Pride puffs my chest. “Those are mine. I mean, sometimes someone else bakes them, but they’re my mom’s recipe.”
With how crazy my schedule’s been, I forgot to tell Rider I finalized that deal with my boss. I explain how once I realized how busy I was going to be this fall, I told Fanny I couldn’t come in as much to bake on the weekends, so she pays me a license fee for exclusive use of my recipes, which are mostly my mom’s with a few tweaks I’ve made over the years.
Mom would be thrilled to know those recipes are funding so much of my life right now. I even paid off that ridiculous EMT bill and set a little aside in savings.
The look of admiration in Rider’s eyes fills me with warmth. “That’s awesome, Gabs. You’re amazing.” He kisses me on the forehead, and my face flushes.
“Aww, boo,” Olly chides as he makes kissing sounds. “Our little Riding Hood is growing up.”
“Shut the fuck up.” Rider jumps up and pretends to punch him, but Olly tackles him, and next thing I know, all the boys are wrestling and play-fighting.
“Don’t hurt Rider!” I whisper-yell, so I don’t wake Poppy. “You need him to throw balls and… things.”
Olly pauses. “But I can get hurt. Don’t you love me too?”
Trevor tries to sit on Olly’s head but he turns to me. “You love me too, right, Gabs?”
“I love all of you idiots. Now stop messing around before you get hurt or wake the baby.”
Rider shoves Olly into the floor as he pops up. “Yeah, but I’m her favorite.”
I roll my eyes but laugh as he flops next to me and treats me to a kiss and quick boob grab.
Chuckling, I shove him off me. “Study first. Play later.”
Once it’s just Rider and me again and we can return to our homework, not two minutes go by before there’s a loud bang upstairs. And then another. And another.
“Whatisthat?”
He cringes. “I have an idea. Does the sound machine have a higher setting? I doubt Poppy can sleep through—”
“Waaaaaah!” Her sad wail blares through the monitor on the coffee table.
“Motherfucker. I’m gonna kill him.”
“Who?”
“One of my dipshit roommates.”
And?I give him a look because I’m still confused.
“Um, he’s fucking some girl through his wall.”
Oh.Heat sears my face. “Sometimes I’m so clueless.”
His eyes soften and he hooks an arm around my shoulders to kiss me. “You’re perfect. Never change.”
With a groan, he heads up to his bedroom to comfort his daughter. His sexy voice comes through the monitor.
“Hey, baby, it’s okay. Daddy’s here. No need to cry.”
I swoon on the couch while I listen to their conversation.
He’s such a pro at this point, he doesn’t need my help anymore. I knew he’d be a great dad. He just needed a little confidence in himself.
After a few minutes, she eventually calms down, but then someone slams the front door and she gets upset again.
I’m ready to give the offender my meanest glare, but it’s my brother, who barely pauses when he sees me.
