I laughed harder because I saw she was right. Elise couldn’t even think about the two of us meeting her mom without blushing like a Ruston peach.
I nodded. “Yeah, she would,” I conceded. “But would that be so bad?” I was ready for the world to know. I’d already thought about calling Louis. I’d never confessed my feelings for Elise to him before, but he’d get no end of pleasure out of teasing me. He’d been calling me The Modern-Day Monk for a few years now.
“Bad?” Elise echoed, ducking her chin and lifting her brows. “It’ll be a sideshow. She’ll dance. She’ll sing. She’ll climb onto the roof and jump for joy!”
I resisted the urge to point out this this was pretty close to what I wanted to do.
Elise shook her head, still picturing Flora’s inevitable hysterics. “We just can’t do it in public. I’d die of embarrassment… Oh, shit.” Elise froze, her wide eyes seeking mine.
“What?”
I watched her swallow. “She’s making Sunday dinner tomorrow.” Her words came fast, frantic. “I can’t face her alone. E-even without you, she’ll know something’s up the moment she sees me. You have to come with me. We can tell her together.”
“Baby, of c—”
“Whatare we going to tell her?” Elise’s hands were knotted at her middle, her knuckles white.
That wouldn’t do. I cleared the foot of the bed and pulled her into my arms. “Whatever you want to tell her,” I soothed.
She braced her forearms against me so she could peer up at my face. “Yeah, but… what are we doing? I mean… whatarewe?”
Understanding dawned, and I brought a hand to her cheek, running my thumb over her soft skin. What we were had happened so fast. And it had taken forever. Elise’s uncertainty was understandable, but I wanted to be absolutely clear.
“I don’t care what you tell Flora, as long as you know we’re together. We’re exclusive. And we’re going to stay that way.” I cocked a brow at her and gave her a wry smile. “If that’s okay with you.”
Her eyelashes fluttered, and her body softened in my arms. “Y-yes… that’s okay with me,” she stammered. Her eyes, warm pools of honey, seemed to drink me in, so, of course, I had to taste her. I lowered my head and captured her lips just as they shaped into a smile.
I kissed her, my tongue entering her mouth with soft, teasing strokes. She angled her head back, welcoming me. And just as I wondered if breakfast could wait another couple of hours, my stomach gave a loud, demanding growl.
Elise broke away, smothering a laugh against the back of her hand.
“So,” I said, chagrined, “if the cafe is out, where should we go for breakfast?”
Still smiling, Elise gave me a consoling pat on the cheek. “You’re hungry, so we should probably pick something close,” she teased. “Rusted Rooster is just around the corner.”
I grinned. “I’m guessing they have eggs.”
She nodded. “And biscuits. And bacon. And coffee.”
My stomach growled again.
Elise clamped her lips together, her eyes shining.
I ignored her amusement. “Would you mind if Ava joined us?”
“Not at all.” She gave a decisive shake of her head.
I arched a brow at her. “You won’t be embarrassed or uncomfortable?”
Elise rolled her eyes at me. “Oh, I’ll be embarrassed,” she said with a head bob. “But I won’t be uncomfortable. Not with Ava.”
Her answer soothed me in places I didn’t know needed soothing. Ava was sure to make a fuss about us. Elise had to know this. And even though the thought of Flora’s reaction had sent her into a tailspin, she’d accept whatever Ava gave us. It was unspoken, but I sensed she accepted my need to keep my sister close. And her understanding touched me.
Wordlessly, I pressed a kiss to her forehead.
I left my room in search of my sister, but I found her bedroom door closed, just like it had been the night before. I frowned because I could tell in the dim hallway that her light still burned. I knocked on the door.
“Ava?”