Chapter 1
Rafael
I wokeup to my phone buzzing like it was trying to shake the whole dang nightstand apart. It hadn’t even been two seconds and the world was already getting on my nerves.
I reached out blindly and smacked at the screen until it went silent. When I cracked one eye open and saw the name flashing across the display.
Kellan. I groaned out loud. Not this again. Missed calls. Voicemails. Texts. All from the same idiot who never quite figured out how to let go.
I didn’t need to listen to the voicemails to know what they’d say.
Some mix of half-hearted apologies, vague threats, and the kind of sweet-talking that used to work on me back when I was stupid and twenty-two.
I wasn’t twenty-two anymore. And I sure wasn’t stupid.
Still, the damage was done. I was wide awake now, stomach twisted in that old, familiar knot.
The one that tightened every time I remembered how far I’d let him drag me down in Ironfalls. I rubbed my hand over my face and muttered a curse. Great start to the day.
Coffee didn’t help. Neither did the cold shower or the fact that I’d somehow left my only clean hoodie at the laundromat the night before.
I tugged on one of Beau’s Bear and Bun extras. It was tight across the chest and annoyingly cheery with its peach-colored logo.
I grunted when I caught my reflection. I looked like a grizzly forced into a cartoon mascot suit.
The ride to the bakery didn’t help my mood either. Every slow driver in Sugarpaw Springs must’ve conspired to crawl in front of me.
And then someone had the nerve to wave cheerfully when I honked.
By the time I walked through the back door of Bear and Bun, I was a walking thundercloud.
My jaw was tight, my boots tracked in rainwater, and I barely managed a nod at Sean as I passed him in the hallway.
He gave me that cautious little smile he reserved for people who looked one step away from snapping. Smart guy.
Beau met me just inside the kitchen, hands braced on the prep counter. He looked like he’d been waiting. Not good.
“What,” I said flatly.
“Morning to you too,” he said, completely unfazed by my tone.
I raised an eyebrow. Beau sighed and rubbed the back of his neck.
“We’ve got a problem. Caleb’s out sick. Flu. We need someone to take the morning deliveries,” Beau explained.
“Okay,” I said, glancing past him.
Cassian was elbow-deep in frosting. Dorian was arranging croissants like he was curating art. Leo was humming to himself as he hauled a tray out of the oven.
Sean was setting out to-go bags. I gestured vaguely at all of them.
“So why me?” I asked.
Cassian snorted without looking up. “Because you’re so good at customer service, sunshine.”
“Don’t,” I said, glaring at him. “Not today.”
Dorian tilted his head and gave me a lazy grin. “Rafael’s in one of his moods again.”
