Page 64

“Are you okay?” Zach asked, when Katherine called to see if he would be able to go in early and handle the first part of breakfast service without her. “Are you coming down with something?”

“No, I just have a few things I want to take care of before I come in.”

As Katherine answered, she rationalized to herself that it wasn’t technically a lie. She did want to take care of Matthew and Libby. She just didn’t want to tell Zach about it.

“Okay, no problem.” He yawned. “I can be there in twenty minutes.”

“Thanks, Zach. I owe you.”

As Katherine was ending the call, Matthew came into the kitchen with Libby. “Is everything okay?”

“Just calling in reinforcements.”

Matthew frowned as he looked at the clock. “You’re late.”

“It’s okay. Zach’s got it covered.”

“Are you sure? I understand if you need to go.”

“I’d rather stay a while. I can make pancakes if that’s alright?”

When Libby clapped her little hands, Matthew smiled. “I think we both agree that it’s more than alright.”

“Good. You get Libby settled, and I’ll start breakfast.”

After Matthew put Libby in her high chair, he came up behind Katherine, wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her close. “Why don’t you ever let me help?”

“Because I like doing it.”

“I bet I’d like doing it with you,” he teased.

“Mmm… I bet we’d both like that,” Katherine said, raising her hand to pass him the whisk she was holding. “Do you think you could handle it, though?”

“Oh, I can definitely handle it,” he said, taking the whisk and pressing his lips to her neck.

“Playing dirty, I see.”

“You have no idea,” he whispered in her ear, sending a shiver of excitement down her spine. “But I’d be willing to demonstrate later if you like.”

With a shuddering sigh and a gentle shake of her head, Katherine turned to look back at Matthew. “You’re lucky Libby’s in the room.”

Her challenging words made him chuckle before he leaned in to whisper “You’re the one that’slucky Libby’s in the room. Because if she wasn’t, I’d have you up on the counter kissing you until you couldn’t think straight.”

“Who says I can think straight now?”

As their time moved in a joyful blur of laughter and conversation, once again, Katherine felt happier than she had in a long time. Sitting alongside Matthew, watching Libby licking syrup from her lips, then banging her sippy cup on the high chair, and squealing in ear-piercing delight, it felt like nothing could ruin the moment.

Then, the back door of Matthew’s house flew open.

“Police! Put your hands in the air!”

Lost in their own little world, Matthew and Katherine hadn’t heard Justin pull up out front in a police cruiser and knock on the front door.

Now standing in the kitchen with his gun drawn, chest heaving, and eyes darting back and forth, Justin seemed incredibly shocked to see Katherine there. Flustered and red-faced, he shifted his gaze to Matthew.

“Is everybody okay in here?” he asked as he lowered his gun, then looked over at Katherine again, studying her from head to toe. Bare feet, long cascading curls, and men’s pajamas.

As the initial shock subsided, Katherine’s face colored, and Libby’s bottom lip quivered. Matthew, on the other hand, looked ready to kill Justin.