Then he looked back at me. “That for me or you double-fisting it?”

“For you,” I answered though double-fisting it sounded like a plan. Until one of my fists was wrapped around a fork and shoveling in chile rellenos that was.

He let me go with one arm and grabbed his beer. I moved my hand in his hair to around his waist and lifted my beer to take another slug.

Then I remarked, “Well, silver lining, toxic exes, middle of the night phone calls interrupting great sex and imminent orgasms, gunfights in the front yard, our lives aren’t boring.”

Brock finished taking his pull, dropped his beer hand and agreed, “Nope.”

“That said, I’m investigating vacation spots, requirements include beachfront hotel, therefore a beach, a bar that serves cocktails that taste like liquid candy and that’s pretty much it. If you can’t get off work, I’m selling cupcakes on street corners to make up the dough so you can take leave without pay and we’re kidnapping Rex and Joel if we have to because I am not waiting two months for spring break and we’ll answer to the charges when we get back.”

He stared down at me.

“It’ll be worth it, I promise,” I assured him.

He continued to stare down at me.

“We’ll get Rex and Joel their own room. Adjoining. Locks on our side.”

He looked away, muttered, “Now you’re talkin’,” and took another pull of beer.

I grinned and took another pull at mine.

Then a knock came at the front door.

Martha and Mexican.

No, my best friend Martha who dropped everything to be with me during a serious drama and really freaking good Mexican.

And, as ever, the ride continues.

But at this present time, that ride was on an up.

So I was going to take advantage.

And clearly Brock was too for he didn’t hesitate to let me go and move to the door.

Or maybe he was just hungry.

Still, the ride was on an up. I knew this because as I stood in my fabulous kitchen with a beer in my hand and my man heading toward the door, my best friend and really freaking good Mexican, I was watching his ass.

Definitely an up.

Absolutely.

Chapter Nineteen

A Day at Tessa’s Cakes

“Tess! Your hot guy is here!” Nora, one of my kids, called from the front of the bakery.

“And he’s got two mini-hot guys with him.”

I looked up from the birthday cake I was decorating toward the swinging half doors that separated the bakery part of the bakery from the public part of the bakery and within seconds I saw an amused Brock push through followed by his two smirking sons who it was plain to see liked being referred to as mini-hot guys especially when a pretty, perky young thing like Nora called them that.

I was happy to see them but surprised.

It was more than a week after the Damian Drama, it was Saturday and business was still booming. I’d been in the shop since seven because I had six birthday cakes to decorate by noon and an anniversary cake to decorate by three. I also had two appointments with blushing soon-to-be brides to discuss their wedding cakes.

It was now just after eleven and again (mostly) all hands on deck. Kalie was out on the floor with Nora and Suni and Kellie was back with me and my two other bakers and decorators extraordinaire and the place was humming.

“Hey Uncle Slim!” Kellie called, hands busy with rolling snickerdoodle balls of dough in cinnamon and sugar. “Yo, Joey, Rex.”

“Hey Kellie,” Joel called back.

“Hey,” Rex said distractedly, his eyes big and taking in the sights and smells of magic happening all around and his face registered exactly that – magic.

I giggled at Rex and my eyes went to Brock who’d greeted his niece verbally but came to me and greeted my physically by getting close to my side and kissing my neck.

Then his mouth moved to my ear and he whispered, “Sweetness.”

I shivered and my head turned, my eyes finding his.

“Hey honey,” I whispered back, his eyes danced, I got another shiver then I looked to the boys. “Hey guys.”

“Hey Tess,” Joey replied.

“Hey,” Rex mumbled, staring at the huge cake in front of me.

“Poppy seed with raspberry and cream filling and vanilla bean frosting,” I told him, he blinked at the cake, his eyes lifted to mine, he blinked at me then his eyes dropped back to the cake and he licked his lips.

I giggled again.

Then I shouted to the swinging doors, “Guys! Anything they want, on the house for my two boys!”

“You got it, Tess!” Suni shouted back.

Joel muttered, “Awesome,” and took off on a dash into the front.

Rex was already gone.

I giggled again.

Then I looked at Brock and asked, “What’re you guys doing here?”

I asked this because our plans for the day were set. Considering my schedule and the fact it was girls’ night in and Brock had the boys, I was working all day then hoofing it to Martha’s. Depending on my level of inebriation and the lateness of the festivities, I was either going to go to Brock’s later, call him to get me if I was hammered or crashing at Martha’s.

A visit to the bakery wasn’t on the agenda thus a surprise though a good one.

“You got a minute?” Brock asked in return and that was when I wondered if this surprise was a good one.

I looked down at the cake which was almost done. I’d baked them all the day before and only had to decorate them. This was the last birthday cake and next up was the anniversary cake. My appointments weren’t until after three. Therefore I had time.

So I nodded, put down the pastry bag and muttered, “Let’s go to my office.”

We went and when I closed the door behind me and saw Brock looking around with unconcealed surprise, I realized he’d never been back here. Not when we were seeing each other when he was Jake and not when we got back together when he was mine.

He looked at the chaos then at me and said simply, “Babe.”

“I know where everything is,” I defended myself.

He looked around again then back at me. “That’s impossible.”

“No, really.”

He grinned.

Then he tipped his head toward the door, crossed his arms on his chest and remarked,

“Madhouse.”

I nodded. “I need to consider more hires, decorators for the back, staff for the front. It isn’t lightening up even on weekdays and special orders are getting out of hand so I don’t have time to help the girls keep the front stocked.”