Chapter 26 #2
“Not exactly.” I tossed two pieces of white cheddar popcorn into my mouth. “But my dad did tell your parents that they were going to meet them at the diner to celebrate Ace’s birthday.”
Lark’s jaw fell open as she blinked in disbelief. “Oh, my God. So, is it safe to say your dad lost his mind yesterday morning?”
Nodding, I shared, “For a multitude of reasons, not the least of which was learning that I’d already been at Ace’s house when your parents arrived.”
“What happened?”
I went on to share all the specifics of how the entire breakfast scene went down, revealing how I’d had a moment when I thought it was possible her dad was going to have to fight his best friend in order to protect his son.
Of course, I quickly explained that Luke convinced my dad to hear us out before jumping the gun.
“In the end, he was furious to learn about what had been happening to me, especially when Ace shared that Ryan might be behind it. But on the bright side, my dad is happy that Ace and I are together because he knows the kind of man your brother is. I guess he doesn’t believe he’ll need to worry about me winding up with a broken heart or that I’m with someone who doesn’t deserve me. ”
Lark picked up her last hard-boiled egg and smiled. “I’m so happy for you, Tessa. And I’m glad my brother listened to me.”
Tipping my head to the side, I asked, “Listened to you about what?”
“I might’ve visited him one morning before I came to work,” she said.
“It was the morning after I went with you to your parents’ house when you told your mom and Harper that you and Ryan broke up.
You know I was teasing you so much about you and Ace then, but I genuinely wanted both of you to be happy. ”
“And what happened when you went to visit him?”
She waved her hand dismissively in the air.
“I asked him about his intentions with you, and at first, he tried to play it off, but I dug deeper and learned he had real feelings for you. When he explained he intended to take it slow and give you the time you needed to heal, all I asked him to do was be the man you needed. And it seems like he did that.”
I smiled at her, my heart warming with such love for my best friend. It didn’t matter to Lark that Ace was her brother. She always looked out for me. I was so lucky to have her in my life. “I hope you know how much I love you, Lark.”
She winked at me. “I do. Because I love you back the same.”
We finished our lunch, cleaned up, and returned to work. And with an afternoon as busy as our morning had been, it flew by just as quickly.
Lark drove me to Ace’s and dropped me off. I immediately got to work on a little plan that had popped into my head when I was in the middle of a manicure appointment from the morning.
Fortunately, I always got done at work before Ace, so I had the chance to pull something like this off. Even though he knew Lark was going to bring me home, he called to confirm she had once he was ready to leave. And that’s when I put the final part of my plan into place.
Ace had made it clear that he loved when I answered the door to him, and I’d done it every day since I’d moved in with him. I thought it would be a great idea to spice things up this time.
I got myself ready, then watched and waited for him to arrive. When he was just a few feet away from the front door, I unlocked and opened it. Ace took one look at me and glanced over his shoulders to make sure nobody else was around before he took me in fully.
And the look that washed over his expression did not disappoint. He seemed unable to speak or move for how mesmerized he was.
“Ace?” I called.
His eyes traveled up from my bare legs over the fabric that was covering the important bits, lingered a moment on my breasts, and finally met my gaze. “Princess… What is this about?”
“This is my way of making up for not being able to cook breakfast this morning. Do you like it?”
He became unstuck and moved toward me. “I think you might be the only woman who could pull something like this off.”
“Do you like my outfit?”
“I’m not confident we can call it that. Is there anything underneath it?”
I shook my head. “I can turn around to show you.”
He pressed a hand to my belly, urged me backward, and slammed the door shut behind him. “Now you can turn around.”
I spun around, aware that the only thing covering my backside was the strap around my neck and the simple bow at my waist where I’d tied the apron.
No underwear. No bra. I’d gotten dinner prepared and in the oven before putting this on, but I liked Ace having the thought of me mostly naked in his kitchen while cooking for him.
When I turned around again, I noticed the muscle in his jaw working. I closed the distance between us, pressed a palm to his chest, and whispered, “Dinner’s in the oven, handsome. It needs another twenty minutes.”
He wrapped one arm around my waist and lifted. As soon as my ankles were hooked behind his back, he said, “Perfect. You’re joining me in the shower.”
“Don’t you want to know what we’re having?”
“I’ll eat anything you made, Tessa. And I’m going to love every single bite, especially after I have a taste of you first.”
I grinned. “Appetizers first, right?”
“Always.”
With that, Ace carried me all the way to the bathroom. And after getting his meal starter in, we returned to the kitchen just in time for me to pull the baked ziti out of the oven.
In the end, I decided making dinner for Ace was much more fun than breakfast.