Well Suited (Red Lipstick Coalition #4)(31)

“So am I. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

They shuffled past.

“I’ll be back in a second,” Theo said.

And so, I sat and waited as he helped Sarah to her room.

My palms were a swampy mess, my body reacting to the stress and anxiety of meeting the most important person in Theo’s life. The grandmother to my embryo. My future roommate.

The room swam for a moment, the pressure in my brain dimming my vision. I laid my head back, closed my eyes, tried to breathe while unsuccessfully attempting to avoid hyper-focusing on every symptom of my apparent swoon.

“Kate?”

His worried voice forced a crack in my eyelids.

“I’m fine,” I assured him, my voice watery.

“You’re gray. When did you eat last?”

“Mmm, I had some purse crackers on my way here.”

He knelt at my feet, his face frowning and authoritative. “I mean a real meal.”

“I had rice and tomatoes for lunch.”

“That does not constitute lunch. No protein.”

“Does too. A cup of rice has four-point-three grams of protein.”

He huffed, rolling his eyes as he stood, extending his hand. “That is not enough protein. Case in point.” He gestured to me when I didn’t accept his palm.

I sighed. “The thought of meat made my stomach turn. I haven’t thrown up in days, and I don’t want to start now.”

“Come on, Kate. Let me feed you.” When I didn’t take his hand, a smile tugged at his lips. “I’ll pick you up and carry you in three…two…”

I grabbed his hand with a huff, and he pulled me to stand.

For a moment, he kept holding my hand as we walked toward the stairs. But he let me go.

I sighed, wishing he hadn’t.

Once we reached the top of the stairs, the delectable scent of dinner and the sweet sounds of music slipped over me. The atmosphere was inviting and warm, settling my nerves. It felt homey, cozy, the rooms lit only by lamps and the soft overhead kitchen lighting.

“Dinner’s ready,” he said, walking to the oven, snagging an oven mitt on his way. “Have a seat.”

I did as I’d been told, choosing one of the two places set up at the table. It was lovely really—fresh flowers in a low vase, salad plate on top of the dinner plate. Water in wine glasses. Cloth napkins set with cutlery. The salad and dinner forks were even in the correct order.

His attention to detail made him infinitely more attractive.

I watched him from my seat, unfolding my napkin to lay it in my lap. With great care, he transferred food from the casserole dish to a tray and bowl. As he walked over with them, he had a proud, mildly smug smile on his face.

I peered into the dishes when he set them down and turned for the fridge.

On the dish sat a row of gently breaded chicken breasts dotted with green herbs and surrounded by steaming cauliflower. The bowl brimmed with hand-cut fries that smelled like garlic and salt and carbs.

Everything was beige.

Inexplicably, the realization made me want to cry.

I glanced down to my lap, pretending to arrange my napkin so I didn’t have to look up at him. Because he’d see my emotion and know exactly how I felt.

He always did. He saw straight through me.

With anyone else, I would have been averse to the point of ending a relationship. But with him, I only felt understood.

It was so rare, to feel understood.

Theo appeared in my periphery, but I didn’t look up as he set down the salad and took his seat.

“I hope you like the salad. The soy dressing wouldn’t have gone with this, so I made a spinach and strawberry salad with balsamic.”

“It’s…it’s perfect,” I said, swallowing hard and forcing a smile as a weak attempt to recover. “You always seem to know just what to do. It’s unnerving.”

He chuckled, placing his napkin in his lap. “I was going for charming.”

“Oh, it’s charming. It’s…difficult for me when I’m caught off guard. Especially right now.” I reached for the servingware to dish myself some chicken and cauliflower.

At that, a hint of a frown passed across his lips. “I’m sorry, Kate. I don’t want to make you uncomfortable.”

“No, that’s not what I mean.” I kept my eyes on my hands, dishing myself some fries. “You’ve done everything right. Better than right because you anticipate what I need before I know I need it.”

“Well, I’ve been doing that for Tommy for years. It’s the first line of my job description,” he joked.

Our hands moved around each other, anticipating what the other would reach for and systematically making the rounds on the food. It was a dance of efficiency. I wondered if it would be like this when the baby came, imagined us double-teaming a diaper change, moving around each other with such effortless grace.

We were, without thought or intention, an excellent team.

“It’s no wonder you’re very good at your job,” I said, picking up my fork to dig into my salad. I speared a strawberry and sliver of parmesan and took a bite, moaning when it hit my tongue.

He was so handsome when he smiled. It honestly wasn’t fathomable how a man like him could be interested in a woman like me. I wasn’t the kind of girl who handsome, successful, charming men wooed. But beyond all logic and reason, here I sat, across the table from one of said men, with a curated beige dinner, complete with folic acid, for the girl he’d gotten pregnant on a one-night stand.