“Some of the cake?” Samantha’s voice was filled with wonder.
Erin chuckled and pointed to the pantry where she’d stored the cupcakes in a Tupperware container. “No, I have some cupcakes in there though.”
Samantha eagerly ran over to the pantry and pulled out a cupcake. For the first time in a while, Erin looked up at the clock on the wall. Her brows furrowed. That couldn’t be right. She’d been in here for hours. It was almost dinnertime.
She rushed to the kitchen window that overlooked the backyard and saw Logan and Parker were still playing in the backyard. They weren’t throwing the ball anymore. Logan was now pushing Parker on the tire swing that hung from one of the oak trees. The sun was setting, casting the backyard in a golden glow.
Conflicting emotions swirled within her. Guilt for becoming so consumed with the cake that she didn’t realize so much time had passed, but also gratitudethat Logan had been keeping her son company this entire time. This cake was a big opportunity for her, and it was a huge relief to know it was finished.
Erin continued to watch them through the kitchen window. Parker looked happy as could be swinging back and forth. Her eyes went to Logan. He didn’t look impatient, or annoyed. He didn’t have his phone out looking at it in one hand, while absent-mindedly pushing with the other. No, Logan looked happy and comfortable pushing Logan.
Erin leaned against the kitchen counter as she continued to watch. Her breath caught when Logan looked up and his eyes found hers. He smiled and waved at Erin. Then he said something to Parker, who then also smiled and waved at Erin.
Her heart warmed at the scene in front of her. She sniffed and grabbed a paper towel to dab at the tears that were forming in the corners of her eyes. This was going to end in disaster, she could feel it in her bones.
“Are you okay?” Samantha said around a bite of her cupcake.
Erin put her hand to Samantha’s cheek. “Yes, just happy to be done with the cake.” She glanced back out the window. “Why don’t you tell the boys to come in and they can have a cupcake too.”
Logan came in first, the smile from early still on his face. Erin hated the way it made her heart skip a beat. It had only been a year since Jake died and it felt wrong to have such a reaction to Logan. Not only wasshe finding herself attracted to another man, but that man had been her late husband’s best friend—her best friend. Erin didn’t know what to do with these feelings. She desperately tried to push them down, but every time Logan smiled or did something thoughtful, they resurfaced with a vengeance.
As Logan made his way further into the room, Parker followed closely behind. Erin grabbed two plates down from the cabinet to put their cupcakes on. Her back was turned when she heard Parker call, “Here, Mr. West. Catch!”
She twisted just in time to see Parker throwing the football at Logan—who had just stopped in front of the wedding cake.
Everything slowed.
Erin watched as the ball flew through the air. She saw Logan’s eyes widen as he registered it coming at him. Logan put his hands out to catch it, but it slipped through his fingers, flew past him and landed toward the top of the cake.
Erin’s stomach plummeted as she watched the top tier tip from its place and slide down the side of the cake, ruining all of the intricate detail she’d spent the afternoon working on. It kept falling and landed on the floor, causing frosting to splatter all over the place.
But it didn’t stop there. In the panic of things, Parker ran toward the cake, yelling, “I’ll fix it, I’ll fix it.”
Logan tried to stop him, but Parker hit him with such force that it sent Logan back, causing him toknock into the remaining layers. The cake wobbled on the counter before it eventually joined the rest of the cake on the kitchen floor. Globs of frosting went flying through the kitchen, landing on everyone’s feet. Erin looked down at the white buttercream coating her shoes.
The room went silent. Everyone was still.
Erin’s mind went blank, her entire body numb. The cake she’d spent the better part of two days on was destroyed. There was no fixing this. If it had only been the top tier, she might have been able to remake it, and do her best to fix the frosting. But with the entire cake on the floor, there was no coming back
At this point, she’d have to work all night just to havesomethingfor the wedding tomorrow. It wouldn’t be what the bride asked for, and it would ruin her reputation. Not only hers, but also that of the owners of Good Eats, since they were the ones to recommend Erin in the first place.
Not only that, this would be a giant setback in Erin’s plans for buying this house. There was no way she’d be able to charge the bride for a cake that wasn’t what she asked for. Between doing it pro bono and buying double supplies, it would set her back significantly.
This was a nightmare.
When the initial shock of what had happened wore off, Erin’s body started to shake. Her fingers trembled as she bent down to pick up the cake from the floor.She barely registered Logan ushering her children out of the kitchen. Once she was alone, she allowed the tears to fall freely.
When Logan sawthe tears forming in Erin’s eyes, he knew it was time to get Samantha and Parker out of the kitchen. What he planned to do, he still wasn’t sure, but it was better if they didn’t see their mom like that.
He hadn’t been around the family very long, but they’d been through a lot. The closer he got to the children, the more protective he felt. He wanted to shield them from any more pain and sorrow as much as humanly possible.
Logan grabbed their hands and led them away.
“Where are we going?” Parker asked, his feet moving quickly to keep up with Logan’s swift pace.
“Is Mama going to be okay?” Samantha said.
Logan didn’t know the answer to either of those as he led them out the front door. “Have a seat for a minute.” He pointed to the porch swing.
