I hiss as some of the sizzling hot butter shoots from the pan onto my bare chest, yet the enormous grin that's still plastered on my face doesn't seem to fade. The idea that she's still in my bed, along with the fact that she seems to make a little progress when she is close to me serves as euphoric. I don't think anything can change my good mood right now.

I crack three eggs above the pan and watch how the see-through jelly slowly turns white. The smell triggers the idea of a good old brekkie with sausages, beans, and toast, and I wonder if Jo has ever had that. I'll make sure to make her that soon.

"It smells nice." Her voice pulls my attention away from the pan in front of me. She's walking into the living, Daisy still to her chest and my phone in her hand. "You forgot it in bed. It rang two times," she tells me as she puts my phone on the table behind me before strolling to the Christmas tree while humming a soft song to Daisy.

I watch how she bends and turns on the lights in the tree. She then stands in front of it so Daisy can see the lights perfectly, and her hand lifts to touch the big bauble with the rabbit on it. The actions are simple, but I'm mesmerized still.

It's how they look at this moment -together in front of the tree- that captivates my attention and fades every other thing around me. Jo's bun -that now that she's out of bed seems even messier than before- and her oversized shirt that falls over her shorts in a way that it's questionable if she even wears them, they wash a type of calm over me that I haven't felt before.

As if she feels my eyes on her, she looks over her shoulder. Her blue-grey orbs find my greens, and she gives me a small smile that turns into a frown after a few seconds while her gaze moves to something behind me. "Hero."

"Yeah?" I mumble, not even paying attention to her sudden change in tone and expression.

"The eggs. I think they're burning," she mumbles as she turns to me fully.

With wide eyes, I turn around and immediately understand her worried expression. The fucking eggs are burning pretty bad. "Fuck!" I curse, harder than intended, at the same time grabbing the pan off the fire and throwing it in the sink.

"Did you hurt yourself?" Jo asks from behind me, and I can instantly tell she's close. My whole body is on high alert, and it's something that I haven't felt as strong before.

"No." I shake my head and turn around, and sure enough, she is standing right in front of me. Daisy is leaning with her cheek against Jo's chest, and both of them are looking up at me, their blue hues identical and sucking me in. "I'm fine," I breathe. It's the first thing that comes to mind, and even though it's fitting to her question, I know that's not why I'm saying it. I'm saying it because their gazes on me makes me feel like that. Fine. Good. Fantastic even. "The eggs on the other hand..."

A small smile plays around her lips, and she tries to hide it by putting her mouth against Daisy's head. The sight is once again something that I wish I could capture, simply because I love the way they're both looking at me right now. "Are you laughing at me?"

Jo's eyes widen slightly and she shakes her head, her lips still pressed into Daisy's hairs to cover up the smile that's turning bigger. "I wouldn't."

"I think you would, though," I respond, stepping a little closer. She doesn't take a step back. Her eyes follow me curiously, just like Daisy's. The little girl is contently sucking on her two fingers while she follows the banter between her mother and me.

"You're wrong," she counters, her voice muffled slightly as if her lips press against Daisy's head harder.

There is this pull between us that our banter made even stronger, and before I've thought the next words through properly, I've asked them. "Come here?"

Her eyes flicker up and down fast. So fast, I'm almost asking myself if I imagined it. I know why I asked her; the need to feel her closer is persistent and it once again serves as proof of how much that kiss changed, but at the same time I don't want her to feel as if she has to come closer now. I want her to come closer because she wants that too, because she -just like me- feels good in my arms.

After a short moment of hesitation, she takes two steps so she is within reach. Her cheeks have colored a little and her lips are still resting on Daisy's head. Daisy's almost touching my front, making her sandwiched between the two of us.

"Do you feel weird around me now?" I look down at the same time she finally pulls her nose out of Daisy's hair so we are making eye contact. It's a heavy question, but I have to ask. We haven't talked about the kiss, and while I don't necessarily feel the need to, I do want to know that everything is good between us. Her behavior tells me it is, but I need the words from her lips.

After what feels like minutes, she subtly shakes her head. "No. You? Around me I mean?"

I can't help but chuckle at the somewhat clumsy stutter and look on her face. It loosens me slightly, and in reaction, I dare to move my arms around her to pull them closer to me. "No, Jo. Quite the opposite actually."

