“Yeah, it does.”

Noah abandons his trolley, walks up, and lifts Kai out of mine. He always finds a way to interact with him. He holds his hand, hugs him, and generally just likes being near him. Almost like he doesn’t believe he’s real.

“Do you want to help Daddy choose a hammer?”

“Yeash, Da-dad. Et’s go ‘oose a ‘ammer. ‘An I ‘ave one?”

“You want a hammer?” Noah shakes his head in disbelief. “Do you know what a hammer is, buster?”

His soft gaze flicks to mine and I see the final fragment of acceptance in them. It’s the first time I’ve heard Noah call himself ‘Daddy.’ It sounds so sexy on him, and my heart flutters.

“Yeash, it makes big bands.”

“Do you mean bangs?”

The stubborn streak in Kai rears its head and he glares at Noah like he’s got two heads. “Yeash, bands.”

They go off hand in hand down the aisle, bickering about bands versus bangs, and leave me to wonder what I’ve let myself in for.

I now have two of them.

The few people that have been watching us start to disperse. Right down the other end of the aisle I catch sight of a man who must have been viewing the show. Something about him is eerily familiar, yet I can’t place it. He turns and pushes his trolley away. I shake my head as a pang of fear runs though me. Although he has the stature of Mac, he can’t be him. Mac’s gone.

I don’t need to worry now. I’m where I should be. Safe in the arms of the man who has always loved me.

I’M KNACKERED, BUT I’ve been unable to sleep in. Who knew decorating a room with a two-year-old in tow would make me so tired? I bought him his own small plastic mallet to bang shit with, much to Lizzie’s annoyance. He used it to bang the walls, making more dents than I was trying to fill in the first place. But his little face lit up and I just laughed at him, which made him worse. I can’t believe how fucking lucky I am.

“Noah, what do you want for breakfast?” Lizzie’s sleep-clogged voice tugs at me and I have no choice but to look.

I scan across the kitchen and find her; she’s the other reason I can’t believe my luck. She stands in the doorway, with bare feet and legs, in one of my T-shirts, and just-fucked hair. Lizzie at her most beautiful. My dick jerks at the sight of her even though it hasn’t been long since I was last buried deep inside her. I’ll never get enough, never get tired of the sight of her, and definitely never have enough of that sweet pussy.

I put down my coffee and stalk over to her. Fisting my fingers into the front of the T-shirt, I pull her against me. Her breath catches and a sleepy smile tugs on her lips.

“What are my options?” As I whisper against her ear, her body vibrates against mine. I love the way she reacts to me.

“Bacon sandwiches or…” She trails off when I work my hands under the hem of the T-shirt to find her very-naked arse. A gasp leaves her lips as I rub against her.

“Fuck, Lizzie. You aren’t wearing anything under here,” I growl in her ear, and let my fingers trail over the skin. The twitch in my jeans turns into a raging hard-on and I can’t think straight. She does this to me, takes away my ability to want or see anything but her.

“I’ve just woken up,” she says, like it’s justification for being naked.

Moving my lips to find hers, I reach the fingers of one hand and work my way around her thigh to find my favourite place on earth. When she adjusts her stance to allow me access, wet, swollen lips greet my fingers. Her body tenses as I tease her clit and then sink a finger deep into her. She shudders, but the grip I have on her won’t let her move against me. With slow, deliberate thrusts, I glide in another finger and work her to the brink, grazing my thumb in circles over her clit. Her sharp nails dig into my naked shoulders as her breaths become shallower.

My lips leave hers and I find the sensitive skin on her neck as I murmur, “Do you want me to fuck you, angel?”

Before she can answer, a little voice shouts, “Mummy, where are ooo?”

Talk about being caught with your hand in the fucking cookie jar.

“In here, Kai.” Flustered, she struggles to gain control of her breath and squeezes the words out.

I reluctantly remove my hands from her and step away. Her stormy eyes never leave my face as I suck on the fingers coated in her.

When the sound of Kai barrelling down the hallway gets closer, I shove my hands in my pockets to cover my erection.

“Thanks for the starter. I’ll have my main course later.” I wink at her. “But bacon sandwiches would be great for breakfast.” As Kai enters, I kiss him on the head and walk out of the room.

I need a fucking arctic shower.

The smell of bacon beckons me to the kitchen after leaving the bathroom. I find Kai strapped into his booster seat eating a nearly empty bowl of dried cereal. Lizzie is finishing off preparing the sandwiches. Unable to resist, I give her arse a firm squeeze as I look over her shoulder.

She smiles back at me, “Red or brown sauce?”

“Red, please. What’s he eating?”

She passes me my plate of food. “I can’t get him to eat cereal with milk on it. He likes it dry and then I give him a beaker of milk, which makes up for it.”

I sit down at the table and watch in awe as he shovels large handfuls of the food into his little mouth.

Shaking my head, I turn my attention to Lizzie. “I’ve got to go and check in at work. Spud’s going to kill me if I don’t turn up soon. Do you have any plans for the day, or are you just hanging out here?” I take a huge bite of the sandwich as Lizzie sits down.

“Boo’s agreed to have Kai so I could do some shopping and a little job hunting. I thought you might be going into work, but if you didn’t, I would’ve just cancelled.”

“You don’t need to work. I can look after the both of you.” It’s out of my mouth before I can stop myself.

“I need a job for my own sanity. Plus, when did you turn into Midas?”

Every single muscle in my body tenses and I struggle to choke down the sandwich I’m chewing. “The workshop does okay,” I state, without meeting her eyes. It does, I’m not lying. I could easily live off the profits.

Is an omission of truth still a lie?

“I know it does.” I feel her gaze scan me.

The gnawing feeling in my gut grows stronger. I’ve never outright lied to Lizzie, ever. It’s a slippery slope to disaster. The truth may hurt, but a relationship built on lies is doomed to failure. The fact I still haven’t told her about my past is eating away at me. But I’m not the bad bloke here. I protected the innocent at all costs, yet I don’t know if she’ll see it that way. What I’m capable of doing might very well scare the shit out of her.

The selfish side of me doesn’t want her to know, and it’s been winning out. I can’t lose her. She’s part of me. Without her I’m just skin and bones with no fucking soul. The logical side, the side which knows right from wrong, good from bad, knows I have no choice but to tell her.

I put the sandwich down, bitter bile rises in my throat, and I can’t take another bite. My insides churn and it feels like I’m swallowing battery acid. It’s now or never.

Clearing my throat, I tentatively approach. “Lizzie, I need to talk to you about something.” I finally blurt out the words, regretting them instantly. She was so happy a while ago. Fucking hell.

“Okay.” She extends the vowels, wary of what I need to say. She has every right to be.

“Perhaps it would be best to put Kai in his room. He doesn’t need to hear this.” I swipe my hand across my now perspiring forehead.

Her eyebrows furrow in confusion, but she nods and takes Kai up to the temporary room he’s sleeping in while I decorate his actual bedroom.