Cherished

24

Eva was reading a book on her bed when Graham knocked and let himself.

"Hey, honey," he greeted. He was in dress pants and a nice white shirt. He looked good enough to eat.

"Hi," she said, sitting up. "I thought you had a meeting."

"I'm getting ready to leave," he said, stepping closer. He pushed her hair back, inspecting her ears closely.

She tried not to smile. She couldn't believe he was making himself late to a meeting because he wanted to check on her. It was very sweet.

"They aren't nearly as red," she said. "They are a little tender, probably from sleeping."

"And you cleaned them?" he asked.

She nodded.

Graham leaned down for a kiss.

"I should go," he said. "Pierce and Miles want to cook dinner up in our wing tonight, and we would love for you to join us."

Eva agreed.

---

"Move, fat ass," Miles said, bumping Pierce, who was stirring the pasta, out of the way.

Pierce grumbled something, but Eva didn't hear what.

"That's not very nice," Eva said.

"It's okay. He means it lovingly," Pierce said, stepping out of the way and closer to her. He reached his arm out, letting his hand skim along her back.

"It's true," Miles said, pulling out a cutting board. "He likes it."

Pierce's hand went higher to her hair.

"I like the way you have it tied back," he said.

Eva felt the familiar heat in her face.

"Thank you," she said quietly. "Bri suggested the ribbon. The layers make it easier for it to be half up."

"It suits you," Pierce said, lowering his frame so his lips brushed the corner of her mouth.

Graham came up the stairs with a box, and a smile. He had been in and out of the house all day, but had a dinner meeting so he was late.

"I promise that I didn't eat too much," he said, smiling a bit. He was happy to see them, and Eva liked that.

"Not when my favorite boys are making dinner," he added, stepping up behind Miles to kiss his cheek.

Miles turned so their lips met.

"What's in the box?" Pierce asked.

"I had a great meeting. Thank you for asking, Pierce," Graham teased, moving closer so he could kiss Pierce. He didn't forget about her, either.

Graham set the box down, opening the lid to reveal an assortment of baked sweets.

"I'm partnering up with a bakery, fundraising for my shelters. She had brought me this as a gift," Graham said.

"We didn't make anything fancy," Miles said. "Spaghetti with salad and bread."

"Looks like you're doing all the hard work," Graham said, washing his hands in the sink so he could stir the simmering sauce.

Pierce scoffed.

"He kicked Pierce out," Eva said.

"Evie," Miles scolded. "I just told him to move."

Graham chuckled. "I'm going to change. I'll be back to help."

It wasn't long before they were gathered around the small kitchen table to eat.

"Miles, you're going to have to go back to running the Saturday markets now that the season is coming up," Graham said. "We had so many vendor applications this time that we actually had to turn some down. I'm hoping the city might consider letting me expand out into the parking lot or the streets."

"That's pretty incredible," Miles said. "The social media pages have been going crazy lately. Everybody is anticipating the opening day."

"The market in town?" Eva asked curiously after the conversation lapsed a bit.

"The one you went to was a smaller winter version," Graham said. "Mostly handmade and artisan goods. Summer is similar, but flowers and produce are offered as the time comes."

Eva couldn't imagine the market being any bigger than what it was.

"You own that?" she asked.

Graham nodded, smiling a bit.

"He owns a little bit of everything at this point," Pierce said.

"I just like being hands-on in the community. That's all," Graham said.

Eva wondered what it would be like to visit the market during the summer. The days were getting warmer and longer, and she was looking forward to putting everything that was bleak behind her.

She imagined it would be very crowded and busy, not to forget the fact that the last time she was there she had ran into her former master, but fresh flowers and fruits sounded like a dream.

"What is it?" Pierce asked her, picking up her hand.

She shrugged a bit. "I'd like to go. I just don't know if I would be able to."

"You never know," Graham said. "There's no harm in trying."

Eva nodded. Besides, every day things seemed to get a little easier for her.

Eva and Graham cleaned up since Miles and Pierce cooked.

"Kenzie enrolled at a university to take some classes online starting in the fall," Eva mentioned to him as he handed her a pot to dry.

"I helped her with her application for loans and for the school itself. She will only be online for one or two semesters before she has to start going in person," Graham said. "You can't become a nurse without practical experience."

Eva nodded.

"Is taking classes something that you would be interested in doing?" he asked.

"I don't know," Eva admitted. "I stopped going to school when I was thirteen. I don't think that there would be any way for me to catch up."

Graham hummed, shutting the dishwasher and drying his hands.

"It would definitely be a process. You would have to get your high school diploma first, and then you would move on to higher education. If you want me to get some test prep books for you to look over, I can do that. It might help you decide, when you see what you are getting into."

"Okay," Eva agreed. "Maybe we could go to the library."

"Sounds great, honey," Graham said, kissing her forehead as they walked over to Pierce and Miles who were sitting together on the couch. Miles was curled close to Pierce who had his arm wrapped around him.

Eva and Graham piled close.