Matt jerked when his alarm went off the next morning. His arm fell back against the cool sheets, and for a moment he was puzzled as to why the bed was empty. The night came rushing back to him: having Lauren in his arms for the first time in years, kissing her, caressing her, watching her shiver and then come apart in his arms. Sex with Lauren had felt as good as ever—no, better than it ever had before. It was as if they were made for each other, fitting together again effortlessly, as if no time had passed at all since the last time he’d touched her, held her. The only thing that had topped making her come multiple times had been falling asleep with her wrapped in his arms. It had felt like home. Unfortunately, several hours later, he’d felt Lauren slip from his arms and leave the room. She hadn’t spoken, and so Matt had feigned sleep, letting her go without words. The passion between them had been incredible, but as much as he already wanted her again, he wasn’t going to push it. He would give her all the time in the world she needed to get used to having him back in her life, but after the night before, one thing was clear—he wasn’t giving her up. No matter what had Lauren so frantic when she woke at the hospital, he was helping. She and Brayden deserved to feel safe.

Matt sighed as the thought entered his mind. Brayden. That’s why Lauren had sneaked out in the middle of the night. In a way, he was glad. That was one awkward conversation he was sure neither of them was ready for. His cock didn’t care, still standing at attention. Matt rolled onto his side, groaning when he saw the time on his alarm clock. Crap, he was going to have to skip the morning jerking off to the memories of last night and go straight to one very cold shower if he was going to get to work on time.

He pushed the covers aside and stood, moving quickly into the bathroom. Despite the late night from Lauren’s surprise arrival into his bedroom, Matt felt more rested than he had in weeks. The nightmare that had taken hold the night before seemed gone entirely, as long as he was holding her in his arms as he slept. Could it really be that simple? Knowing that his first and only love was in his arms once more, fixing the nightmares? He could only hope.

He moved quickly through his morning routine, throwing some street clothes into a bag and shrugging on his uniform. That was one fewer thing he’d need to do when he arrived to the firehouse. It also would act as a reminder of where he was supposed to be going that morning, in case he was tempted to grab Lauren and drag her back to his bed instead. The night before, it had been as if all the years they’d been apart had fallen away at her first touch. Things between them had been just as sexy, just as fucking hot as they had always been. Matt didn’t want to think about what exactly that meant, especially when he was leaving for a twenty-four-hour shift. That didn’t mean his body wasn’t craving a repeat. In fact, he’d be happy to spend the next twenty-four hours doing nothing else. He snorted as he bent over to lace up his boots. Somehow, he didn’t think that excuse for missing a shift would go down too well with Mason or the chief.

When he stepped into the hall, for a moment, he was confused. There were smells coming from his kitchen, damn good ones. Usually when he was up before dawn for a shift, his house was dark and quiet, even cold. That morning, the place seemed positively cheery, the heat already kicked in, lights from the living area shining down the hall, and wow . . . was that bacon? He hurried to the end of the hall, and the sight greeting him stopped him dead in his tracks. Lauren was in the middle of his kitchen, bustling back and forth, while Brayden sat at the table, folding napkins. Matt had to grin at his attempts, Brayden’s tongue sticking out as he folded the next layer of what looked like a very elaborate design. He cleared his throat and then walked into the room, hoping Lauren would appreciate the few seconds’ warning before he appeared. “Hey, Buddy, what you making?”

Brayden looked up, frowning. “It’s supposed to be a swan, but I don’t remember all the steps.”

Matt smiled at him and ruffled his hair. “It looks great to me, Brayden. Besides, having breakfast and company before I head off to work already makes this the best morning ever.” Brayden’s face lit up, and the expression warmed Matt’s heart. They’d gotten along surprisingly well when they’d first met, considering that to Brayden he was a weirdo who refused to leave his mom’s side in the hospital, but Matt had been fully prepared to have to start from square one with the kid once Lauren had woken up and Brayden didn’t need him anymore. He was surprised at how happy he was that wasn’t the case.

“Mom made pancakes,” Brayden said, his grin practically splitting his face. “With chocolate chips and everything!”

Matt’s eyes widened, and he returned Brayden’s grin. “I told you,” he said, “best day ever.”

“Now Bray, don’t go giving away all our surprises,” Lauren said as she placed a plate of pancakes on the table, followed by a plate of fresh fruit.

