“I’m not sure where we went wrong,” North said.
Angie, who was perched on a seat at the counter, beamed. “I’m sure it will taste good, Northie.”
Jared eyed her. “Did you get any flour into the mixture? Maybe that’s where you went wrong.”
Hmm. He could have a point. Angie was basically covered head-to-toe in flour. There was also flour all over the floor, the counter, and his shirt.
Shit.
He couldn’t remember the last time he’d gotten a mess on his shirt like this. He was always immaculate.
Grabbing a towel, North tried to clean himself up. But the mess just seemed to spread.
“I never knew baking was so messy,” he said as he attempted to clean himself and the kitchen simultaneously.
“I think it was fun!” Angie cried. “I want to bake something else.”
“Absolutely not,” North replied. “Look at this place. Look at you. Look at me.”
“Oh. I’m sorry, Northie. You’re right.” Her face fell and he felt like the biggest asshole in the world.
He glanced over at Jared, hoping he’d know how to fix this. Because he hadn’t meant to upset her. But Jared just shrugged.
Great.
Some help he was.
“We can bake some more,” he told her.
“No, no, you’re right. It made a mess.”
“There’s nothing wrong with making a mess,” he told her.
“You hate mess,” she told him.
“You really do,” Jared said. “Although you should learn to like it.”
“There’s nothing wrong with making a mess, Northie. Except the fact that you have to clean it up.”
“Yes, I know that. I just prefer things tidy.” He turned to place some bowls in the sink. “However, I’m sure we can bake neatly and cleanly if we stick to the recipe—argh!”
As he turned back to face Angie, he got a handful of flour right in his face.
Holy. Fuck.
What the hell?
“What do you think you are doing?” he gritted out as she burst into laughter.
That. Brat.
He used the towel to wipe his face as he stared at Angie. She was bent over, tears streaming down her face as she laughed.
And beside her, Jared was staring down at her with a strange smile on his face.
He looked younger, softer.
And North paused for a moment. Their girl was laughing like she didn’t have a worry in the world.
