Page 20 of Always the Baker

I window-shopped along the storefront boulevard. My eyes widened at the price tags. How did people afford to live here? A group of stylish women brushed past me, and I felt like a fish out of water. My outfit was cute, but it was simple and didn’t feel like something that would be good enough for tonight. As the thought crossed my mind, I received a text from Brax.

Brax Fucking Adams: About to send you something via Apple Pay. Buy something new. Dress in black tonight. ??

The wink emoji he put at the end made me smile, but the smile didn’t last long when I got the Apple Pay notification. My knees almost gave out on me. Weakly, I leaned against the glass door. My eyes immediately glazed over with tears. Heart racing,ears ringing, I tried to pull in deep breaths. They were choppy and fast as I struggled to breathe. It took a while, but I eventually composed myself. When I did, I immediately called Brax and hoped he answered.

“Sweetheart,” was his greeting. Loud music blasted in the background as I paced in front of the store.

“I think you made a mistake. There’s too many zeros on what you sent me.”

I would have been completely surprised if he sent a thousand, but he’d sent ten. Surely there was a mistake. His quiet chuckle was sexy.

“I meant to send that, Billie.”

My pacing stopped. “Are you sure?”

“I’m positive. Buy yourself something nice, aight? You deserve it. I have to go but I’ll see you tonight.”

“O-Okay. Uh, t-thank you. See you tonight.”

I wiped away a few tears and walked the short distance to the nearby bench. I couldn’t believe he’d sent me so much money so casually. In all my life, I’d never had that much money at one time. Even when I was in college and getting refunds for my scholarships, it was never more than six thousand dollars. Unable to stop myself, I texted him.

Me: Thanks again, but I hope you know I’m not spending time with you for your money. I really like you and have enjoyed spending time with you.

Brax Fucking Adams: You don’t know how much I needed to hear that. It makes me want to spoil you more.

Content with his kind gesture, I spent the next couple of hours shopping. I grabbed several different kinds of outfits with shoes and purses to match and ended up saving a little over half of what he’d sent me. That was more than enough to replace what I’d spent on the trip so far, get a better hotel room at The Rose Valley Hotel on the beach, and still have some left.

The difference in my suite compared to the first room was like night and day. The suite was large, colorful and modern, and bright. It was clean. It had views of the beach that were to die for. Now this was a place I wouldn’t have minded Brax dropping me off at, but since he believed I lived here, I wouldn’t have been able to explain why. Still, I was just happy to be in a better hotel on the beach. I was grateful for the money he’d sent and even more grateful for his genuine spirit. While I didn’t know what the night held in store for us, I was even more excited to see Brax now.

When I arrivedat the venue and gave my name to the doorman, a bald man in a suit guided me through the place. I stepped into the backstage area of the concert venue, and my jaw nearly hit the floor. This place was unreal. Plush velvet couches, a gleaming bar stocked with top-shelf liquor, and sleek art adorning the walls. If I wasn’t mistaken, all the art had been created by Neko. I stepped forward to get a better view, and sure enough, his signature was on every piece. It was like I’d stepped into a different world.

“Holy shit,” I whispered, running my hand along a nearby leather armchair. “Is this real life?”

My eyes darted around, taking in every luxurious detail. A spread of gourmet finger foods caught my attention, and my stomach growled. I hadn’t eaten all day because of the shopping and being too nervous about tonight.

“Don’t mind if I do,” I muttered, snagging a fancy-looking canapé.

As I popped it into my mouth, a booming voice startled me. “Excuse me, who are you?”

I twirled around, nearly choking on my appetizer. A tall, burly man in an expensive suit eyed me suspiciously.

“I’m, uh… I’m Billie. Brax’s… friend.”

The man’s eyebrows shot up. “Brax’s friend huh? I didn’t know he was expecting anyone tonight.”

“Well clearly he is, or I wouldn’t be back here.” I hadn’t meant to sound rude, but I also didn’t like feeling interrogated. If my name wasn’t on the list, the man up front wouldn’t have let me in. It felt more like this guy was seeking information that I wasn’t sure Brax wanted me to give.

His eyes narrowed. “When and where did you and Brax meet?”

“Uh…” Squeezing the back of my neck, I looked around the empty room. “A bar, but I’m sure if Brax wanted you to know who I was—”

Commotion near the entrance I’d come in from saved me from further questioning.

We both stepped out of the room, and my breath caught in my lungs. Brax had just walked in, and his presence immediately filled the space. He looked impeccable in his all black suit. It fit his frame as if it was made specifically for him. Instead of a button down shirt, he had on a crisp black tee. Dark shades covered his eyes, providing a mysterious look to the man I’d followed for years. I felt my shoulders relax from just being back in his presence. The tension from my awkward encounter with whoever the big guy was melted away.

Brax’s gaze swept the hall and landed on me. A grin spread across his face, and he made his way in my direction.

“Billie! You made it,” he said, wrapping me in a bear hug. The scent of his cologne made my head spin. I giggled at his excitement to see me because it mirrored mine.

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