“You know my gwandpaw?”
With a confused expression, Sophie glanced over her shoulder at him.
“He don’t know yet.”
“He doesn’t know…” Her smile fell. “Why not?”
“Bein’ careful,” was all he said because he didn’t want to mention Ky’s name in front of Ledger.
Her eyebrows stitched together. “Does he know whoyouare?”
“He’s Zeke!” Ledger chirped. “He said I could get a cupcake!”
Her lips continued in a downward curl. “Zeke…”
“Mom,” he warned.
“Zeke,” she breathed with her expression full of disappointment.
Nothing new. He was used to seeing that when she looked at him.
“Soon,” he assured her.
“Can I get a cupcake?”
“Sure, kid. Gonna get you one.” Zeke strode through the opening in the counter and stopped behind the long display case. “Which one you want?”
“What’s your favorite flavor?” Sophie asked in an unmistakably thick voice.
Goddamn it.He didn’t like this any more than her, but he was trying not to fuck up with Ky. He needed to remain ongood terms with her so he could not only have time with his son but also with his son’s mother.
“Your fa—Zeke’s favorite flavor was always the Boston cream cupcakes. It’s a chocolate cupcake with a cream filling and chocolate frosting. Do you want to try one of those?”
His mom seeing her grandson for the first time should’ve been a happy occasion. Not this sad bullshit. But Sophie would’ve hounded him every damn day until she got to see Ledger. Even though she didn’t want to wait, she was going to have to.
“Yeah!”
Zeke opened the back of the case and pulled out a cupcake. He then grabbed a handful of napkins and passed it over the counter to his mother before grabbing one for himself.
The fuck if he was passing up one of those. Especially since he rarely came into the bakery anymore. He only did if there was a problem. And even then, his parents or Bella normally handled it because it was usually something about an oven not working or some normal maintenance needing to be handled.
Not like back when the Shadow Warriors were around. When his father first met his mother, that rival MC decided to try torching the place by hurling a Molotov cocktail through the front display window.
Thank fuck those fuckers had been dispatched in various ways a long time ago.
“Madelyn,” Sophie called out to one of the employees, yanking Zeke from his thoughts. “Can you take Ledger and his cupcake upstairs for me? Also, get him a glass of milk. We’ll be up in a few.”
“Yes, Mrs. Jamison.” The young counter help quickly did as asked.
The upstairs used to be his mother’s apartment back when Sophie first met his father. After they got hitched and moved into the DAMC retirement village, they turned the second floor into a café. A place with tables and chairs where customers could enjoy coffee or tea along with their baked goods.
Adding a sitting area where people could relax and socialize with their friends, or bring a book to read, or even use the wi-fi had customers coming more often and staying longer. Basically, earning the bakery—and the club—more scratch.
Once Madelyn disappeared upstairs with Ledger, his mother turned toward him and tipped her head toward the front door.
Fuck.He felt another lecture coming on.
The overhead bell rang as she opened the door and walked outside. Zeke followed her and stopped next to her on the sidewalk.
