Page 44 of Forced Pregnant Mate

“No, it’s okay. Did you have any shifts at the diner?”

“I only do an occasional Saturday now, not every day.”

“So, you have plenty of time to make me dinner then,” he grins playfully, linking our fingers together. “And cook up lots of other surprises for me, too.”

I can’t stop myself from blushing a little. I’m still getting used to how intense our sexual connection is. I crave him all the time, but I’m also completely and utterly satisfied. Somehow, every single time we are together is even better than the last.

“I’m still learning to bake, but I’ll try to make a decent dessert for you. I won’t call it a ‘cake’ just in case it collapses, and I have to serve it in pieces or something.”

“Anything you make for me, I will love,” he says, squeezing my hand. “I just don’t usually make a big deal of my birthday, and we’ve had so much going on, it really didn’t seem appropriate to focus on myself. I appreciate that you want to do something for me, and that’s all that counts.”

“Okay, then,” I sit back in my chair, sipping my coffee. “I’ll see you when you get home.”

He gets up and kisses me softly before leaving. I maintain my casual pose until I hear the truck start, then I pounce on my phone.

“Gina!” I practically shriek when she answers the call. “I need your help.”

“Oh, lord,” she mutters. “Jack didn’t tell you it was his birthday, did he?”

“How did you know?”

“It’s a classic Jack move. I’ll come over soon—did you want to do a big shindig?”

“I don’t—I mean—I don’t even know.”

“I tell you what,” Gina says. “Let me throw some things together, and we’ll plan a small party. He won’t like anything too big. I’ll have to drag Mom over so she can make his favorite crumbed steak.”

“Can you teach me?”

“Sure. What kind of cake do you think I should get?”

“Well… I’d like to make it myself.”

“Hmmm,” Gina mutters. “Ever baked a cake before?”

“No,” I admit.

“It’s not hard, depending on the type of cake you want to make. I’ll see you soon, okay?”

“Okay. Thank you so much, Gina, I want to make this day special for him.”

“Of course you do, honey,” Gina says warmly. “I’m on my way.”

After we hang up, I clean the kitchen and check out some recipes online. The more cakes I look at, the more intimidated I get.

When I hear Gina’s car in the driveway I hurry out to open the door for her. She’s carrying Natalia as well as getting a ton of bags out of the back of the car.

“Oh, my God, Gina. Let me help.”

“Thank you,” Gina sighs, swinging Natalia to her other hip. “Jenks will be here in a couple of hours, and he’s calling up Jack’s best friends. Don’t worry, it won’t be huge. Mom will be here soon, she just had to grab some supplies. Did you figure out what kind of cake you want to make?”

“No,” I say, shaking my head as I struggle towards the door with the bags.

“Well, I think we’ll just go with this old recipe Grandma gave me. It’s a light, fluffy cake, but it’s not as difficult as a sponge. If we make two slices, we can put whipped cream in the middle and then glaze it with caramel. Jack always loved it when Grandma made it.”

“I understand very little of what you just said.”

Gina laughs. “In a few hours, you’ll be a master baker! Now take me to your kitchen.”

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