“Does Landon share?”
She laughed. “He’s not getting the whole pie. Just a few slices. It’s almost done, so you can have some after we eat.”
As soon as the words left her mouth, the timer on the oven beeped. She turned it off and donned her oven mitts just as the sound of a baby crying filled the air.
“Want me to get him?” I asked.
“Yes, please. He’s in the living room,” she said and removed the pie from the oven. “Be careful! We’ve been having an issue with leaky diapers recently.”
“Thanks for the heads up,” I said flatly and returned to the kitchen carrying a pee-soaked baby with my arms fully extended.
She tossed the oven mitts to the side and reached for Kalen. “Sorry about that. I’ll get him cleaned up and be right back.”
While she was gone, I washed my hands in the kitchen sink so I could start divvying out our dinner.
“I didn’t realize you’d be babysitting again,” I said when she returned. “I probably should’ve called instead of dropping by unannounced.”
“I guess I didn’t tell you. Kalen’s staying with me for a few weeks while his mother is out of town for work,” she explained.
“A few weeks?” I asked in surprise.
“Yeah. She was in a pinch, and I was able to help out,” she said and abruptly changed the subject. “So, how did you learn how to decorate cupcakes?”
“YouTube,” I said honestly.
“Okay, but why?”
I sighed. “I don’t mind telling you, but it’s not exactly a great story.”
Her eyes softened. “I’m enjoying getting to know you, so I’d still like to hear it. I want to know all of your stories, not just the good ones.”
I think that was the moment I realized she was perfect. Or at least perfect for me.
“I have a niece, Dani, who’s a few years younger than me. She moved in with us when my sister was sent to prison. My mother went overboard and planned this elaborate party for the first birthday she spent with us. While my mother was getting things set up for the party, she sent me and Dani to pick up the custom cupcakes she ordered. Dani sat in the back on the way home to make sure the cupcakes didn’t slide off the seat. I honestly don’t know if she wasn’t paying attention or if she did it herself, but when we got home, the cupcakes were in the floor and completely ruined. Dani proceeded to tell my mother that it happened because I was driving recklessly. My mother told me to figure out how to replace the cupcakes before the party or I would be grounded for a month. So, I found some videos to watch and redecorated store-bought cupcakes. They would never admit it, but I think my cupcakes turned out better than the original ones.”
“Grant,” Blakely said sympathetically. “Were they always like that?”
“Pretty much,” I nodded. “It wasn’t as bad before my dad died, and it got much worse after my sister was arrested.”
“How are things now?”
“Fine for me. I got out of there as soon as I turned eighteen. I didn’t even try to maintain a relationship with them because it was always one-sided. I completely cut ties with them,” I explained.
“That must’ve been hard for you.”
“It actually wasn’t. I joined the MC not long after I made the decision and found a family with them. For a long time, I hoped things would change with my biological family. I had to let go of that hope to heal. And it’s a good thing I did because nothing’s changed. My mother called me a few weeks ago because she hadn’t been able to get in touch with Dani. She insisted that I help her and sent the cops to the gym to question me when I refused.”
Blakely’s eyes widened in surprise. “What did you tell them?”
“I told them the truth. That I wasn’t in contact with my mother or niece and didn’t have any information to give them. Well, I did mention that Dani was known to disappear when she didn’t get her way.”
“Is she still missing?”
I shrugged. “I have no idea. I haven’t heard anything else from my mother or the police.”
“No wonder you didn’t want to tell Aspen about the cupcakes,” she said as Kalen started to fuss. “Sorry, I need to get him ready for bed.”
“I should probably get going,” I said and got to my feet while she went to get Kalen.
