Page 25 of Shattered Oath
Maybe this would work. Maybe we really were meant to find our way back to each other.
We hadn't slept together yet. That was my rule. I needed a clear head to make up my mind about this relationship, and sex with Femi would cloud my judgment. He was too talented. Too blessed with certain... advantages. And he knew my body too well, knew exactly how to get me where I needed to go.
One night with him and I'd lose all objectivity.
He'd agreed without complaint. Another sign he'd changed, I told myself. The old Femi would have pushed.
I moved closer and let his heartbeat lull me to sleep.
Morning arrived with the smell of bacon, rich and savory.
I opened my eyes to find Femi setting a tray on the bedside table with careful precision. Fresh fruits, perfectly scrambled eggs, toast the exact shade of golden I liked, orange juice in a crystal glass, and a single white rose.
"Rise and shine, sleeping beauty." He leaned down and kissed me on the lips, his beard scratching pleasantly against my skin.
"I haven't brushed yet," I protested, turning my face away.
"Don't care." He kissed me again. "Eat. You have a long day ahead."
I sat up and pulled the tray onto my lap. The eggs were perfectly scrambled. The toast was golden. He'd remembered I liked my bacon almost burnt and crispy enough to shatter.
"When did you order this?"
"I didn't order it. I made it." He settled onto the bed beside me, stealing a piece of fruit from my plate.
"You cooked." I stared at him. "Since when do you cook?"
"Since I realized impressing you required more than just my looks." He grinned, and for a moment he looked exactly like the boy I'd fallen in love with at seventeen.
I bit into the toast to hide my smile.
Sebastian's apartment was chaos incarnate. It was even more chaotic than before. Zoe met me at the door wearing a tutu over her jeans and a plastic tiara askew on her head.
"Auntie Belle! I'm practicing being a princess!"
"You're doing an excellent job."
"I know." She grabbed my hand. "Come see Evie. She's eating all the chocolate chips for the cookies."
In the kitchen, Evie sat at the counter with a bowl of chocolate chips that was definitely supposed to be for baking. She looked up guiltily when I walked in.
"Hi, Auntie Isabelle."
"Hi, sweetheart. Enjoying yourself?"
She nodded solemnly and ate another chip.
Kim appeared and shooed both girls toward Zoe’s room. "Go play. The adults need to talk."
"About what?" Zoe asked.
"Boring things."
"Then why can't we stay?"
"Because boring things are for boring adults. Go."
The girls ran off, Zoe already launching into an elaborate explanation about princess kingdoms. In the living room, Aria sat surrounded by fabric swatches and invitation samples. Her binder had somehow grown larger since I'd last seen it.
