A crease formed between his brows. “N-not yet.”
“Need a hand? I can break out my rusty chemistry skills.”
“N-n-no, th-thanks.” He got a pitcher out of the cupboard and started filling it with water from the tap. “Hey, Theo. D-does Viggy n-need a w-w-water b-bowl?”
“Sure. Thanks, Sam.” Theo leaned against the counter next to Jules, close enough that she was continually aware of him. She held back a snort. Who was she kidding? She’d be hyperaware of him even if he were in another room.
“D-did you f-f-find the sh-sh-shooter?”
Theo’s expression turned grim. “Not yet.”
“Jules!” the twins shouted in unison. Jules knew that tone. That was the something-else-is-broken tone. Her shoulders sagged before she stiffened them. No matter what had broken or collapsed or fallen off or stopped working, it was better than not having the kids with her. Even if the house toppled down around their ears, at least they were together.
“Sorry.” She gave Theo an apologetic smile. “Dinner might be delayed a few minutes.”
He took a step toward her. “Need help?”
“No.” She frowned. “Maybe. I’ll call you if it’s something beyond my abilities. My fix-it record is actually pretty good.”
Sam snorted. “All you d-d-do is p-put duct t-tape on st-tuff. Or k-kick it.”
When Theo coughed, Sam looked over at him, and the two exchanged a look that was so full of manly condescension that Jules propped her fists on her hips, now determined not to ask Theo—or Sam—for help. “Sam,” she said, her voice sugar sweet, and Sam gave her a wary look. “Since it might take a while for little ol’ me to duct tape whatever it is that’s broken, why don’t you finish your homework in the meantime.”
He made a face but answered politely enough. “Yes, m-ma’am.”
“Jules!” The shout from upstairs had a hint of hysteria to it, so Jules hurried out of the kitchen, hoping she’d be able to solve whatever was wrong. Now it was a matter of pride.
A half-hour later, she proudly sailed back into the kitchen. Passing through the doorway, she opened her mouth to brag about how the toilet had been successfully unclogged—no duct tape necessary—when she stopped abruptly, the words catching in her throat.
Theo was sitting next to Sam, their heads bent over an opened textbook.
“If I c-can’t see it, I j-just d-d-don’t g-get it.” Sam’s head was propped on one hand, the fingers working against his buzzed scalp.
Theo picked up a pencil and tugged Sam’s notebook closer. “Here’s a hydrogen atom. Here’s another one. They each have one electron.” Jules leaned against the wall, her heart filled to bursting at Theo’s patient explanation. “When they share those electrons, they form a covalent bond and become a hydrogen molecule.”
Sam’s rumpled forehead smoothed slightly, although he still looked confused. “Wh-what m-makes it a c-c-covalent bond?”
“Sharing the electrons, rather than just taking them.”
“I’ll n-never r-r-rememb-ber th-that.”
“Sure you will. Think of ‘co’ as in working together. Like ‘cooperating’ or ‘coexisting.’”
Jules’s brain instantly supplied a host of other options, such as “co-parenting” and “cohabitation.” Feeling warm, she cleared her throat to derail those thoughts, and both of the guys looked up at her. “Y’all hungry?” Her voice was huskier than normal. “Although the casserole is probably burnt to a crisp by now.”
“I turned off the oven,” Theo said, getting up and crossing the kitchen to turn it on again. “It’ll need heating up, but it should be okay.”
Of course he did. Because Theo is wonderful.
How was she supposed to resist him when he looked like he did and saved people’s lives and rescued dinner and helped Sam with his homework? It was impossible.
“Theo, could I see you in the hall for a second?”
Although he gave her a wary look, he followed her out of the kitchen. As soon as they were out of Sam’s line of sight, Jules shoved Theo against the wall. With both hands knotted in his shirtfront, she yanked him down until she could reach his mouth. Then she kissed him. Hard.
For a fraction of a second, he froze, his muscles tight and his lips unresponsive. Jules didn’t even have time to feel awkward, though, before Theo wrapped his strong arms around her, yanked her so close her front was plastered against his, and completely took over the kiss.
It was even better than she’d remembered from the night before, and she’d remembered it as feeling pretty darn good.