“Or,” Morgan added on a long sigh, “when you asked your parents if they could adopt me in case my mother got mad when I told her I was bisexual and threw me out. You even offered to give up half your room. I wouldn’t have fit with all the clothes and makeup, but I was touched by the gesture.”
I flinched. “You heard that?”
“I did. It was easier to tell my mom that night knowing I had a sort of plan to fall back on.” Her eyes glossed over. “That’s the Olivia I always knew. Ride or die, didn’t give a shit about what anyone thought because she was always herself. You deserve to be happy, whether it’s with Tyler or someone else. Or even start celebrating your birthday again someday instead of—”
She held up a hand when I opened my mouth to argue.
“But one thing at a time. If I know you, what flashy dress are you planning to wear?”
“The red one with the deep neckline and sequins and super-high slit.”
I cracked up when her jaw dropped.
“Poor Tyler is going to drop the cake.”
My heart was lighter yet heavy at the same time. Happy wasn’t something I’d let myself consider for a while—two years, to be exact. Being on Tyler’s arm, even if it was fake, was something I looked forward to. Maybe if I started being honest with myself about that, being friends wouldn’t be so hard. Anything more than that wasn’t possible, despite how nice the potential picture was.
“Too much?”
“Nope.” She looped an arm around my shoulder. “For you, it’s just enough.”
EIGHT
TYLER
“Your cousin is going to love this cake!” Tegan, my new baker and cake decorator, gushed as she stepped back to eyeball the cake after we pulled it out of the refrigerator. Tegan was twenty-five and fresh out of pastry school. She had great technique and liked to make different varieties of vegan and sugar-free desserts. I’d never done a wedding cake with chocolate icing and white roses, but with her flower piping expertise and assistance from the rest of the staff, we’d pulled off a true team effort.
“I hope so,” I breathed out as I eyed the final product. It did look pretty fucking awesome. I was glad to do this for Donnie. As long as I delivered it intact, this would be one thing I could count on going right tonight.
“That cake almost makes me want to get married.”
Tegan and I whipped around to stare at Eli, who was snickering under his baseball cap.
“I said almost.” He held his hands up and tossed a towel over his shoulder. “Go up the block and pretty up. Leave me the keys, and we’ll get this masterpiece into the truck so you can prep for your hot date.”
I groaned, shaking my head. “It’s my cousin’s wedding, not a hot date.”
“Well, you’rebringinga hot date, so that counts in my book.”
“A hotfakedate,” I grumbled as I hung up my apron.
“Ah! But you admit she’s hot.” He snapped the towel against my arm, but I wouldn’t turn around. Yes, Olivia was hot, and this hot fake date was an impending disaster on more levels than I’d originally anticipated, but I wasn’t going into that with the people who worked for me or anyone else.
“I don’t like going to weddings on a first date,” Tegan noted, her pierced brow furrowed as she leaned back on the counter. “I usually get so caught up in the love and promise of happily ever afters that I end up hooking up with the guy and wind up with anunhappily ever after the following morning.”
“The boss doesn’t need happily ever after, just a happy ending for the night,” Eli said, smirking at me before sliding the two-tiered cake onto the bottom of the box we’d made.
“My date is an old acquaintance, so romance or happy endings won’t be involved,” I told Tegan, digging the keys to the truck out of my pocket and handing them to Eli. “I’ll be back in a half hour—if you wouldn’t mind starting it and cranking up the AC once you guys have the cake back there, I’d appreciate it.”
“No problem,” Eli replied with a mock salute.
I’d found an apartment a short distance from the bakery right after I’d leased the space, which helped with the ungodly morning hours I kept. All I had to do was shower, shave, and pull on my suit before heading to Olivia’s. There’d been a stirring in my chest all day long as we worked on the cake, but I reasoned it away as nerves about delivery and having to be in the same space with Amy and Jayden for the first time in a year—but that was bullshit even to my own ears.
Olivia always triggered things in me. She annoyed me on a good day; infuriated me when I let her get under my skin; and, fuck me, captivated me more than I ever wanted to face. And then, I had to go and kiss her and make this fucked-up night potentially even worse. The woman couldkiss. It had been nearly impossible to tear myself away from her in the parking lot, and I kept imagining what it would be like to finish what we’d started. It was as if everything up until this point was foreplay, and now I was all but panting for her every time I remembered how good she’d tasted.
I thought for sure I’d spend last night tossing and turning, but when I crawled into bed and shut my eyes, Olivia was there. My sex-deprived mind conjured the skimpiest and tightest red dress painted on her gorgeous curves with red lips to match. I could feel the silk of her almost-black hair as I pictured weaving my hand around a fistful to bring her sweet mouth back to mine. That needy whimper of hers had been reverberating in my head since our lips broke apart, and it had me wondering how she’d sound if I tasted her in other places.
Before I knew it, my hand was around my swollen cock, pumping hard as I imagined dropping to my knees and really shutting her up. When I thought of lifting her dress and snaking my tongue inside her, I came all over my stomach. After I’d cleaned myself up, I fell into a dreamless and almost restful sleep until I had to wake up to the reality of this very long day.
