Page 17 of Crushes and Confections

Again, time passed far too quickly as we worked side by side. It was seamless. She was sweet and gentle in her teaching and I followed her instructions diligently. It was a constant dance of tense glances and sweet smiles that I couldn’t get enough of. We had different backgrounds and styles in our approach, but that didn’t matter, with each technique and explanation I got to know her more and more. There was so much you could learn about someone from watching them work.

When she was ready and packed up for the next morning, I couldn’t help but finally let the secret slip out.

“Well, we better get going now if we want to make it to dinner on time,” I said casually. That had her breath catching as she spun to face me.

“What?” For a moment I saw her face pale in panic again but instead of backing away I took a breath and decided now was my chance. This was the moment that I had to take a risk and lay it out for her.

“Vance and I are having you and Riley for dinner tonight, are we not?”

“You… and Vance?” There was no judgment, only surprise, and that had my tense shoulders relaxing.

“Yes. Shall we?” I offered her my elbow, barely breathing until she finally shook her head and smiled, sliding her arm through mine.

“Well aren’t you full of surprises?”

CHAPTER 7

Claire

Just when I thought I had enough surprises for the day, Adrien proved that was not the case.

Honestly, I wasn’t sure what to think. This afternoon had shown me that he wasn’t the alpha I had misconstrued him as, but there was still something guarded about him.

I didn’t bother going home and changing, I barely registered anything as I got in my car to follow Adrien home. The alpha had been a bit worried and offered to drive, but I wanted to have my vehicle, a little unsure how this all was going to play out. I very much doubted I’d need an escape plan, but for the moment my car was my safety net.

Who would have thought the cute artistic alpha was married to the stoic one who I thought hated me?

I had so many questions.

Putting the car in park behind Adrien, I spotted Riley’s truck in the driveway. The house was two stories, colonial style with white brick and black painted shutters, vines scaling the sides of the building in various places. In one word, it was gorgeous.

They clearly took pride in their home. The landscaping was immaculate, even as the cold weather kept away flowers. It had me imagining just how gorgeous it would be in spring.

“It’s going to be okay, Claire,” Adrien said, concern still in his voice as he came to stand up next to me. “Come inside and let’s eat. You can ask whatever questions you have and what happens from there is totally up to you. We don’t want you to feel pressured or scared.”

My stomach chose to growl just then, making the alpha’s eyes darken. “What? I was a little busy today. I didn’t exactly get a chance to eat lunch.”

A curse flew from his lips, in what I assumed was French. “Come.”

He led me up the steps, opening the door and leading me deeper into the house where the distinct laughter of Riley and Vance were echoing off the walls.

We walked into a chef’s wet dream of a kitchen that rivaled what he had at the shop, the stainless steel appliances, including double wall ovens and gas range already in use as Riley and Vance worked side by side, seemingly enjoying their time together.

“Ah,” Vance said, his eyes brightening. “There they are! I’m so glad you decided to come Claire. Did everything get sorted with the pipes?”

“Claire?” Riley asked, the confusion in his eyes as he looked between Adrien and I, making it clear that he didn’t know that the two of them were married.

“Hello, you must be Riley. Vance and Claire speak very highly of you. I’m Adrien,” the alpha next to me said, offering his hand.

Riley narrowed his eyes at both of the alphas, ignoring Adrien’s outstretched hand and coming to stand at my side.

“I swear I didn’t know Claire Bear,” Riley said. “Say the word and we’re out of here.” His voice was uncharacteristically possessive and protective and had me reaching for his hand.

A bit of hysterical laughter spilled from my lips, the day finally catching up to me. Tears came to my eyes and I wiped them as I kept laughing, my protective best friend standing guard over me and ready to throw down if I needed it.

Hell, when I told him about that one interaction I’d had with Adrien, he’d made the decision to never step foot into his store in solidarity. Riley was fiercely loyal, and the display he was giving now, despite the fact that I knew he clearly had feelings for Vance, proved that hadn’t changed.

“It—It’s fine,” I said, pulling him in for a hug.

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