Page 23 of Love Lives

Who had that vampire been?

And why did I feel like I needed to go back to him?

That was the most annoying thing of all. It had been more than a vision. There'd been emotions too, and they were hard to shake. Even now.

"You listening?" Aldrich asked, lightly poking my side.

"Sorry." I must have missed whatever he'd been trying to say to me.

"I was just suggesting that maybe it's time for dinner."

A small smile tugged at my lips. Was he trying to get me out of the living room and doing something that would relax me? It wasn't the worst idea. I was pretty useless right now anyway. "I guess I could take care of dinner."

"Are you sure you're feeling up to that?" Elle.

"I'll be fine."

"I'll watch him," Aldrich offered.

A soft huff escaped me. "I don't need a babysitter."

But I didn't stop Aldrich when he followed me into the kitchen. Being slightly annoyed by a real-life vampire was a hundred times better than losing my mind over one who only existed in a dream.

Chapter Ten

Ideally,Aldrich wanted Remy to go up to their bedroom and lie down, but he knew that wasn't going to happen. Getting him to cook was the next best thing. At least he wouldn't be stressing about whatever they were discussing in the living room.

Besides, Aldrich enjoyed watching Remy while he cooked. He always wore this relaxed expression on his face, as if he was somewhere else entirely with his thoughts but it was a place that made him happy. A place that only had room for him and his passion.

Aldrich might have been annoyed that Remy paid so little attention to him while he was absorbed in his cooking, but he was a big boy and he could entertain himself. The fact that he got some delicious meals out of Remy's trance didn't hurt either. Usually, he would have been content to sit quietly at the kitchen island and scroll through his phone--and maybe try sneaking a picture of Remy. Today, though, he could sense the unease in the set of Remy's shoulders.

Maybe he needed more distraction than the pots and pans before him could offer?

"What are you making?" Aldrich asked from his seat at the kitchen island.

It took Remy a second to respond. "Minestrone."

Aldrich made a face. "That's veggies."

"I spotted some meat in the freezer. I can throw something in the pan for you later if you really need me to."

"Gee, I feel so loved." Aldrich glanced at the ingredients Remy had laid out on the kitchen counter. Onions, potatoes, celery, zucchini, butternut squash, carrots… It was a combination he'd seen a lot over the past couple of weeks. "You really enjoy making minestrone, though, huh?"

"You noticed?" Remy grabbed an onion and started chopping it.

"You must be a huge fan of vegetables." Aldrich wasn't sure what kind of foods he'd loved back when he was human, but he was reasonably sure it hadn't been vegetables.

"It's not that. It's more like..." Remy paused in his chopping, trying to find the right words. "My grandma's minestrone was really good."

"Your grandma?" Aldrich perked up. This was a chance to get information other than what he’d read about.

Remy sank the knife into the onion again. "I lived with her for a while."

"Before you were adopted?" Aldrich already knew this, but he didn’t think Remy would find his stalking cute, so he didn’t mention that.

"Yeah, she... took me in after my mom..." Remy stopped and frowned. "My mom wasn't ready to parent anyone." His grip tightened around the handle of his knife.

"Junkie?" Aldrich asked. "Alcoholic?"