“May I have permission to find what I need?” he called over his shoulder once he’d unpacked his bags. I couldn’t see all the ingredients, but he had a rotisserie chicken.
“You have permission!” I called.
He gave me a thumbs-up and shot a smile over his shoulder. I watched for a minute as he found a stockpot and poured a bunch of chicken broth into it. He glanced back once and caught me staring, so I went back to vacuuming, but my gaze kept slipping to the kitchen. Within a few minutes, he moved around like he’d been in my kitchen all his life.
By the time I had my living room dust-free, Maddox had cleaned the kitchen up and sat on the couch. “It’ll be ready in about a half-hour. Just giving the vegetables time to soften and the flavors to mix well,” he explained.
The house already smelled delicious. My stomach growled. I sat beside Maddox with the intent of kissing him—a real kiss. Slow, sensual.
But as soon as I leaned in, I heard Tiffany’s bedroom door open. “Mommy?”
With a sigh, I leaned back and smiled at Maddox. “In here, sweet cheeks.”
She walked in much brighter-eyed and with more energy than this morning. “I’m hungry.”
Tiffany stopped dead when she saw Maddox.
“Hello,” he said gently. “I’m Maddox. I’m friends with your mommy.”
I’d never hand another man around Tiffany. Nobody but family and my girlfriends. This was entirely new ground for both of us.
She took it in her stride, jumping in my lap. “I’m Tiffany. I’m three.” With her occasional lisp, it sounded like her th- words were f- words, but Maddox grinned at her.
They struck up a conversation about dinosaurs, and I sat back and watched with relief and deep happiness. For a man that didn’t want kids, he sure had stepped up and taken care of Tiffany.
When his phone beeped, he jumped up. “Stay there,” he commanded. Soon, he returned with steaming mugs of soup.
“My mom always put it in a mug so I could drink it. Then when your broth gets low, you eat all the yumminess at the bottom of the mug with the spoon and these crackers.” He set a little tray in front of Tiffany, then handed me one. He sat close to help her. “Eat,” he told me with a wink. “I’ll make sure she doesn’t spill.”
I hadn’t been able to eat a meal with Tiffany since she was an infant without having to jump and go back and forth making sure she was okay.
Looking a gift horse in the mouth wasn’t my vibe, so I sat back and sipped the soup. It scalded my mouth, but flavors exploded on my tongue. “Madd,” I exclaimed. “This is delicious!”
He grinned. “It’s an old family recipe. My mom’s and her nana’s. As I said, she made this for me.”
I blew on it to cool it faster so I could eat, and when the first mug full was gone, I hopped up for more. Maddox tried to take the mug and do it for me, but I held out my hand. “I can get my refill.”
While I was in the kitchen, I filled up a mug for him and made his tray. “I’ll take over Tiffany duty,” I said and settled it in his lap. “Your turn.”
Tiffany and Maddox laughed and talked while we all ate. It scared the bejeezus out of me. I didn’t want Tiffany getting attached to Maddox. Why had I said he could come to bring lunch? That had been irresponsible of me, to say the least.
While Tiffany tried to spoon out the last bit of chicken from the bottom of her mug, Maddox put his hand on my leg. “Hey,” he said softly. Tiffany didn’t even notice him speaking. “We’ll take it one day at a time, okay? This is new for both of us.”
I nodded and calm washed over me. It would be okay. Maddox had a good heart, that much I was sure of.
After her soup, Tiffany asked to watch a movie. I started to turn it on in the living room, but she shook her head. “No. Mommy’s bed.”
I chuckled and relented. She was sick, after all. I didn’t have a TV in her room. I was always afraid she’d wake up in the night and turn it on, then not sleep.
“Sure, come on.” I left Maddox on the couch and carried Tiffany to the opposite side of the living room, where my master suite was. Pausing in the doorway, I turned back to Maddox. “I’m going to give her a quick bath. She feels clammy, probably from sweating through the fever.”
He smiled and nodded. “Sure! I’ll just finish up in the kitchen.”
As I entered the bedroom, I couldn’t help the huge smile on my face. He cooked and I didn’t have to wash dishes? Hot damn.
By the time I gave Tiffany a quick bath, brushed her hair, found pajamas, and set her on the bed, it was nearly her bedtime. But I turned on the video anyway. She snuggled in and by the time I had her all tucked in, her eyes were already heavy. I knew she’d be asleep in minutes.
I had a king-sized bed, which I’d purchased when pregnant. I couldn’t seem to get comfortable and I’d become convinced I needed an enormous bed.
It hadn’t helped. Nothing had helped until I had Tiffany.
I tiptoed out of the room and when I glanced back, she was blinking rapidly, a sure sign sleep was imminent. The movie’s opening credits weren’t even done.
When I walked into the living room and looked toward the kitchen, I found Maddox hanging up the hand towel. My kitchen looked as clean as it had before he arrived. Which was pretty damn spotless, since I’d spent half the morning on it.
“Want to watch a movie?” I offered. I didn’t want to eat his food then send him on his merry way.