“It’s 6:13.”
“Oh. In the morning?”
He chuckled and brushed some of the red waves of hair off her face. “Yes. In the morning. It’s Monday. And sadly we both have to go to work.”
She groaned and rolled back over, closing her eyes. “I don’t want to teach today. I think it should be a holiday.”
“To celebrate what?”
“To celebrate us finally figuring things out.” She groped over toward him until she found his chest. She patted it fondly. “You still love me, right?”
“Yes, I still love you.”
“Good. I love you too. So we should be able to stay home and have a day off.”
“We could call in sick.”
She peeked at him out of one eye.
He arched his eyebrows.
“We shouldn’t.”
“Why not?”
“We’re not sick. We’re just happy.”
“We can call it a personal day.”
She giggled. “Are you serious? Wouldn’t that be bad?”
“Do you have anything really important going on in your classes today?”
“No. I mean, I’ve got exams in two classes, but someone else could proctor those no problem. And I’ve got videos and group projects in my other...” She trailed off, clearly thinking through her lesson plans for today. “It would be a pretty easy day to cover. What about you?”
“Everything on my plate can wait until tomorrow. So if you want to stay home, I’m staying home too.” Keith genuinely wasn’t sure which way she would go. She’d always been a hard worker and a rule follower, so the fact that she was even considering this was pretty damn significant.
“What about Eva?”
“It’s up to you. She can stay home too, and the three of us can have a day. Or if you’re worried about her missing, she can go to school.”
“You’re a bad influence on me. You know that, right?”
“Maybe I’m actually a good influence. It’s good to play hooky every now and then just so you know your whole life isn’t about work.” He reached over to cup her face and meet her eyes. “But it’s fine if you don’t want to today. Seriously. It was just a random idea. No pressure.”
“But I do want to,” she whispered as if she were admitting something naughty.
“Then do it. Just do it.”
She was clearly trying to suppress a smile as she said, “Okay. I’m going to let them know right now so they can find someone to cover my classes.”
Keith was laughing to himself as she got up and grabbed her phone. Then he remembered he had to let his work know too, so he reached over for his phone and texted his boss.
That was one of the good things about being a reliable employee. His boss never questioned his sick days.
Serena clearly had no problem with making her excuses either. She returned, looking giggly and affectionate. She came over and climbed on top him, straddling his hips and reaching down to rub his chest. “Hi.”
“Hi.” He honestly couldn’t believe this was happening. This was his life. Serena was in bed with him, gazing at him like he was the bright star in her night sky.
“What shall we do on our day off?”
“Well, if you want to do more of this, we’ll have to do it soon. Eva is usually up by seven, isn’t she?”
“Yes.” Serena leaned over and brushed her lips against his. “So you’ll have to be quick and quiet.”
He couldn’t seem to stop smiling. “Then quick and quiet I shall be.”
He managed to stay quiet, but he wasn’t all that quick. Serena clearly had no complaints.
And both of them kept smiling the whole time.
EVA WOKE UP AT SEVEN fifteen, loudly demanding to know why no one had woken her up at seven like normal. At hearing the explanation, that they were taking the day off, she was ecstatic—at least that was what her excited shrieking sounded like from down the hall.
She was even more ecstatic when she came into the kitchen in her lavender pajamas that matched her mother’s gown and discovered Keith making pancakes.
“I want chocolate chips in mine, Uncle Keith,” she pronounced, climbing up into her seat at the bar. “Is that okay?”
“Yes, that’s okay. I already have the chocolate chips out and ready.” He gestured toward the bag on the counter. “Any other requests?”
“I want a really big pancake!”
“Got it.” He finished stirring the batter, briefly distracted when Serena walked in, looking gorgeous and rumpled and curvy in her bathrobe and messy hair. She smiled at him—that special smile that meant she loved him—and he just about melted into a puddle on the floor.
“Uncle Keith, the pancakes,” Eva prompted, frowning at him disapprovingly. “Don’t smile at Mommy. Time to make the pancakes.”
“Right. The pancakes.”
He redeemed himself by making a double-size pancake for Eva and sprinkling it with a lot of chocolate chips that melted as the pancake cooked. Eva watched with hungry fascination as he flipped it and they waited for it to be done. Then he plated it up with a little dollop of whipped cream (Serena instructed him not to add too much) and presented Eva with her breakfast.
She clapped her hands and dug in, and Keith was ridiculously proud of himself for making the girl so happy.
Serena came over to stand beside him as he made their pancakes (with no chocolate chips). She peered into the pan as they waited, and Keith pretended to elbow her out of the way, telling her he didn’t need help.
They had a silly scuffle that made Eva laugh hysterically, and it ended when Keith pulled Serena into a hug.
She hugged him back, tight and urgent. He wasn’t sure when he’d have been able to pull away had a little voice not broken the moment.
“Do you love Mommy, Uncle Keith?”
He blinked a couple of times as he pulled away from her sheepishly. A quick check of Serena’s face proved she was laughing and not awkward or self-conscious. So he answered the girl honestly. “Yes. I love her.”
“Okay.” Eva turned toward Serena. “Do you love Uncle Keith, Mommy?”
“Yes. I do.”
Eva nodded as if the matter was settled before she popped a big bite of pancake into her mouth. Then she said as she chewed, “That’s what I thought.”
epilogue
FOUR MONTHS LATER, Serena was reaching up to the top shelf of her pantry to grab another bottle of red wine when a voice from behind her surprised her.
“Please say that’s more cab.”
She jerked but her hand didn’t slip as she pulled the bottle down and turned around to show it to Taylor, who was now standing about a foot away. “It is.”
“Thank God.” Taylor made a face as she reached for the cabernet sauvignon. She already had a corkscrew in her hand, and she immediately began to uncork it. “Some jackass finished the other bottle and then left it sitting there to trick me into thinking there was more.”
Serena laughed at her friend’s aggrieved tone and expression. “I’m sure they didn’t do it on purpose.”
“I’m sure they did. Definitely an asshole move. But thankfully you are always prepared.”