She smiles once again and lets me pull them against my chest. She once again seems to forget that I'm not wearing a shirt which is something I can't say for myself. I'm very aware of the fact that I'm not wearing a shirt, and although Daisy is mostly pressed against me, I do feel Jo's breath across my skin.

"For the first time since I can remember, I feel safe and happy." Her confession comes out in a heavy whisper after a short silence, and my heartbeat increases while my arms put a little more pressure on the embrace as if I want them to feel just as safe as she says she feels. I feel her head move, and when I look down I find her already looking at me.

The air between us shifts just like it did last night, and I feel her lift slightly, no doubt because she's rising to her toes. And just when her mouth -that she licked in prevention- is within reach of mine, my phone cuts through the moment unrelentingly. It even makes Daisy whimper, and by the time my expression has turned into an apologetic frown, Jo's already moved out of my embrace.

Fucking timing.

Without saying anything, I walk to the table and grab my phone, sliding the green dot to the right so I can answer the unexpected -and unwanted- call. "Yeah?" I grumble, realizing that I have no idea who is calling me because I didn't even bother to look at the caller-id.

"Wow. Hello to you too, my dearest brother," my sister greets me, her voice dripping with sarcasm.

I roll my eyes and throw a glance at Jo, who is still standing on the same spot near the kitchen counter. She's swaying from left to right slowly while she mumbles to Daisy once again. If only Mercy didn't call. "What do you want?"

"What's got your knickers in a twist? Jeez."

You and your call right at the moment Jo and I had a thing going on, I don't say, because I know my sister. Instead, I mumble, "just tell me what you want, Merc."

I hear a long, annoyed sigh on the other end before she takes a breath. "You know what, screw you. Hand over Josephine." If there is anyone who never puts up with my bullshit it's Mercy. Mum's said on many occasions how much we are like, and if it wasn't for the fact that she gave birth to us in separate years on completely different days, she would've sworn we are twins.

"Why?" I counter immediately.

Another sigh -this time one that tells me she's done with me- leaves the speaker. "Because I want to speak to her. You're not her bodyguard, Beauregard. Hand her over."

Without replying and while feeling weirdly defeated, I take my phone from my ear and then stick my hand out to Jo. When she looks at me confused, I explain, "It's Mercy. She wants to talk to you."

She nods and with slightly pink cheeks she takes the phone from me. Seeing how she awkwardly holds Daisy with one hand as she tries to put the phone to her ear with the other, I take two steps and hold out my hands, silently asking her if I should take her. She mouths a 'thank you' while she gives Daisy to me, and even though I'm still annoyed that it's not her that I'm holding right now, a smile forms my lips nonetheless.

"Hello?" Josephine greets, clearly a little shy and nervous. She looks awkward with a phone in her hand and it's almost as if she's never talked on one before.

I cradle Daisy to my chest and nuzzle my nose in her hair as I watch Jo carefully. She nods her head and says, "I'm okay now, thank you for asking," no doubt because Mercy mentioned what happened yesterday during dinner.

She listens to Mercy once again, and with every second, I see her face light up a little more. Eventually, she says, "I would like that. I just have to talk to Hero about it. Can I let you know?"

Again another silence in which Jo nods her head, followed by Jo who promises to call back and then says goodbye. When her gaze meets mine, her eyes flicker from Daisy in my arms back up as her cheeks turn a little pinker. "Thanks for taking her."

"No problem," I wave it off. "What did Mercy say?"

"She asked if I wanted to go shopping today," she tells me while placing my phone back on the table.

"Do you want to?" I hopefully ask, suddenly feeling a little guilty about my attitude towards Mercy. I'm happy that Mercy wants to take Jo out for a bit. I know it would do her good, and it's important to keep in contact with other people as well.

"I think so," she mumbles. "But what about Daisy?"

I look at her and then kiss Daisy's head. "She can stay with me. I didn't have any plans for today anyway."

"You sure?" She hopefully asks which makes me happy because I can hear she wants to go with Mercy. "I'll make sure I'm not gone long." I chuckle and shake my head. "Don't worry about it. We'll manage."

All the worry that was left disappears, I can see it by the way her shoulders relax and how a small smile breaks through. Without saying anything, she steps closer, and when she is standing right in front of me, she raises her hand.

