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“I just want you and Kaylee safe. She could also be a target because of you.”

Shit.Why didn’t I think of that?

Because your mind has been crammed with too many things lately.

Was there something else I wasn’t seeing?

“You’re making it hard for me to decline,” I said.

“If you decline, you’ll break my heart.” He pressed a hand to his chest, trying to look like he was in pain. “Please don’t break my heart.”

His serious expression transformed into one of amusement and warmth. I loved that I got to see so many sides of him. How many more were there?

“Will you make me and Kaylee breakfast every day?” I teased.

“Okay.”

“Really? Don’t make promises you can’t keep.”

“I can order a bunch of breakfast food and put it on nice plates for you and Kaylee. That can be defined as ‘making’ breakfast.” He smirked.

I rolled my eyes.

“Humor aside, you should also be careful at your office. We don’t know what he’s up to.”

My phone buzzed from inside the sweatshirt pocket.

“It’s Kaylee,” I told him.

“Tell her I said hello.”

I got off his lap and dropped into the big chair in the seating area.

Kaylee:Can we invite Arrow to join us for Christmas?

Vivian:Why the sudden invitation?

Kaylee:Violet is going away with her mom and her mom’s boyfriend for the holidays. Arrow spent it alone last year.

My heart sank. I’d spent Christmas with Dad and Kaylee.

Vivian:Sure.

Kaylee:Cool! Thanks. (smile emoji)

We texted for a few more minutes, catching up. She planned to watch TV, play board games, and work on arts and crafts. Grace was making spaghetti for lunch and pizza for dinner. Kaylee sounded like she was having a good time. Most likely school would be canceled on Monday. I’d keep an eye out for a call or a text from the school board on Sunday.

I emailed my team, informing them that the office would be closed on Monday because of inclement weather. Allison would call all the patients to reschedule. No one was going to trek out for a dentist appointment in this kind of weather. The city needed time to clear the streets and sidewalks. I didn’t mind the extra time to absorb everything I’d discovered.

I sat in the chair and watched Arrow work on his computer. His fingers flew across the keyboard. He paused a moment, and his lips formed a slight pout as he pondered something. My heart swelled as I remembered his attempt at breakfast. The burned bacon and sausages were the best breakfast I’d ever had.

When I’d seen him standing at the stove, my curiosity had been piqued. I hadn’t even registered the sizzling sound. The smell of bacon and the sight of him with the apron overwhelmed everything else. My body usually shivered whenever I heard a sizzling noise or a brief hiss. But it hadn’t today.

Fear usually made everything worse, and my active imagination didn’t help. For so many years, the sounds of sizzling bacon and sausages were like the quick jab of a branding iron. But that horrible association had been replaced by something sacred and beautiful today. He’d given me a priceless gift.

My chest tightened as I considered this powerful emotion stirring inside me.

I got up from the chair and walked over to him. He extended an arm, welcoming me back onto his lap.