kitchen counter and watched Truitt put two pancakes on a plate, and then motion to Liliana to sit at the table. Watching the two of them together nearly left me breathless. It felt like a normal thing that happened every day. Truitt in my kitchen making breakfast, and Liliana going on and on about absolutely nothing. When Rus hobbled in and lay down next to Liliana, my heart nearly exploded.
I brought my hand to my mouth as I tried to hold back the onslaught of tears that were threatening to break free. This was what I had always envisioned my family should be. Even when I found out I was pregnant with Liliana, I knew this would never be a scene in our house. With each day that passed, I knew coming back home was the best decision of my life.
Truitt helped Liliana put on her butter and then poured the syrup for her in a separate bowl when she informed him she liked to dip her pancakes in the syrup.
When he looked up at me, his smile faltered. I quickly dropped my hand and gave him the biggest grin I could. His dimples quickly came out on display.
“Truitt, sit down and get off that knee. Let me make you pancakes.”
He did as I asked and sat down next to Liliana. I poured the batter my daughter had been so carefully stirring and listened to the two of them talk.
“Does Wus like panacakes?” Liliana asked, her mouth stuffed with a bite.
Truitt chuckled. “Rus likes any kind of food, but we have to be very careful what he feed him, ’cause if he eats too much people food, he’ll get a tummy ache.”
“Ohhh,” Liliana said, concern and worry etched in her little voice.
“Do you know what I’m going to go do today, Liliana?” Truitt asked.
“No. What!”
“I’m going to check on a surprise for you.”
She gasped and then clapped her hands. “I wike surpwises!”
“Me, too!” Truitt said.
I flipped the pancake and tried to calm my beating heart. How was it that Truitt seemed to burst into our lives and yet it felt like he had always been here? The thought of him not sitting in my kitchen every morning nearly left me with anxiety.
I placed the pancakes onto a plate and handed them to Truitt. “Want more than two?”
He shook his head. “No, thanks. This is perfect.”
A moment later, I heard my brother calling out. “Hello? Who’s home?”
“Uncle Wyan!” Liliana cried out.
Ryan came into the kitchen, a wide smile on his face. Rus looked up and gave him a few tail thumps, then focused back on Liliana in hopes some of her pancake would make it to the floor.
“Hey, pumpkin!” Ryan said as he swept over and kissed Liliana on the cheek. Then he kissed me on the cheek. Then he turned and looked at Truitt.
“Don’t you look comfortable.”
Truitt glanced around and grinned. “I am, thanks.”
Ryan rolled his eyes. “Well, you don’t have to look so…happy and satisfied.”
My eyes widened as my mouth fell open. “Ryan!”
He brushed me off with a wave of his hand. “Please, like we really believed the whole he can’t be alone excuse. You should have seen the shape he’s been in in the past when Roger just dumped his a-s-s off at home. It’d be days before any of us even checked up on him and he survived.”
Truitt laughed and that made Liliana laugh, even though she had no idea what she was laughing at.
“I see you’re making a new best friend,” Ryan stated as he leaned against the counter.
With a wink at Liliana, Truitt replied, “Are you my new best friend, Liliana?”
She nodded and then said around a mouth full of pancake, “Yep!”
“Well, pumpkin,” Ryan said, “I need to borrow your new best friend. We need to get a move on.”
A look passed between my brother and boyfriend.
I stilled. Boyfriend. Truitt was my…boyfriend. Wasn’t he? Of course, he was. We’ve had sex more in the last few days than I had in the last three years of my marriage. The fact that I had even gotten pregnant with Liliana was a miracle.
Quickly eating the last of his pancakes, Truitt slowly got up.
“Have you used the ice therapy machine this morning at all?” I asked as I reached for the plate.