The Returned Read Free

burning.
    â€œWhat’s this?” Caitlin asked.
    Edward smiled. “Things have been so hectic at work, I wanted to do something nice for you.”
    Caitlin was speechless.
    â€œI made your favorite,” he said. “Scallops and vegetables over angel hair with garlic butter sauce.” He looked at the bottle in his hand. “Oh, and a bottle of Riesling.”
    Caitlin stepped forward and gave him a long, slow kiss. When it ended, she whispered, “I love you.”
    â€œI love you too,” he said through a smile.
    Caitlin turned to Fiona. “Go put your bag away, then wash your hands and come down for dinner.”
    â€œI made your favorite too,” Edward said to Fiona. “Broccoli mac and cheese.”
    â€œYay!” Fiona shouted as she ran upstairs to her room.
    â€œNo running in the house,” Caitlin called after her. It did as much good as it ever did.
    â€œLet me take this,” Edward said, pulling Caitlin’s bag off her shoulder. “You sit, have some wine, and relax. Uh, you do have to open the bottle though. You got here a little sooner than I expected.”
    Caitlin took the bottle and corkscrew and went to the table. She glanced into the kitchen and wasn’t the least bit surprised to see all the dishes were washed, dried, and put away. Sometimes Edward being a neat freak bothered her. Other times, like this, it was freaking awesome. She opened the bottle and filled a couple of glasses. Edward came over just in time to be handed his glass.
    â€œThank you,” Caitlin said. “This is very sweet.”
    Edward shrugged and smiled. “No big deal. I just wanted to do something nice.”
    Caitlin’s heart felt full near to bursting. “Well, it means a lot to me.”
    They clinked glasses and took a drink as they sat.
    â€œSo,” Edward said. “How was—?”
    â€œBroccoli mac and cheeeeeessssssseeeeeee!” Fiona shouted as she came barreling down the stairs to the table, Paddy Bear in tow.
    â€œSlow down,” Caitlin said.
    Fiona stopped dead in her tracks, then began walking incredibly slowly.
    â€œOh, I bet you think you’re funny, don’t you?” Caitlin asked.
    Fiona laughed and climbed up into her chair. Paddy Bear was set in his usual spot: in a booster seat of his own next to Fiona’s.
    Caitlin took a bite of a scallop. It was perfect, and so was the pasta. Actually, everything was perfect. They ate in silence for a few minutes, and Caitlin just enjoyed the feeling of her family together. She was still getting used to the idea of having a family, not just her and Fiona.
    Then a thought occurred to her. She narrowed her eyes at Edward. “You lied to me.”
    â€œWhat?” Edward asked, his fork stopping midway to his mouth.
    â€œYou lied to me,” she said again. “You said you had a patient coming in late.”
    â€œOooh, Daddy, you’re in trouble,” Fiona said through a mouthful of food.
    â€œI think you’re right,” Edward said in a faux whisper to Fiona but kept his eyes on Caitlin. “Good thing I picked up Cherry Garcia ice cream.”
    Fiona nodded sagely. “Smart.”
    â€œYou dodged a bullet,” Caitlin said, unable to keep from smiling.
    Dinner passed in easy conversation, mostly filled with Fiona telling Edward about her score on the spelling test. After the ice cream bribe was doled out, Edward collected the bowls and set to washing them and the dishes from dinner.
    â€œTime to put your jammies on,” Caitlin said to Fiona and walked to the sink. When she got there, she wrapped her arms around Edward and nuzzled her cheek to his shoulder. “Thank you again. That was a really nice surprise.”
    â€œWell, I do sort of have one more surprise,” Edward said.
    â€œI don’t know how you can top that dinner,” Caitlin said and moved to start drying the bowls.
    Edward just smiled and kept washing.
    After