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Cass took the glass out of Ash’s hand, twisted to set it on the nightstand behind him, and then lifted his hand up to touch Ash’s cheek this time. His thumb brushed slowly along Ash’s skin, the sensation sending an intense jolt of warmth through him.

He let out a short breath and then tipped his forehead to rest against Ash’s, closing his eyes.

“I’ll see you in the morning,” he murmured, his thumb still caressing gently back and forth along Ash’s cheek.

“Yeah.”

“And I’ll surprise you.”

“Yeah.”

Cass smiled again, and he shifted to press his lips against Ash’s cheek. Then he whispered, “Good night, Ash.” And he straightened up and let his hand drop.

Ash nodded. “Good night, Cass.” The tentative smile on his face lit up with what had to be hope or joy or something happy and promising, and god, it was just beautiful.

Ash stood slowly, gave Cass one more small smile, and then turned and left the bedroom.

Shaina (Saturday, November 26, 2022 – 6:13 a.m.): What do you mean you “don’t kiss and tell”???

Shaina (6:13 a.m.): NO WAYYYYYYYYY

Shaina (6:13 a.m.): ASH!!!!!!!!!

Chapter Thirty-Three

Ash

Ash stood in the entryway to the kitchen, his heart doing things he really hadn’t expected it to be doing. Good things. But also scary things.

Over at the counter, Bri giggled and dropped a second handful of blueberries into a large mixing bowl as Cass counted.

“Great job! That’s two. Can you do two more handfuls?”

“Da! Boo-behs! Boo-behs!” Bri agreed, leaning over from where she was settled on Cass’s hip to grab another handful of blueberries from the container sitting on the counter. Cass held her carefully and encouraged her as she added another several handfuls of blueberries and then helped him mix them into the pancake batter already in the bowl.

“Bri, thank you so much for your help! I’m going to cook these now, but you know what I also have for you?”

“Da-da-da?”

Cass grinned at her nonsense babble and glanced up across the room at Ash. When their eyes met, that feeling in Ash’s heart only intensified. “So, I got you some strawberries, and they’re in a bowl in the fridge. Would you like to eat some while I finish the pancakes and eggs?” Cass seemed reluctant, but he pulled his eyes away from Ash and lowered his gaze back to Bri, who looked positively gleeful.

“Stah-behs?”

“That’s right.”

Bri bounced up and down on Cass’s hip, clapping, and squealed, “Yay yay yay!”

Ash finally convinced his feet to move, and he joined Cass and Bri at the kitchen table, where they got Bri settled into the high chair Cass had borrowed from a neighbor. Cass then pulled a bowl full of cut-up strawberries out of the fridge, portioned some out onto a separate plate, and set it in front of Bri, who predictably clapped and giggled and then picked up one of the berries and shoved it into her mouth.

Cass’s hand set low on Ash’s back. “It’ll take a few more minutes for me to cook up the pancakes and eggs, if you wanna have a seat,” he said softly.

Ash dipped his chin. “Sure, yeah. Thank you.”

Cass only answered by pressing his hand into Ash’s back while pulling out the chair at the table next to Bri’s high chair. “Coffee?” he asked as Ash sat.

Ash nodded. “That would be great, thanks.”

Cass let his hand linger on Ash’s shoulder for a second before heading back around to the other side of the island. He did everything: prepared Ash’s coffee, brought Bri over a small plastic cup of milk and then more strawberries when she finished the ones he’d given her, cooked a whole huge stack of blueberry pancakes and a large dish of scrambled eggs, set the table, and served the food. All the while, he talked easily, switching between addressing Ash and babbling adorably with Bri.