Page 28 of Always the Baker

“Come on, my mystery girl. Give me that pretty smile.”

I froze for a second at the nickname, then forced myself to relax. I leaned into Brax, smiling as he snapped a few pictures.

“Perfect,” he said, scrolling through them. “Mind if I post one?”

My stomach dropped, but I nodded. “Sure, why not?”

I watched as he typed ‘Yacht ride with my sweetheart’ and hit post. As the likes started rolling in, I wondered how long I could keep up this charade. But with Brax’s arm around me and the city skyline as our backdrop, I decided to worry about that later. His soft kisses against my neck and cheek had me blushing and giggling as I tossed my leg over his lap and pulled him closer. I brushed his nose with mine before giving him a deep, tender kiss. Brax pulled me onto his lap, sliding his hands under my shirt. A low hum escaped me feeling his large, slightly rough hands against my skin.

My phone buzzed in my pocket. We pulled back, and I ignored it, focusing on Brax’s warm smile and the way the setting sun made his eyes shine. We were having such a perfect moment. I didn’t want anything to ruin it.

But then my phone buzzed again. And again. And again.

“Wow, someone’s popular,” Brax teased, raising an eyebrow.

I laughed nervously, fishing my phone out of my pocket. “Oh, it’s probably just my mom checking in.”

When I glanced at the screen, my heart nearly stopped. Notifications were pouring in from every social media app I had. Comments, likes, messages, all asking the same thing: Is thattheBrax Adams?

“Everything okay?” Brax asked. His voice and face were covered with concern.

I nodded, probably a little too enthusiastically. “Yeah, just… uh, my friends being nosy.”

As if on cue, my phone started ringing. Ember’s face flashed on the screen.

“I should probably take this.” My voice sounded strained even to my own ears. “It’s my best friend.”

Brax nodded, giving me some space as I answered the call. We both stood and took steps in opposite directions.

“Billie Hopkins!” Ember’s voice exploded through the speaker. “Is that really you with Brax? He posted you on all his socials! You know how long it takes him to post a woman he’s dating, yet he’s posting you already.”

I winced, turning away from Brax and lowering my voice. “Ember, I told you—”

“Girl, I thought you were living a daydream with some imposter, but he’s the real deal.”

I felt my face heat as I snickered. “Yeah, I know. It’s been amazing. That’s why I haven’t come back yet.”

“When are you coming home? Or do I have to come drag you back?” She prodded in a way that told me she wasn’t joking.

“I don’t know, Em. Brax wants to go see a play and stuff. And, well, he doesn’t know I’m not from the city. He thinks I live here, remember?”

“Billie, baby, you need to come clean,” Ember said with a softened tone. “This isn’t you. Lying, sneaking around… I mean, we talked big game about you living a new life there, but this isn’t exactly what I meant.”

I glanced back at Brax, who was leaning against the railing, giving me privacy but still watching me with curious eyes.

“I can’t. Not yet. I just… I need this, Em. Just for a little while longer.”

Ember sighed. “Billie…”

“I gotta go. I’ll call you later.”

I hung up before she could protest, plastering on a smile as I turned back to Brax.

“Everything okay?”

I forced a smile, trying to quell the nervous flutter in my stomach. “Everything’s fine. Just my friend checking in.”

Brax raised an eyebrow and studied my face. “You sure? You look a bit stressed.”

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