Page 121 of Tiers of Joy

“Hhmm. Love you beautiful.” He says across my lips.

“Love you too.” I reply smiling.

He gets up and heads off to put clean sheets on the bed. I make a mental note to try and sneak out of bed early in the morning to bake some fresh cake and rolls. Nothing smells better than freshly baked goods.

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It’s still dark outside when I wake. Luckily our bed is fairly high so I can roll out of bed easily without making any noise. Gaige doesn’t even move. I quickly sneak out the room and go to the toilet. The baby seems to be using my bladder as a cushion.

I reach the kitchen and put on my apron and wash my hands. I lay out all of the ingredients and sigh happily.

I have red velvet cupcakes in the oven along with some cookies. I’m kneading dough when Gaige walks in. He’s wearing his grey sweatpants which hang low on his hips and show off his toned body.

“Morning beautiful.” He smirks, shaking his head.

He wraps his arms around me and caresses my bump.

“So what time did you get up to come down here and start baking this lot?” He asks over my shoulder.

“Umm 4ish I think.” I answer. The timer beeps.

“Oo! Cookies are ready.” I rush out as I make my way to the oven.

I place them on the cooling rack and go back to the dough.

“What time is she getting here?” I ask.

“Not sure, she just said morning.” He answers, pinching a cooking.

“Oh shit! Gaige I just realised, I don’t even know her name! All this time she’s just been your mum.” I panic.

“Stop panicking. Her name is Fiona.” He answers, kissing my neck.

He reaches around and takes the dough from me.

“Hey!” I snap.

“Go upstairs, have a long shower, and go back to bed for a bit. I’ve got this.” He states.

“Can I just wait until the cupcakes are done and then go and lie down? You can just leave that in a bowl to prove. Not that I don’t trust you or anything.” I say giving him the side glance.

“Yeah right. Fine, you have ten minutes.” He says kissing me.

I quickly pull the cupcakes from the oven and place them on the cooling rack. I cover the dough to let it prove and then head off to shower and nap.

“Esme, wake up. Mom will be here in twenty minutes.” He whispers.

My eyes spring open.

“Twenty minutes!” I scream.

I look in the mirror. My hair is a mess. I went straight to sleep with wet hair and now I look like I have a hay bale on my head. I quickly chuck on my wrap dress and try and brush my hair out as best as I can.

“Esme, you looked beautiful as you were.” He tries to calm me.

Giving up on my hair I chuck it up in a messy bun and head straight to the kitchen. I notice that a cupcake and two cookies are missing. He’s like a kid sneaking treats. I place the dough in the oven and quickly grab the piping bag I prepared earlier. I quickly pipe the cupcakes with Gaige watching me.

“I love watching you decorate cakes.” He says in awe.

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