70

“You better come inside before I eat you in this doorway.” He turned, giving me enough space to slide into his condo.

I’d already smelled dinner the moment he opened the door, but the closer I got to the kitchen, the stronger the aroma became.

I set my overnight bag on one of the barstools, and that was when I heard “Draaake!”

Heavy, clunky footsteps came barreling out of the living room. Belle’s head barely exceeded Easton’s high counter, her pigtails bopping just above the edge of the stone, her ringlets finding flight as she sprinted toward me.

“Belle,” I sang back, kneeling on the kitchen floor so I could give her a hug. “What are you doing here?”

As she circled her small arms around my neck, I immediately got a whiff of chocolate chip cookies. A dessert, I was positive, Easton had fed her.

Although Belle’s nanny often brought her by the office, those stops were quick. The most time I spent with her was during occasions like this, when Holden needed to speak to Easton and they wer