Page 59 of Forever Home

Our words fall short as one of the girls from the crew comes out to let us know it’s almost time to start filming again. I know what they are expecting when I walk inside. They want me to agree, hell, they want me to be the face of this with Jaxson and as unsure as I am… the look on Jaxson’s face makes me feel a little more confident.

The moment I step inside all eyes are on me. The producer sitting before me with a smile on his face that’s stretched from ear to ear. “So, what’s the verdict?”

“I’ll do it,” I reply. “Under one condition…”

“What’s that?”

“I want fifteen hundred per episode, and I get to pick the desserts.” If they want perfection, they aren’t going to short me with only a thousand. I need thirty thousand to open my own store and outfit it the way I want. And I’m not going to settle for less.

The producer takes a moment. His smile widening even further as he nods, “you got a set of balls on you, sweetie. Big ass balls. I respect that, a woman who knows what she’s worth.” I can’t help but smile as he stands and shakes my hand. My heart racing as Jaxson's smile grows to match mine. I never imagined an offer like this, and usually, I’d be kicking myself for letting my emotions get the best of me in the kitchen. But right now, I’m thankful.

Because I’d just landed an opportunity that’s going to change my life.

As the buzzer on the stove starts going off, I’m snapped out of thoughts and quickly grab the oven mitts, pulling the pie from the oven as I place it on the stove. It’s perfect, as it always is, and as the producers start to roll their cameras again, I ponder over what’s going to happen next.

Over how my future is going to end up turning out.

Or better yet, how things with Jaxson will turn out.

We’re either gonna kill each other, or… You never know.

Chapter Twenty-Three: Jaxson

Inever expected my first day of filming to go the way it did. I’d had doubts leading up to the first filming session on making the dessert, but I’d figured an apple pie to be easy enough. Unfortunately, that wasn’t the case. Desserts have never been something I’m strong at, and honestly—I was nervous the entire afternoon wondering what a disaster it was going to be when I made the damn thing. But fate had been on my side when they had made it possible for Madi to be there with me. And if it hadn’t been for her, I’d have blown the entire fucking thing.

“About earlier…” her voice pulls me from my thoughts. My eyes lift to capture hers as she makes her way back in from the front of the bakery. She’d left me to clean up the mess while seeing the producers out.

“Stop trying to apologize,” I chuckle, wiping the pan out with a dry towel. “I want you to do this with me.”

A heavy breath escapes her as she steps forward, her bottom lip pressed between her teeth with an uneasy look in her eyes. “Well, this is going tobe an adventure for sure. I promise I won’t step on your toes or anything with anything outside of making desserts.”

I saw the excitement in her eyes when they said they wanted her to do the show with me. There is no doubt in my mind as to how she really feels about the entire thing, and yet despite her own excitement—she’s worried about how I feel about it.

Laying the towel upon the counter, I turn my attention completely to her. To the unsure look in her eyes, to the soft pout of her lips as her teeth relinquish their control. Everything about her is beautiful, and the more time I spend with her, the more I realize how stupid I’ve been. Placing my hands on either side of her shoulders, I sigh. A soft smile playing at my lips.

“Madison, there is no one else on earth I’d rather share this experience with. You deserve this opportunity as much as I do, and honestly… without you, I’d have failed. I can make anything and everything unless… it’s a dessert.”

A small snort escapes her as she laughs, a soft red blush crossing her cheeks that she attempts to shake away before meeting my gaze once more.

“Okay.”

“Okay?” I question, raising a brow. “We’re okay?”

She rolls her eyes, stepping from my touch as she grabs the large binder on the wooden shelf next to the office door of the bakery. Her fingers run over the cool pink plastic as she turns back to me. “We’re okay… as long as you don’t attempt to make any desserts again, without my instruction. Because that lattice-work on that pie… I don’t even want to know what the hell that was or who taught you that structure.”

Laughter consumes us both before as Madi lets out another heavy breath, gazing around the empty kitchen. “Well… I don’t know about you, but I need a drink.”

“Hell yes, let’s go celebrate.”

Her eyes seem to brighten a little at the gesture before she glances towards the hallway at the back of the bakery, making me furrow my brows in question. “Well, if you want I have a perfectly good bottle of Appassimento red among other things upstairs in my apartment…”

She’s inviting me to her apartment?

“...unless, of course, you’d rather go out. Whatever you want to do.”

As much as I probably should say that we should go out, the idea of having time alone with Madison, especially in her apartment, is rather enticing.

“Your apartment sounds good to me.”

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