Page 27 of Healing Fate

He leaned down and kissed my forehead.

“Sweet dreams. I’ll let myself out.”

*****

The next morning, I awoke with a jolt. The sun was streaming in and as I listened to the silence around me there was no sign of Vada.

I launched myself out of bed and ran into her room where I found my daughter still asleep.

I checked the time to find it was after nine. I couldn’t remember the last time she had slept this long. Had she ever?

I walked out to the kitchen to make some coffee. I needed it.

I had expected to find the dirty dishes from dinner still sitting on the table, but they weren’t there. In fact, the entire kitchen had been scrubbed clean. I walked into the living room and Vada’s toys had all been picked up and neatly put away.

It felt as if I had awoken to some sort of alternate universe. This was most definitely not my life.

I headed back to the kitchen and called Micah while I attempted to make coffee only then realizing I was out of filters.

“Did you do this?” I asked the second the phone connected. “Because if not, then I’m probably going to freak out.”

“Well, good morning to you too.”

“Did you do this?”

“Do what, Luce?”

No one ever called me that, but it made me feel all warm and fuzzy to hear the shortened version of my name on his lips.

“Lucy? You still there?”

“Oh, yeah, sorry. My house is clean. I know it wasn’t when I went to bed.”

“It was nothing. I just straightened up a little. I guess I have a bit of a nightly routine too.”

“I cannot stand waking up to a sink full of dirty dishes,” I blurted out. “You couldn’t possibly know that about me, but it’s true, so thank you.”

I could hear the smile on his face. “You’re welcome, and I too can’t stand to wake to a dirty or unkempt house. Everything was already tidy, there were just a few toys and our dishes from dinner. It was no big deal.”

“It was to me,” I whispered.

“It was the least I could do for you letting me crash your evening.”

I snorted. “Really? You brought dinner to us. You put Vada to bed in record time, and then me too.” I wanted to ask why he hadn’t tried to stay the night, but I bit my tongue. “And seriously, what did you do to my daughter? Did you drug her or something Doc?” I teased.

“What? No. I would never.”

I laughed. “I was only teasing you. I know you would never hurt her, or me.”

It was true too. My brain said I shouldn’t let him in, but my heart overrode that. I trusted him completely.

“I’m glad she’s giving you a break. And I’m glad you called. It took a lot not to just show back up with a cup of hot coffee and beg you to let me stay.”

Micah

Chapter 8

I had just laid my cards out on the table and waited with bated breath for her to respond.