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My children stared at e, but they knew I did

It was a completely ridiculous conversation, but it filled inable ways

One week earlier, I’d had my son snatched away fro ain

One week earlier, I’d sat in a police station with nizable

Yet one week later, I had everything I could ever want in one rooree to chocolate chip pancakes and sausage

My instincts told me to shut the door, lock it, and ride out the rest of my life in that roohts that bright

I stared at Charlotte, flanked by my kids--her son--her smile wide, her eyes full of love, and my heart became whole for what felt like the very first tiot a deal"

"Bacon!" Hannah squealed

"What do you think?" she asked Travis out of the corner of her aze

Travis chuckled and looked up at his mother "I could eat soot a deal Now, return the hostage unharo see if Charlotte has any whipped crea from the room, Travis hot on her heels

"If we use all the whipped creaht," she teased e heard the kids celebrating their victory in the kitchen

Hooking an arainst my chest and then planted a kiss on her e hipped crearinned "If it’s at your house, it won’t do us ht," I whispered

Her eyes flared with alarht Let the kids have a night of norued "It’s not ever going back to the way it was You can’t get theether Whether that be at ht here"--I pointedly tightened et used to"

"But what about the protection order?"

"Exactly We’ll be safer at my house Here, anyone could stop by At randson She’s not going to rat us out And I know for a fact that you can’t say that sa about anyone in your fa back to your place…"

"Back when the kids were a real issue for you, I used to drea around us while you and I cook dinner in the kitchen"

"You mean while I cook dinner in your kitchen," she set I’ve seen your culinary skills in action I probably still have the burn marks to show for it"

I smirked "Yes, that’s exactly what Ito sit on the counter and cheer you on" I dipped and kissed her "I want you in my home, Charlotte I want the kids to sleep in their own beds, even for just one night And I want to sleep in a room with a door and a bed so, if the mood strikes you, we can seriously utilize one of the twenty-seven cans of whipped crealed and stared up atabout it

But, with the sentence that followed, I started to question why

"Can Ian corowled at the saot you a Chihuahua for dinner You’re still good with that, right?

I bit htened in the seat ofon Travis to finish dinner Butterflies the likes I’d never experienced fluttered in my storound

Porter: Is that a no?

Me: Did you cook it?

Porter: Are you insane?

Me: I’ you, aren’t I?

Porter: So I AM your boyfriend?

I s after I’d spent the day with Porter, Travis, and Hannah (God, that little girl was cute) We laughed more that day than I suspected any of us had in years

But all good things came to an end

Around five that afternoon, I’d had to take Travis to Brady’s for dinner