Page 55 of Destined to Run

“Rin,” Cole calls, skipping the line to come lean against the glass while ignoring the outraged mutterings.

“Hey.” I rise on my tiptoes to kiss him quickly. “I think Vin would kill me if I walked out right now. I’m sorry, I should have reached out.”

Osiris fights his way through the crowd to Cole’s side before leaning in with a soft smile. He brushes his thumb over my cheek, it coming away purple with frosting. I couldn’t even tell you where it came from at this point. The air itself is pretty much a hazard here.

“Wouldn’t be much of a manager if you left during a rush,” he points out with a wink. “We understand, don’t stress.”

I place a lingering kiss on his lips, pointedly ignoring the grumbling of people waiting in line. I’m not even working the counter today, so not like they’d get waited on any faster. Besides, I’ve been here since two a.m. They’re lucky I’m still standing, let alone baking.

“Where’s Ares?”

Cole grins. “Still looking for a parking spot, but we got sick of waiting.”

“Then I guess it’s only fair if I ask him to come with me after work to drop some stuff off for Zora and Freya. I set aside a box earlier before things exploded and you know how the kids love it.”

“For someone that doesn’t think she likes kids, you certainly have a soft spot for them,” Cole winks and I shake my head, chuckling.

It’s certainly not the first time that any of them have brought it up, testing the waters, but I’m just not there yet. They’ve become such an intrinsic part of my existence, but I don’t want to lose myself to them either. I’d rather they add to my life than completely take it over, wanting to be able to love them without being forced to depend on them for survival so I know that it’s real. Fate may have urged us together, but it’s up to us whether or not we choose to put in the effort. It’s exactly why I took this job; so that I had room to breathe and be able to stand on my own two feet.

And really, what does a girl have without her pride?