Page 37 of Reconcile
Ikissed him.
Oh my God, I kissed him.
What the hell was I thinking?
Okay, so yeah. He’s gorgeous. Even more so than he was when we were eighteen. The bastard. And seeing him with Audrey... God, it did something to me I can’t explain.
Tucking her in together like that. Talking about our day like a normal family.
I groan and pull the plum-colored comforter over my eyes because the sunlight is illuminating the reality of what happened too brightly.
I kissed him.
I can’t even blame him for starting it. No, that was all me. I pressed my lips to his soft, firm ones and kissed him.
I could just stay here in the dark and avoid facing that, being perfectly happy with that until I hear the distinct sound of my daughter’s loud giggle.
Audrey’s up.
Of course, she is. It’s Saturday during the summer. Why wouldn’t my child be up at the crack of dawn?
I toss the covers off and climb out of bed, wearing my cute sleep set that has lemons covering the white tee and matching short shorts and head into Audrey’s room. Her bed is empty, so I follow the sound of her giggle down the stairs, wondering if I should have grabbed a robe.
Not because I’m barely dressed, but because it’s cuter than anything else.
And then I kick myself for that thought.Cute is fine. I’m a mom. I don’t need to impress Sawyer.
And it’s him who I spot first in the kitchen. The annoyingly handsome bastard is already dressed in tight jeans and a black button-down shirt he’s rolled up at the sleeves.
Of course, he’s this goddamn gorgeous early in the morning when I’m standing here lookingcutein my pjs.
But my insecurities fade away quickly when I see Audrey next to him, stirring something in a big mixing bowl. She’s dressed in a cute white and turquoise sundress—which I definitely didn’t buy, so it must be from the clothes that mysteriously filled her closet—with her hair neatly brushed. “Mommy! We’re making pancakes!”
“What would we do, Pipes?”
I laugh, easily as I lie on my back in Sawyer’s bed looking up at the ceiling. “Make pancakes from scratch.”
The memory comes from out of nowhere and slams into me as Sawyer catches my eye. “You okay?”
“You learned how to make pancakes?”
His lips quirk. “Not from scratch.”
Oh my God, he remembers.
I stand there, stunned, as my eyes remain on Audrey. She looks so damn happy as she stirs the batter, making a huge mess. But Sawyer is patient and unbothered by it. “Okay, you ready?”
Audrey nods excitedly as they move over to the griddle. Audrey reaches out, and I’m about to leap over there, but Sawyer playfully grabs her little hand before she makes contact.
“That’s hot, kiddo. You need that hand to draw me more pictures.”
“How long have you two been awake?” I notice the crayons and paper on the kitchen table with Audrey’s art and some that must be Sawyer’s, judging by the pictures of cars and trucks.
Audrey mostly draws unicorns and flowers.
He shrugs. “Not too long. We thought we’d let you sleep.”
I move closer as Sawyer pours the batter onto the hot griddle. “Did she wake you up?”
