I’m late!

“Damn, damn, damn,” I mutter and fling the covers off me. I race to the bathroom, yoga pants in-hand, to quickly pee, brush my teeth and throw my hair up in a messy bun.

“Girls!” I call out and briskly walk through my room and down the hall to theirs. “We overslept!”

I push their door open, but their beds are empty.

“Girls?” I call out again and jog down the stairs. Just before I turn the corner to the kitchen, I hear Caleb and the girls laughing so I stop short and listen.

“How old are you?” Josie asks.

“A lot older than you,” Caleb answers. I can hear and smell bacon sizzling and my stomach growls.

“Are you older than mommy?” Maddie asks with her mouth full of something.

“Yes,” he chuckles. “I’m a couple years older than her.”

“Mommy is thirty,” Josie informs him. “She’s really, really old.”

“Are you older than the Empire State Building?” Maddie asks with awe in her little voice and I cover my mouth so I don’t laugh out loud.

“Uh, do I look older than the Empire State Building?” He asks.

“Maybe,” Maddie responds.

“Do you have a dog?” Josie asks and slurps something. She must have talked him into another bowl of Coco Puffs.

“No,” Caleb answers.

“Do you have a cat?” Maddie asks.

“Nope.”

“Do you have an aldergator?” Josie asks loudly.

“You mean an alligator?” Caleb asks with a laugh.

“That’s what I said.”

“No, no pets. Especially not of the reptile variety.”

Deciding to rescue him, I shuffle into the kitchen and my heart just stops. The girls are dressed, their long dark hair is brushed, and they are happily eating a hearty breakfast of pancakes, eggs and bacon. And, of course, Josie has her precious Coco Puffs.

He’s taken care of my kids and let me sleep in.

The girls haven’t seen me yet because their backs are to me, but Caleb looks up and offers me a soft smile. His eyes are warm and travel up and down the length of me, pausing at my legs.

“Sleep well?” He asks as I feel my cheeks warm.

“Too well,” I confirm and join him in the kitchen. “I overslept. Did you turn my alarm off?”

“Yeah, I figured you could use a little extra sleep. The girls and I have things under control down here.”

“Thank you.” I stand on tip-toe and kiss his cheek, then walk around the breakfast bar to hug my girls.

“Mornin’, mama,” Josie throws her arms around my middle and hugs me tight.

“Good morning, baby girl. Did you sleep well?”

“Yep!”

“Caleb made gross eggs,” Maddie informs me and hugs me tight.

“He did?” I ask with a laugh and glance up at Caleb. “What kind of eggs were they?”

“Gross,” Maddie shrugs and turns back to her food.

“Poached,” Caleb informs me with a grin. “Not a big hit.”

“Ah,” I nod. “We’re more the scrambled eggs type around here.”

“So noted.” He sets the girls dirty plates in the dishwasher and pulls a coffee mug down for me. “Coffee?”

“Yes, thanks, I’ll get it.”

“I can make you some eggs.”

“I’m good.” I shake my head and pour my coffee.

“Caleb, do you…” Maddie begins but I cut her off.

“Enough with the questions for this morning. Go upstairs and brush your teeth and get ready to go. The bus will be here in ten minutes.”

“Mom, don’t forget, today is dance class,” Maddie reminds me.

“I know. Stacy is picking you girls up from school and taking you.”

“Is this a once a week thing?” Caleb asks quietly.

“Yeah, Stace always picks them up and takes them. Sophie is in the same dance class.”

He nods and scoops eggs, bacon and pancakes onto a plate and digs in. His jean-clad hips are leaning against the countertop and his bare feet are crossed. I watch in fascination as the muscles of his arms flex as he raises and lowers the fork to his mouth and feel my panties go wet and my nipples pucker.

Damn, he hasn’t even touched me and I’m ready to strip naked and jump him.

“Mom, we’re ready!” Josie calls and runs into the kitchen.

“Okay, good. I’ll walk you to the bus.”

“I’ll walk you all to the bus,” Caleb informs me and sets his half-eaten plate aside.

“Eat your breakfast, Caleb. We’re fine.”

“I’ll walk you all to the bus,” he repeats, winks at me, and moves with easy grace into the living room to pull on a green jacket and his shoes.

Once we’re all bundled up, the girls pull their backpacks on and we walk up the long driveway to the road. Josie takes my hand in hers and Maddie reaches for Caleb. His handsome face looks surprised for a moment and then he smiles down at her as we walk.

Within minutes the bus pulls up and the girls climb aboard along with a few other neighborhood kids.

Caleb and I stand and wait for the bus to pull away before walking back to the house. As we start the walk down the drive, I shove my hands in my pockets, fighting off the chill in the air, and glance over at him. He’s on high alert, his eyes scanning the house, the trees, the bushes.

“What are you looking for?” I ask and follow his gaze.

“Anything that doesn’t seem to fit.”

Everything looks normal to me.

“Aren’t you guys being a little over cautious?” I ask and am met with an icy blue stare.

“No.”

“Okay.” I shrug and lead him back into the house. “Well, you survived your first Spanish Inquisition.”

Caleb laughs and pulls his jacket off, hangs it on the tree by the door, and takes mine to do the same.

“They’re really sweet girls, Bryn.”

“Thank you,” I nod. “But they ask a lot of questions.”

“Yes, they do.” Caleb shakes his head and laughs. “I almost think I’d rather be interrogated by the enemy. At least then all I have to give them is my name, rank and social security number.”

“Don’t say that,” I mutter and hug him around the middle tightly, surprising him.

“Hey, what’s this?”

“That’s just not funny,” I whisper and then back away, embarrassed. “I worried about you a lot.”