Chapter 55

So he’d handed her right back at the door, still crying, and barricaded himself in the kitchen to make the tea.

Upstairs was finally quiet, though, and Andreas sighed as he reached for the remote control. He’d sort the bills later. Picking out a nice dull drama he’d seen a thousand times before, he put his feet up, tipped his head back, and buried his free hand in Marmalade’s fur.

Next thing he knew, the lamp on the mantelpiece was the only light in the room, the TV was playing a very quiet documentary about Lindisfarne, and there was a head in his lap instead of the cat.

Andreas blinked.

Still a mass of ginger hair, though. So he shrugged, picked the band around Erik’s bun out of the way, and began to smooth out the long tresses with his fingers.

“Mm, hello.”

Andreas grunted.

Erik shifted onto his back, and Andreas scratched gently at his hairline before resuming the stroking. The warm weight was pleasant. He could easily go back to sleep like this.

“Baby asleep?”