Hide and Seek by Jamie Hill

at five, anymore."
    "That's for damn sure." He slapped at the alarm, and smiled as he watched Sophie and Maddie cuddle together.
     
    When Maddie opened her eyes again it was morning. Bo was curled up on top of the covers in the crook of her knees, Sophie was sharing her pillow, and Rob was watching her. "Good morning," she whispered.
    "Good morning, beautiful."
    "Can't sleep?"
    He raised the covers so she could see that Sophie's feet were pressed into his stomach. "Somehow you got the better end of that deal."
    "I usually do." She reached out and caressed his cheek.
    "Not exactly the body I was hoping to be pressed against this morning."
    "But still nice, nevertheless."
    "Yeah, it is. I'm just glad to be waking up with you, no matter who else is in the bed."
    She laughed. "Be careful when you say that. It sounds a little, you know…"
    He laughed, and reached across Sophie to give Maddie a kiss. They kissed for several minutes before the child stirred, and they had to stop. "To be continued," he whispered, and Maddie nodded.
    "Daddy?" Sophie opened her eyes sleepily. "I want pancakes."
    "Okay." Rob put a kiss on her forehead. "Is that all you've got to say?"
    "I need to go potty."
    Rob and Maddie chuckled. He lifted his daughter out of bed and deposited her on the floor. "Go to it, munchkin."
    They watched her walk into the bathroom then looked at each other. "At least she didn't wet the bed." He shook his head.
    Maddie laughed. "That would have been the perfect topper to last night."
    He rolled over on top of her and kissed her neck. "Last night wasn't all bad, was it?"
    She squirmed until their hips were touching and pressed against him. "Last night was wonderful. The part before midnight, I would go so far as to call earth-shattering."
    He groaned and rubbed against her, kissing her deeply. "God, what you do to me," he finally muttered as he pulled back.
    "And you, to me," she agreed, kissing him one more time before Sophie returned.
    Rob was slow to move away from Maddie, apparently testing Sophie's reaction. There was none.
    "Pancakes?" she asked her father again.
    "Are you going to help make them?" He scooped the little girl into his arms and deposited her between himself and Maddie.
    "Yes!" She chuckled, and when her father was through tickling and she was through laughing, she asked Maddie, "Want to help?"
    "Yes ma'am, I do."
    Rob shuffled Sophie off to the kitchen with instructions to let Bo out. He opened his closet and said, "Somewhere in here I have—yes! A robe." He pulled it out and wrapped it around Maddie. "Let's do breakfast first, and get cleaned up later."
    "That's a plan I can live with." She kissed him lightly then more deeply then while they groped each other again.
    "Damn." He pulled away. "I really hate to stop this, but Sophie's waiting and I have to pee. One of those matters is more pressing than the other."
    Maddie touched one finger to the tip of his nose. "We call it 'potty' at Sunny Days. You go right ahead. I'll use the one in the hall and meet you in the kitchen."
    He nodded and they went their separate ways.
     
    They were just finishing up Rob's world famous pancakes when Sophie looked at Maddie and asked, "Why did you sleep here, Miss Stewart?"
    Maddie exchanged glances with Rob, and raised her brows.
    He answered for her. "Well, honey. Maddie— Miss Stewart—and I are seeing each other. Dating."
    "Okay," she said, and ate her last few bites.
    He smiled at Maddie and said to his daughter, "We were thinking about going on a picnic today, the three of us. Would you like that?"
    Sophie jumped up and down. "Yippee! A picnic! Can Bo come, too?"
    "Sure," Rob replied. He leaned in and whispered to Maddie, "This is evidently not as big of a deal as I feared it would be."
    She touched Rob's hand. "Why don't you hop in the shower, and let Sophie and I clean up in here? I'll help her get dressed, then we can run by my place so I can clean up."
    Sophie jumped up and down again. "Can I see where you