Page 13

Kelly

Gideon and I spent the lunch date talking about everything. Parents. Families. His eyes shimmered when he talked about working for himself and making his own hours and decisions after some years of working for someone else.

He had a dream job as far as I was concerned. Baking goodies all day. Making people smile. Watching as they enjoyed your baked goods. Seeing a father’s face as they see their child’s birthday cake. Making anniversaries and retirements and every occasion special with just the right cakes and cupcakes.

He positively glowed talking about it.

Unfortunately for me, that only made him ten times more attractive.

My resolve to stay his friend and focus on my son and my son alone had crumbled a bit over my blackberry jam and cashew butter on a croissant.

Wyatt had some of their almond butter protein balls and somehow managed to get more into his mouth than on his hands. A small miracle for this daddy.

My heart sank as I realized that we’d been at the restaurant for over two hours. It was time to end the date, but all I wanted was to invite Gideon home with me and see where things went.

We parted ways at the bakery where, despite it being his afternoon off, he wanted to check in on some things. Small business owners rarely got a break, he’d said.

Wyatt and I took advantage of the park and then walked home. It was when I went home and gave Wyatt a bath that I heard a noise from the kitchen. The water pressure in the bath was low as well.

“You’re getting a quickie shower tonight, little one. I think something’s going on with the water.”

With Wyatt dried off and in jammies, I walked around with him on my hip to find the origin of the noise. And when I entered the kitchen, I nearly slipped and busted both our butts on the puddle on the floor. I busied Wyatt with a snack in his high chair while I looked under the sink and found one of our pipes had burst. Water was everywhere. Why hadn’t I checked sooner?

“I don’t have money for a plumber. A bucket!” I put a mop bucket under the pipe, but it was only a temporary fix for a problem that would only get bigger if I didn’t take care of it.

I was standing there, towels all over the floor, when Gideon popped into my mind. I would bet anything he knew exactly what to do.

“Kelly?” Gideon answered. “I didn’t expect for you to call so soon. But I’m glad you did. I had a nice time today.”

“Me too, and I wish I was calling about that, but I have a broken pipe in my kitchen and I don’t know what to do.” I hated admitting what a failure I was. “I don’t have the money for a plumber.”

“I’ll be there in five minutes.”

“But…”

“But what? That’s why you called me, right? I have some experience with plumbing. Let me help you, omega. I don’t mind.”

I sighed, melted by his calling me omega and relieved beyond words by his offer. “Okay. Thank you.”

Wyatt kicked his legs while I tried to get most of the water from the floor. I was mopping my heart out when Gideon knocked on the door. I opened it to see him with a toolbox in his hands.

He frowned at my wet pants. “You’re okay? You didn’t slip and fall, did you? Wyatt?”

The fact that he asked about me and my son? Yeah, I was a goner.

“We’re okay. Thank you for coming.”

Gideon went right to work after tickling Wyatt’s feet a little bit. In no time, he’d swapped out the pipe, and we spent the next hour cleaning up and getting everything dry.

“You keep some pipes in your toolbox?” I laughed.

“No, but I put some in there from the bakery. I keep some on hand just in case. Plumbing issues will ruin a lot of things fast.”

“Well, thank you. We really appreciate it. I really appreciate you.”

Gideon rubbed the back of his neck. “Careful, Kelly, or I might say something not safe for friend zone. Helping you is something I would set aside everything else for.”

“Be careful yourself. Would you let me thank you with a bite to eat? I was planning on breakfast for dinner. Wyatt was about to go down for the night. He’s off his schedule today, and he just had a snack, so he is filled up.”

“That sounds really good. Do you want to put him to bed and I’ll wait here?”

I nodded. “He goes to sleep on his own, so I’ll be back in just a second.”

When I got Wyatt out of his high chair, he reached for Gideon again. Gideon rubbed his back a little and told him good night. That seemed to be enough for him, and soon I was putting him in his crib for the night.

Now to make dinner for my alpha. The alpha. Gideon. My friend.

This was harder than it seemed.

It only took about twenty minutes to whip up pancakes, eggs, and sausage as well as a quick blueberry compote. We sat across from each other and dug in. Gideon must’ve been hungry.

Perhaps I’d interrupted his dinner.

“I hope I didn’t keep you from anything you had planned tonight,” I said.

“Not at all. I usually read a bit before going to bed so I can be up before the sun. Kind of a boring bear, huh?”

I shrugged. “Not at all. You work so hard during the day.”

“I try.”

We finished the meal and washed dishes side by side. He washed and I dried, just like after the party, even though I protested him doing anything at all. We continued talking into the night until I realized what time it was. “I’ve kept you up so late. I’m sorry.”

Gideon yawned and stretched his built arms over his head. “That’s okay, but I’m dead on my feet. I’ve still got to walk home.”

“How about you crash on the couch?” The question burst from my mouth before I could stop it. I was certain my deer had something to do with it.

“That would be great. Are you sure?”

I nodded. “I’m sure. Let me get you some blankets.”