Page 66 of Mr. Infuriating (Mister #1)

Gretchen

It took me a second to figure out where I was when I fumbled around for my phone when the alarm started buzzing.

The blue and grey décor was a far cry from the pink and cream colors of my bedroom. Yet, I felt comfortable as I lay there naked as the day I was born. Probably because I’d gone to sleep with a satisfied smile.

Or maybe it was because Gabe’s bed smelled like him, although he was nowhere to be found. His side of the mattress was cool to the touch.

I knew I needed to get up and get going, but I allowed myself a few more minutes to bask in his scent.

“Mama!”

The sound of Jake’s voice came through the monitor, and I threw the covers back only to realize I hadn’t brought any pajamas or even a robe. I’d been too busy packing something to get ripped off me.

Hussy.

Yeah, so?

I congratulated myself on embracing my sexuality as I dashed into the bathroom to do my business and found a blue robe hanging on a hook on the bathroom door.

Problem solved.

It’s going to be a good day.

The idea was reinforced when I brought Jake into the kitchen for breakfast and found Gabe standing bare-chested at the stove in nothing but his pajama pants slung low on his hips.

Spatula in hand, he greeted us with a big smile before scooping a pancake from the skillet and adding it to a stack on a nearby plate.

“Good morning! Hope you guys are hungry!”

I situated Jake in his booster chair at the table before stating the obvious.

“You made pancakes?”

Jake clapped his hands with glee and declared, “Pancakes!”

“Yeah. I figured, what little kid doesn’t like pancakes?”

The smell wafted to my nose, making my stomach growl and I added, “Or grown woman,” as I tightened the belt on the robe and sat down.

Gabe had already put butter and syrup on the table, along with three place settings.

He kissed the top of my head, then set the plate of hotcakes on the table, and moved to sit opposite me.

“These look yummy, huh, baby?” I said to Jake as I put a golden pancake on his plate. He didn’t wait for me to add butter or syrup, just picked up the flapjack like a piece of bread and took a bite.

That was probably better. Less chance of him getting syrup in his hair.

“Mmm,” he hummed as he chewed.

Gabe chuckled as he buttered his stack.

“I’m glad you like them, little man.”

“Thank you for doing this,” I told him as I prepared my short stack. “That was really thoughtful. I can’t remember the last time I had something on a school day other than coffee and a cold toaster pastry in my car.”

“I noticed yesterday you didn’t have breakfast. ”

“I don’t usually have time.”

“Well, fortunately you’ve got some help now.”

Help.

What a foreign concept.

I knew better than to get used to it.

It didn’t mean I couldn’t enjoy it while I had it, though.

****

Gabe

It should be scary how easily we fell into a routine over the next few days.

Even with Britt and Brayden coming over after school for my Wednesday evening with them. The five of us clicked effortlessly.

There was friendly banter over dinner—that Gretchen cooked, and Brayden was eager to tell Gretchen about the latest grade he’d gotten in English.

The two of them sat at the dining room table and worked on his homework after dinner while I cleaned the kitchen and Britt and Jake watched a cartoon on TV.

I surveyed the scene as I filled the dishwasher, and the words familial bliss popped in my head.

Where the hell did that come from?

I could say with one hundred percent certainty that I’d never—not once—used those words together in a sentence.

But as I watched Gretchen and Brayden huddled together over his book and Jake sprawled against Brittany while she played with his hair, that was the only way to describe it.

We just needed a damn dog to make the picture complete.