"Lainey!" My mother jumped up and grabbed napkins, rushing over to help me while I tried to catch my breath.
Kade stood in the doorway looking uncomfortable, and I wanted to disappear through the floor. If morning sickness wasn't bad enough, these surprise visits were going to kill me. My face burned and I could feel sweat breaking out across my forehead.
"I'm fine," I managed to say between coughs. "I'm fine."
My mother dabbed at the water on the table and gave Kade a look that was pure curiosity mixed with concern. "And who is this?"
I wiped my mouth with the back of my hand and tried to compose myself. "This is Kade. Kade Kingston." I understood they were older and entirely out of the loop, so seeing his face didn’t jar their memory, but the instant I said his name things changed.
My father looked at him blankly, but my mother's eyes went wide. She knew exactly who he was and I could see the wheels turning in her head as she tried to figure out why he was standing in her dining room.
"Kade and I met in Vegas one night," I said quickly, before anyone could ask which night or start doing the math. "Andwhen Brandon pulled his funding from the bakery, Kade was kind enough to come aboard as a partner." I was panicked and not thinking straight, but how else would I explain Kade Kingston showing up at my parents' house? And what on earth was he doing here?
"A partner?" My mother's voice was tight. "What kind of partner?"
"A business partner," Kade said smoothly, stepping farther into the room. "I'm helping Lainey with the fundraiser and making sure her bakery stays afloat. It's purely a financial arrangement."
My father crossed his arms over his chest and looked Kade up and down. "And why would you want to do that?"
"Because your daughter has a good business and a lot of potential." Kade smiled and I could see him turning on the charm. It was too easy for him, almost sickeningly so. The charmer the media shared in gossip blogs and tabloids creeped me out. Not at all like the man from my couch two nights ago. "I saw an opportunity to invest in something worthwhile and I took it."
My mother hesitated for a moment before gesturing to the table. "Would you like to stay for dinner? We have plenty."
I opened my mouth to protest but Kade was already nodding. "I'd love to, thank you."
He sat down next to me and my mom left the room for a second. My palms were immediately sweaty as I hissed under my breath, "What are you doing!"
"You weren't home—" he said through gritted teeth quietly, but I didn't think Dad was listening. He had already sat down and filled his glass with wine.
"So you came here?" I grumbled. But Mom reappeared, bringing Kade a plate while my father tipped back his glass and emptied the wine in one gulp.
The conversation started up again, but this time it was Kade doing most of the talking. I found myself sitting there in stunned silence while he completely won over my parents.
"The fundraiser's going to be huge," he said, accepting a serving of casserole from my mother. "A thousand cupcakes for a cancer research event? That's the kind of publicity most bakeries would kill for. Once people see what Lainey can do, she'll have to open up chains all over Nevada just to keep up with demand."
My father raised his eyebrows. "You really think so?"
"I know so." Kade took a bite and nodded appreciatively at my mother. "This is delicious, by the way. And yes, I'm completely confident in Lainey's abilities. She's talented and hardworking, and with the right backing, she'll be unstoppable."
I felt my face flush at the praise and I stared down at my plate. He was laying it on thick and it felt wrong. He'd never tasted a single thing I had baked; he had no way of knowing whether it was any good. Either way, my parents were eating it up and the Brandon conversation had been completely abandoned. Which for the time being, was perfect.
My mother smiled for the first time since Kade had walked in. "Well, we've always known Lainey had a gift for baking. She's been making cakes since she was old enough to reach the counter."
"I can believe that." Kade glanced at me and there was something warm in his expression. "She's got real skill."
"So you met in Vegas?" Dad asked, narrowing his eyes, and I could tell he was going to ask when and how, so I interrupted, cutting Kade off before he could speak.
"Uh, yeah, when we were searching for venues." I specifically avoided the trigger word "wedding" to keep this situation under control, but Dad's sour scowl showed me he hadn't missed that. "When we did the wedding cake tasting at the Atlas, Kade was there. One taste of the Bake Me Happy cakes had him hooked, but we went with the other place when Murial insisted I'd never be able to bake my own cake."
I winced at that very real memory as Kade gripped my knee under the table, making my entire body flame to life. I was saved by the bell when the front door opened, and my brother came in smelling sweaty and covered in grass stains from his football practice. He stopped short when he saw Kade at the table and looked at me with confusion.
"Oh my God. Is this...?" he asked, dropping his gym bag by the door. His jaw went slack and his eyes bugged out comically like a cartoon character. I ducked my head and sighed away some of the tension building in my chest.
"This is Kade," I said. "He's helping me with the bakery."
"Are you kidding me?" Nate said, gawking.
Leave it to Kade to win him over too. He chimed in, "You just get back from practice?" and Nate was eating out of his hands immediately.
