Ang claims another piece of my heart with that statement.
"You're a package deal. I get that. And I've never needed to be the center of someone's attention." Been there. Done that. And hated every minute of it. "I just want to be treated like an equal."
Ang takes the final part of my heart when he kisses my forehead and rolls me over so I'm his little spoon.
"What are you doing? I thought we were going to watch a movie?"
"We will." His hot breath tickles my ear. "Just lie with me for five minutes first."
I snuggle in deeper and get comfortable. A small part of me knows that five minutes is going to turn into a lot longer, and then there will be no going back.
"Why does Daddy have his arms around Gracie?" A little girl's loud voice pulls me out of my sleep.
I open one eye and find both Olivia and Zoey staring down at me. A millionoh shitsplay through my mind as I think about how this can’t end well for me. Because I suck at coming up with explanations on the fly.
I spent all night on the couch with Ang. Something I fully didn’t plan on, but can’t for the life of me regret.
Well, except for the fact that his daughters are finding me like this. That I can definitely regret.
"Good morning," I say to them sleepily, figuring I’ll go with the flow and something intelligent will come to me.
"Why are you on the couch with Daddy?" Zoey's curious stare bores into mine.
"Ummmmmm." I'm at a loss of how to answer that, so instead I use the greatest tactic known to man and distract them with the idea of food. "Who's hungry for some breakfast?"
Zoey raises her hand quickly and practically shouts, "Me, me, me, me, me." I'm surprised she doesn't wake her father.
Olivia, on the other hand, gives me a look like she knows exactly what I'm trying to do, and she isn't buying it. Thankfully she doesn't call me out on my shit. I wouldn't have the slightest idea how to handle that if she did.
I slither out from under Ang's arm without waking him. The man clearly sleeps like the dead, and I'm a little jealous of that. Life would be so much easier if he were the one waking up now and not me.
"Alright, let's go," I tell them as soon as I'm free of my restraints.
I thank God for small miracles as I walk toward the kitchen. I fell asleep in the same clothes I wore yesterday. It's much better to do the walk of shame fully dressed than being woken up in my underwear or something equally more revealing. I can talk my way out of a lot of things, but the thought of being interrogated by little terrors in general scares the crap out of me. I don’t even want to imagine this situation in my birthday suit.
"So, what are we hungry for?" I ask the little girls who control my fate. They are, after all, the very reason I'm taking things as slowly as I am with their father.
"French toast!" Zoey yells as she heads to the cabinet and begins to pull out the bread.
Luckily, French toast is one of the breakfast foods I'm good at making. Otherwise this was going to become very awkward very quickly.
"French toast it is." I begin to gather the rest of the items from the fridge and cabinet just as Everly drags herself into the kitchen barely awake enough to walk.
"Morning, sleepyhead," Zoey and Olivia echo my greeting to their little sister. "Want to help us make some French toast?" That seems to wake Everly up enough to nod her head and climb up on the stool next to where I'm working.
"Alright, who's ready to help me make the best French toast ever?"
Four hands shoot up in the air, because Everly raises both of hers in excitement, and I smile at their eagerness.
Last night I was exhausted and ready to spend some alone time with their father, but right now I'm happy to spend the quality time with them. It’s funny how quickly things can change. If this situation happened only a few weeks ago, it would’ve sent me turtling into my room behind a locked door. And yet now it feels so natural, like I’ve been doing it their whole lives.
Chapter Nineteen
ANGELO
The sound of laughter pulls me from a deep sleep. I can't remember the last time I slept so soundly, or past my alarm. Normally I make it a habit of being awake before the kids. It gives me time to get things done I otherwise wouldn't while they’re awake because I would always run out of time.
Stretching my arms over my head, I expect to touch the headboard, but instead feel air. That's when I remember I didn't go to bed last night. I fell asleep on the couch with Gracie in my arms. Only she's no longer on the sofa with me, and that laughter that woke me up is coming from the kitchen.