I hold my breath in anticipation, wondering if she'll touch me, and I'm slightly disappointed when her hand moves to Daisy's head. She leans her head forward as well so her lips can touch the back of Daisy's head, and her scent invades my nostrils immediately. I fight the urge to lean down and place my lips against her hair as I concentrate on the whispers that are only meant for her daughter's ears.

After a short moment, she lifts her face from Daisy, and our eyes connect once more. And just like that, the tension that was there before Mercy rudely broke the moment, is back. And it feels as if it's ten times stronger than before. My heartbeat increases and I do not doubt that Daisy feels it too because she suddenly shifts and slides her head a little more to the right.

"Thank you," she breathes, my eyes glued on her mouth that seems plumper and more inviting than ever.

"Stop thanking me, Jo," I reply, no doubt with a voice that matches the tone of hers perfectly. I've never had this kind of tension with someone while just looking at them. Never felt the need to kiss anyone the way I'm feeling it now. It's so strong, yet there is this constant hesitation that wonders if this is what she wants. If what I'm doing isn't making her uncomfortable. If what we do together isn't bringing her back to the things that haunt her when she's alone.

"I won't," she says, pulling me back, and for a very short moment, I wonder if everything I just thought came out for real and that she's telling me it's okay. Only when she adds, "I can't stop thanking you because you keep helping me," I know that she's revering to my comment from before I drifted off.

"It's all good, Jo. Really," I insist, noting that she leans even closer. Daisy is once again pressed in between us, and she clearly doesn't mind; I feel her small body relax against me further as if she, just like me, feels how good we fit.

I feel Jo's hands on my biceps without noticing she even moved them, her fingers slightly dinging into my skin as if she steadily tries to stay on her tiptoes. And then she leans her face up again.

This time, I waste no time and lean down the moment I see what she's intending to do, and when our lips connect once more, it's as if fireworks go off.

It feels different than last night. Last night, she was timid and shy, and it was clear that she initiated the kiss because she'd told me something very private and didn't know how to react. This time, she kisses me to thank me. I feel the urgency behind her kiss, even though she is still shy and soft. It's still just lips, but it's less innocent than yesterday.

Testing the waters, I move my lower lip a little, and just when I think that she's mimicking the action, my fucking phone disturbs us once more, and on cue, Josephine jumps back again. It's a raw reminder of how tensed and on guard she is during physical contact still.

Not hiding my annoyance by letting out a low growl to which she responds with a soft, cautious giggle, I snatch the phone off the table.

"Yeah?" I answer, this time closer to sounding mad than annoyed. I'm seriously thinking about throwing this damn device out of the window.

"Hero, it's Hanson," my boss says, and his tone immediately tells me that he isn't calling to check up on me. He sounds rushed, and the sounds in the background tell me that he isn't in his office.

"Hanson," I say in greeting, my tone switched from mad and annoyed to professional and neutral without any effort.

"Are you able to talk freely?" He asks which surprises me. He's never asked me something like this, and I instantly know that he's checking if Josephine can hear this conversation.

Sensing my shift, Josephine is now looking at me curiously. Daisy is still lying against my chest, and given her steady breathing, I think she's fallen asleep. It calms me, even though a small voice inside my head tells me that it's just calm before the storm.

Not wanting to keep anything from Josephine -not even if it's information that she isn't allowed to hear- I take a deep breath before saying, "yeah. Go ahead."

I hear that the noises of Hanson's surroundings slowly fade, and after that, I hear a door click. He throws something on a table or desk, and then he lets out a breath that sounds tortured for someone who is usually not letting anything get to him. Hanson is a tough one, and I hardly ever see emotion regarding a case.

Without fully realizing it, I've put the phone between my ear and shoulder so I can hold Daisy with both hands. Only when Josephine opens her arms while silently asking if she needs to take her from me, I realize that I've pressed her against my chest tighter as if she's offering me some kind of peace while my heart is beating like a maniac.

I shake my head, letting Jo know that it's okay. For some unknown reason, I don't want to let go of her. For some reason, I think that I'm gonna need the steady and relaxing feeling of her small breaths against my chest.

And just a second later, my thoughts are confirmed when I hear Hanson's voice pipe up once more, throwing three words my way. Three words, that I didn't expect to hear this soon, but that are pulling me into a rollercoaster of feelings of relief and rage at the same time.

Relief, because the wait is over.

"We've got him."

And rage so aggressive that the fucker who did all this to Jo won't know what hits him when I finally meet him.

_______________________________________

🖤