Page 97 of Breached

Mark speared a green bean and nibbled on the end of it as he thought. I glanced at Mia, and she just sat there shaking her head. There was no saving Mark from who he was—he was unapologetically himself—and we loved him for it. We just never knew what he was going to say next.

“Do you bake?”

Ollie leaned back. “Eve does, and I eat.” He patted his ample tummy and smiled.

“One for one.” Mark grabbed another bean and moved his attention over to Eve. “Please choose your words very carefully. What do you bake?”

“Well, I’ve been told my French cookies are good.”

“Really.” He held up a hand. “I’m sorry, but I’ll need specific names of the items you bake.”

“Well, for instance I like to make Madeleines. They are a light, shell shaped cookie that is nice with a cup of tea. They are amazing.”

“Hmm, well, then, when you make them, and I sincerely hope that will be soon, I will be the official judge on if they are amazing or not,” he said, deadpan, but when she smiled, he joined her.

“I see. Well, I just so happen to have baked a few samples for you to try.”

Mark looked directly at Dr. Roberts and gave an approving nod.

“Smart man, you are,” I muttered to Doc, “winning over the most dramatic and needy one in the room. Smart play.” I fist-bumped him. “You’re so good at reading us.”

“You all are individuals in this house.” Doc Roberts smiled. “For instance, Cole is a natural leader, Mike’s a softy, Keith is loyal to a fault, and John has a warrior’s heart.” He paused for a moment. “Mark is a comedian, but he’s still a boy inside who needs a mother, and as my Abby can’t be here physically for him anymore, I think Eve will be the next best thing.”

“You’re a good man, Doc. I know you had them hold back a bit to watch us before we knew they were here.”

“Perhaps, a little heads up,” he admitted. “I may even have dropped a hint about Mark’s love for sweets.” We both chuckled at that.

The rest of the dinner was fun, light, and exactly what we needed. The energy in the house was uplifting, and I felt like somewhere up high, Daniel, Sue, Abby, and June could feel the shift in the wind that a positive change had been made.

“You know what?” Savannah leaned over to speak to Doc. “I think you just put us back together a little bit more tonight.”

“I think I needed to hear that, dear.” Doc kissed her cheek. “Thank you.”

We all watched as Mark rated Eve’s treats a solid ten, then passed them around. Mia and Sloane both laughed out loud as he gushed over her Madeleines and made jokes about the name. Cole put a stop to it all by suggesting drinks in the living room.

“I know Mark is straight,” Nicole tugged on my arm as she whispered, “well, at least that’s the rumor, but who's going to tell Eve that her husband isn’t? Because those Madeleines just took him to a place of ecstasy, and honestly, Mark was there for it.”

It took everything in my body not to burst out laughing. “Oh, my God, please go repeat that exact thing to Savannah because she’ll die. It’ll make the next girls’ night.” She grinned and headed straight for Savi.

“Hey, Doc?” I stopped him as he went by me. “Just wondering. You never said how you see me.” I was interested to know.

He slid his hand down his tie and tilted his head. “Paul, you’re the shield, the protector. Everyone sleeps better at night when they know you’re standing watch because you’ve been through it all. You’ll give up your life to protect those you love.”

Wow, that was powerful to hear, especially from a man I admired.

“You’re a strong man. Walk tall, Paul. You have fought hard to be back here with your family. You deserve your reward.” He looked at Nicole.

Goosebumps broke out as his words hit my heart and the shadow that was Eric Noah fizzled away.

A roar of female laughter from across the room made me look, and I saw Mark with his hands on his hips next to Ollie, looking huffy. I shook my head. I love this place.

The rest of the night went great. Eve and Ollie fell right into the banter of the house, and I already knew Doc had made a good choice.

Soon it was bedtime, and once we saw Chase was settled for the night, Nicole and I fell into our regular pattern of who could get naked first.

We stumbled into the bathroom as we clawed at one another, desperate for more contact. You’d never know we’d just had mind-blowing sex shortly before.

She yelped when her hip hit the cold counter, and she laughed into the kiss. Both my hands clamped down on her hips as I lifted her to sit in front of me.