Matt turned to her, the grin still on his face. She smiled back . . . sort of. Her lips did all the right motions, tipping up at the sides, but her mouth stayed closed, and the smile never met her eyes. Matt dropped his gaze away as he furrowed his eyebrows. Was she mad at him? Had he somehow misread the signs the night before? Images rushed through his memory again, Lauren lying there, splayed open for him, demanding more. No, he hadn’t imagined any of that. So what the hell had happened between one a.m. and now?

He frowned as he sipped the juice Brayden had poured for everyone. Maybe she wasn’t a morning person. It was still damn early. Normally he’d stagger into his kitchen, eyes half closed, and try not to burn the shit out of his hand while pouring coffee into a travel mug without looking. He’d grab that and a frozen breakfast burrito, maybe toast if he was feeling adventurous, and walk out the door. Sitting down to breakfast—a cooked breakfast—was a luxury he rarely enjoyed at home.

He turned back to Brayden, who was watching him expectantly, his fork paused halfway between his mouth and plate with a piece of pancake hanging precariously in space. Matt put his worries over Lauren out of his mind and took a big bite. “Mmmm, delicious.” Brayden grinned again and then dug in, allowing Matt to go back to studying Lauren. She sat at the table, sipping at a coffee but eating nothing. “Not hungry?” he asked. Maybe she was still feeling unwell.

“I’m fine,” she said, but she spoke quickly, as if the answer was a reflex. Matt’s frown deepened. Now that, he didn’t like. He remembered what he’d been worried about when Lauren first woke up in the hospital. It seemed like a lifetime had passed since then, but in reality, it had been only a little under two days. As much as she’d tried to talk her way out of it, she’d been scared out of her mind when he’d first mentioned contacting her family. She’d covered it well, and he’d forgotten about it with everything that had happened between them, but now he couldn’t get it out of his mind. At first he’d been worried that something had been going on with her husband, but if James had passed away, then what? A boyfriend? He dismissed the thought immediately. There was no way Lauren would have kissed him the night before, let alone everything else, if she was seeing someone else. She simply wasn’t that kind of person. Not seeing her for eleven years didn’t change that—that much he was sure of. So what was it?

He looked over at her, making up his mind. He’d get through this shift, making sure someone—or several someones—dropped in on Lauren and Brayden to see that she was okay and had everything she needed. If there was still something making her scared or nervous after that, then he’d dig deeper. He wasn’t going to put her through more trauma than she’d already been through by pushing the point with her right then, but he’d make sure she was safe and was going to stay that way. Anything else was simply unacceptable.

Until then, maybe he could do something to at least put a proper smile on her face. He was sure if he gave the Sloane or Meg some cash, they’d go shopping for the pair, pick up some clothes and the essentials. As cute as she looked, Lauren couldn’t exactly stay dressed in his undershirt and boxers 24/7. Brayden had borrowed a shirt of his, too, and looked almost comical, with it falling to his knees. Then, after shift, he had the perfect idea to make Lauren relax a little and to get some energy out of Brayden. The kid was obviously used to being active, already wriggling in his chair when they were only halfway through eating. “There’s a fair on this weekend,” he said, pausing to shovel another forkful of pancake in his mouth. He glanced at his watch. Shit, if he didn’t stop worrying and start eating, he really was going to be late for shift. Lauren would be okay for twenty-four hours. “Anyway, it’s a community event to raise money for police and firefighter charities, and so we all have to at least put in an appearance.” He laughed. “At least I managed to get out of volunteering for the dunking booth.”

Lauren looked at him, her mouth flat and her hands tensing around the coffee mug. “I don’t know . . .”

“Come on, Mom!” Brayden said. “I bet it’ll be cool.”

“It’s no massive carnival like you might be used to in big cities,” he said to Brayden, “but there’s rides, amazing food, and bands to finish off the night.” He looked over at Lauren, watching her carefully. “It’ll be fine.”

“Please!” Brayden said. “I won’t eat too much junk food, and I promise I won’t rock the Ferris wheel’s cage again.”

Matt lifted a hand to cover his smile. One day, he had to hear the story behind that one. Her son’s begging finally brought a smile to Lauren’s face. “Okay,” she said. “But one cotton candy, that’s it! We don’t need a repeat of last time with that, either!”

He couldn’t help it. Matt laughed out loud, the knot in his gut unraveling when Lauren joined in. That weekend would be just what they all needed. Lauren caught him staring and locked her gaze with his. A blush covered her cheeks and she ducked her head, but the smile stayed on her face. Despite Brayden’s raucous cheers at her answer, it was as if they were the only two in the room. He stared at her, and his mind was flooded with memories of her face flushed for other reasons the night before. He just had to make it through the next twenty-four hours before he could see her again.