“So, you knew before moving here you’d want to find someone to be with?” he asked.
I could only laugh. “Not exactly, but it was something my life lacked, and something I wanted to find. I think—or at least, I hope—I’ve found someone I could try this whole thing out with.”
He screwed his lips together as if trying not to smile, and I knew if he did, it would be the biggest smile ever seen on a face.
“So, little one, I’ve got a lot of free time, and I’d love to turn this into a date.”
“A play date?” he whispered.
I nodded. “Let me know what you need, and I’ll do it.”
He held my hand. “Do you want to come to my place for the play date?” he asked. “You can meet all the teddies, see the books I’ve got from the library, and we canplay.”
“How about we take the rest of these pies out for delivery, and then we can do all that.” It also helped that Leo knew this town and the people in it well.
“Good idea. And we can take mine as well, since a tea party is a must,” he said, nodding and swiping a hand at some of the cream spiraled on top of the apple pie. He licked his finger clean. “You wanna have a tea party?”
“I’d love a tea party, little one.” I took the hand he’d just licked the finger clean of and gave it a kiss.
It was the first real connection we’d had, open and honest. I wanted to be there for this tea party, to see where he lived, what he liked, and most of all, the little hiding inside him. I was more than happy to take on this caretaking role, catering to his little wants and needs. One of the benefits of being a baker would be that I wouldn’t have to do much more work to make sure he’d always have a sweet treat available.
“Do you have something to transport all these pies in?” he asked. “I’m not really one for manual labor, except the painting I helped you with, but that’s because I was crushing hard on you and wanted to impress.”
“I’ve got a big box. I can lug it around, you’ll just have to lead me,” I told him.
“You’re lucky I’ve got a good sense of direction,” he said.
I winked at him. “It brought you right to me, so I’d say yes, you do have a good sense of direction.”
Leo giggled. “I was bound to find you. A new bakery and my sweet tooth... that’s a dangerous combo,” he said. “And you being here, well, that was the cherry on top. Speaking of cherries, maybe a cherry pie next?”
“Noted. And that sweet tooth is noted as well,” I said. “What else do you like?”
As I packed the trays into an empty box, Leo listed all the different desserts he liked, and he liked a lot of them. I knew already he was going to test my skills, and my skills were all learned through books, the internet, and a whole lot of trial and error. I was both nervous and excited—perhaps they wereone and the same—getting ready to tour the town with Leo at my side. It felt like we were about to announce we were dating, and it had only just happened, but something stirred in me that wanted people to know. It would be like telling people I was officially part of the town, since Leo had accepted me, but it was deeper than that. This town was already accepting. I even welcomed the friendly competition from the other bakery, which mostly offered savory options.
Pineberry Falls had a magic to it, and I was just getting ready to explore it.
5. LEO
I didn’t really expect my day to happen like this. I’d gone from working and thinking about wanting Henry, to actually being in his bakery kitchen, making out with him, trying so many delicious pies, and then inviting him back to my place to play.
To say I moved quickly would be an understatement, but in my defense, after all these years yearning for a Daddy to play with, Henry practically threw himself at me. I was far too curious to let him go without at least seeing if he could offer all the Daddy goodness.
We delivered the pies together, and in some ways we were soft launching ourselves. Oliver clocked it first with a brow wiggle and then a nod, followed up with several quick-fire text messages that told me he wanted all the details.
The walk we took led us right to my apartment building. It was somewhat nerve-racking trying to recall whether I’d cleaned or not. I kept everything organized, but in that, I was definitely on the side of organized chaos rather than order.
“I always wondered about all the houses off the main street,” he said as we walked four flights of stairs to my apartment.
“Some people won’t even rent or buy this far out,” I told him. “I think it’s easily one of the most walkable places I’ve ever been.”
“Yeah, I do see a lot of people out and on their bikes.”
“I’ve got a bike. It’s downstairs, though, in the little shed annex.”
We made it, and I stood at my door for a moment, nerves tickling in my chest, and my stomach threatening to bring up the pies I’d sampled. This was the first time I’d brought a guy back here, ever. In my previous apartments, I hadn’t been so picky,since I hadn’t had my full little on show. But here, this was a direct view into my mind, body, and soul.
“Everything okay?” he asked.
