Page 47 of House of Desire

While we all waited for Parker to join us at our homes, we were kept in local hotels with no one but a few production members to talk to. It’s been a boring few days.

The sound of a car door shutting grabs my attention and I turn toward the noise to see Parker moving through the parking lot. I haven’t seen him since last week’s elimination, leaving me, Leslie, Zoey, and Carmen as the final four. He walks toward me and something in my chest settles, and I realize how much I missed him.

We get the signal the cameras are ready, but I don’t care, as he takes me into his strong arms.

“Are you ready for this?” I ask him as he kisses my cheek in greeting, the cameras following the movement, I’m sure.

I want to grab his face and kiss him, but when his eyes flit to someone behind me for a split second, I keep my hormones under control.

“You’re not going to make me bake something difficult like a soufflé or something, are you?” he asks me, a small amount of trepidation on his face.

“I was going to have you make a custom eight-tier wedding cake.”

“Perfect. That’s definitely within my capabilities.”

“I figured as much,” I say, smiling at him, butterflies fluttering around in my chest. He nudges me with his shoulder as we turn toward the bakery. “I believe I have a promise to fulfill and I think it should take the form of cupcakes,” I say, reminding him of the group date from a few weeks ago.

“I was afraid you’d forgotten.”

“Never.”

The familiar weight of the door handle settles into my hand. Cool metal welcomes me home and I feel a lump in my throat. Baking is my favorite thing in the world and I have been missing it every day of this journey.

“Welcome to the Whimsical Whisk Bakery,” I say, pulling open the door.

The inside of my shop is spotless, and I can tell my family has worked tirelessly to get everything ready for this moment.

Not only is the space cleaned, but the pastries, cupcakes, and cookies look like they were put together with the exacting precision of a surgeon. A lump forms in my throat at the beauty. At the outward showing of love staring back at me.

“This is really nice,” Parker says.

“Thank you. It’s my baby.” He must hear the change in me, because his rough, warm hand grabs mine, squeezing.

“What’s your favorite thing to bake?”

Setting aside the emotions so I don’t cry on television, I look up at him, squeezing his hand back in thanks but not letting it go. “Out of the normal offerings? Or in general?”

“Mmm, both.”

“The cupcakes are my favorite of the usual fare.”

“They’d be mine, too. Really, I love anything cake based.” He smiles and my world stops for a moment.

“Other than that, I love making cakes where the person gives me creative freedom. Whatever flavor I want. Whatever decoration fits the theme they’re thinking. There’s nothing like losing yourself in designing something new and different. And picking flavors to go together? That’s my favorite thing. I don’t let it send me into a panic spiral anymore.”

Pulling on his hand, I lead him to the kitchen through the double doors behind my counter. When I walk into the space for the first time in weeks, I know I made the right choice with the rearranging I had the football players do that I won at the auction. I look around the space, seeing the efficiency of the setup.

Letting go of the stunning man’s hand, I move to the hook by the door and grab the two aprons hanging there, handing one to Parker. I try not to laugh as he settles the sunshine yellow fabric over his head, tying the ties around his back. The color is so bright and happy. It almost looks out of place on this man who has given off slightly sad vibes since the day I met him.

“What kind of cupcakes are we making today?” he asks.

“The crowd favorite S’more to Love cupcake.”

“That sounds amazing. I hope part of the baking process is taste testing the end result.”

“Quality control is always important, and if you’re a good boy I’ll make sure you have the best one in the batch,” I tease.

He cocks an eyebrow at me with a sexy smirk and I can feel my face heat.

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