He smirked, shaking his head. “Aren’t you always? I’ll figure out a way around the Madrid trips, and now… Shower, clothes and we’re going out for breakfast. I’m starving.”
I slid my bum off the marble countertop to check the contents of the fridge. It was packed with high-protein shakes, yoghurts and eggs. Cherry tomatoes and two avocados were hidden behind a big jar of peanut butter. No wonder Thomas’s body was so perfectly toned. He wasn’t over-the-top muscular with disgusting veins throbbing everywhere. Thomas was ripped, but healthy. It looked like the fit image took a lot of work in and out of the gym.
“Bread?” I asked.
He opened a cupboard to his right and took out a loaf of brown, seeded toast bread. I chuckled, seeing his apprehension.
“If you don’t like what I’ll make, then we can go out, but at least let me try. I’m not a bad cook, you know.”
I rose on my toes, pressed a kiss to his lips, then shooed him out of the kitchen. He went upstairs to take a shower. A smart speaker stood on the windowsill next to three pots of fresh herbs that looked as if they were only there for decoration. The speaker didn’t react to my voice, so I grabbed Thomas’s phone from the counter to play some music.
Five unread messages from Chrissy waited on the screen and twice as many missed calls. I took comfort seeing that Thomas didn’t bother to read them yet, but at the same time my stomach sank a little because he had to see her today.
The room filled with John Newman’s new album while I chopped, smashed and boiled water in a deep-frying pan.
Fifteen minutes later, Thomas came downstairs just as I served the avocado toasties with poached eggs and a side salad of cherry tomatoes with basil.
“If this tastes as good as it looks, expect an engagement ring in three to five working days,” he said, taking a seat by the breakfast bar.
He bit into his toastie; his face unreadable while he chewed turned to delight when he swallowed.
“So, what would you like? Diamonds, rubies, sapphires?”
“How aboutthank you?”
“Thank you.”
He leaned out of his seat to peck my cheek then rose from his chair and stumbled out to the hallway. I heard him open the main door, and moments later he came back with the morning newspaper in hand. He ate, skimming the pages. I ended up giving him one of my toasties as one was quite enough for me.
“I guess you’ll want to stop by the apartment and get dressed, right?” he asked, loading the dishwasher. “We don’t have much time left, so we should get going.”
“Not much time? Where are we going?”
“It’s Sunday—my day with Maya. We need to pick her up at noon.”
“You want me to come? I’m not that good with kids, and what if her mum doesn’t want me there? I mean, she doesn’t even know me. You can just drop me off and come back when you’re done.”
Thomas grabbed my coat from the hanger and draped it over my shoulders. I wasn’t ready to leave, but he was suddenly in a rush, and ignored my attire, or lack of thereof. I stood in the kitchen barefoot, wearing just his t-shirt.
“They’re a big part of my life and so are you. I want you to meet them. Claudia won’t mind, and Maya already adores you.”
***
I didn’t realise that Thomas kept the promise given to Adam and took care of Claudia and Maya. It melted me a little knowing that even during his darkest days, Thomas held onto the good inside him, supporting his best friend’s family.
“Is she nice?” I asked when we exited the car outside of Claudia’s place. “Should I worry?”
Thomas chuckled, kissing my temple, and to my surprise, he knocked on the door instead of barging in the way he did when he visited me or Nick.
“She’s opinionated, but she’ll be happy to meet you. I think she has wanted me to settle down for a long time now.”
A tall brunette yanked the door open. “I didn’t expect you so early.” She paused when her eyes stopped on me, then darted to Thomas. “Wow,” she mouthed. “Well done.”
“Hey,” Thomas kissed her cheek. “This is Nadia. Good job not making her uncomfortable.”
Claudia outstretched her hand to me, grinning. “Sorry, I’m Claudia. I hoped I’d meet you soon.” She punched Thomas’s shoulder, pulling on the stretched, white t-shirt she wore. “A little heads-up would’ve been nice. Come in. Maya went for a walk with Richard.”
We entered the small apartment and walked across the living room full of mismatched furniture, careful not to step on any toys. The smell of freshly baked apple pie made my mouth water. Thomas held my hand, as if he was afraid that I would make a run for it. I wouldn’t think of it without a slice of pie.