Teach Me (18+)

Chapter Fifty

Gianna's Point Of View

We had fallen into a simple routine; it took weeks, but we had finally mastered it. The mornings were always chaotic, but it was ours. We found a way to work it out, and eventually, Eden and Lily weren't late anymore.

"Lily, shoes," Eden called, half-laughing, as she moved between the kitchen and the living room, one hand holding a travel mug, the other grabbing Lily's lunchbox off the counter. "We are not doing this again."

"I had them," Lily insisted from somewhere near the couch. "They disappeared."

"They didn't disappear, you kicked them off yesterday and—" Eden stopped short, spotting them under the coffee table. "Found them. Like magic."

I laughed softly at the sound of them. I worked on plating their breakfasts to go, scooping the warm eggs into a travel container along with the pancakes I made, and adding extra chocolate chips for Lily.

Next, I cut up the fresh fruit for them, making sure it was in a separate part so the pancakes wouldn't get soggy.

"Baby, I'm so late," Eden laughed, bringing me into her arms by my hips.

"We were doing better," I laughed against her lips before pressing mine against them.

Our lips moved softly against each other, her hands gripped my waist tighter, holding me in place for her.

"Lovie! I can't find my favorite pencil!" Lily yelled from the living room.

"There's always tomorrow," Eden chuckled, pulling back from our kiss.

"Tomorrow we wake up five minutes early," I laughed, "For real this time."

"You're the one who says five more minutes," Eden laughed with me before kissing me once more.

Soon they were out of the house, with their breakfast and Lily's favorite pencil. The door clicked shut behind them, and for a moment the house fell into that rare, delicate quiet that only exists after a morning storm of backpacks, missing shoes, and half-finished cups of coffee.

I exhaled, leaning my hands on the counter, letting the silence settle around me like a blanket. Their laughter still echoed faintly in the walls, Lily's high and bright, Eden's warm and low, the kind that always curled around my ribs and stayed there.

A soft knock sounded on the door, focusing my attention back to reality. Today I had physical therapy and a work meeting. My doctor cleared me to work, just not lifting anything over 30 pounds, which was easy to manage.

"Good morning, Miss. Graves," Julius said as I opened the door.

Julius is the physical trainer Eden hired. He was an absolute sweetheart, and I was beginning to see significant progress with him.

"Morning, Julius," I said, stepping aside to let him in. "You're early."

"Traffic was light," he said, glancing around the entryway like he always did, not nosy, just observant. "And I figured you'd want a head start since you've got that meeting today."

He remembered.

Of course he did. Julius remembered everything.

I closed the door behind him, the quiet of the house settling again, softer now that someone else was in it. The contrast between the morning whirlwind and this calm made my shoulders drop a little.

"Eden and Lily already gone?" He asked while setting up his equipment.

"Yeah, after a busy morning," I chuckled. "Lost shoes, missing pencils."