Page 30 of Baking With A Rockstar

He’s been gone for two days now—one of them filled with drama coming from L.A.—and despite everything, I miss him. I’ve gotten so used to him being around practically twenty-four seven that the unexpected trip threw me a bit for a loop. At least it’s given me the chance to focus some more on my baking, especially since that’s one of the only things that helps me work through my emotional chaos anyway.

Since Monica wants to catch up with me—and probably gossip like there’s no tomorrow—I took my laptop to the bakery and set it up in my kitchen, a few feet away from me and all the ingredients, safely propped up on a little crate I found.

Hannah has proven to be a lifesaver once again, taking Mirabelle out for a trip to the zoo. That way, I can focus on my baking and my best friend—who happens to think I’m trying to bake my little heart out.

Sadly, she might have a point.

Looking around the bakery, I’m not sure who’s supposed to eat all the cakes, pies, and pastries I’ve already made and still plan on making. Since I’m an emotional eater, I know I’ll make a big dent in it for sure, even if it means I’ll end up with a stomach ache.

Monica’s been a little ball of barely contained irritation ever since I took her call a minute ago. She skipped pleasantries all together and jumped straight into what’s been on my mind the last twenty-four hours. “Mo, would you please calm down? Take a deep breath and stop cursing for a moment, so we can get through this together, okay?” I sigh, frowning at the screen in front of me. I give her another moment because I know why she’s so worked up.

Hudson’s ex.

The one I had no clue about, not a bleep of knowledge of who she was or what she looked like, or that she almost became Mrs. Mitchell at some point.

Now, I know all about it. Not only did Monica fill me in on everything she knows, but there’s also been no escaping the social media pictures and comments that have surfaced since yesterday. The same ones I’ve been trying to avoid and forget as much as I can.

No one needs to see pictures of the guy you’ve come to like and his ex-fiancée, especially when he just left your arms hours before.

Seeing them after we had our moment—at leastIthought we had a moment, a very hot moment—hurts more than I thought it would. It has also made me question everything between us.

The last time I saw Monica, she talked me into letting go and having some fun. But those few minutes with Hudson felt like more than just fun, and I’m not sure I’m okay with that, or ready for it yet—especially after this new development.

“All right. Give me one moment to get comfortable, and then I’m ready to talk shit about you-know-who.” The screen wobbles, and I hear her moan and groan as she settles in—at least, I think that’s what she’s doing. She’s still wearing a big frown when her face appears on the screen again. “Okay, I’m all ears now. So, you were at the birthday party, almost making out with Hudson twice. Then you got wet with him in the pond, and after getting all cleaned up, you got it on in the hallway. Is that correct?”

Monica never fails to make me laugh, even when I’m in a weird mood like right now. “I guess that about sums it up.”

Getting it on in the hallway.Her words repeat in my head, and a burst of heat shoots through me as the memories of Hudson and me flood my mind. It still seems surreal, almost like a dream, like it never actually happened.

When his hands and lips were on me, it instantly wiped away any trace or conscious thoughts of previous men. It felt like Hudson was my first touch, my first kiss, every other memory just floating away into nonexistence, not even worth comparing anything to it.

“Will you snap out of your hot thoughts? I can see you blush from over here.” She taps her fingernails on the laptop, impatient as always. “Well, I’m glad you actually did follow through on your promise of going on a date and having fun. But what I don’t like is everything that happened in L.A. yesterday.”

And just like that, my hot thoughts are replaced with the harsh reality of what went down.

I know Monica wants to talk about it, and weirdly enough, this time, I do too. Even though I’m usually the last person to gossip, I can’t help myself and dive into the topic headfirst. “I don’t really know what happened, Mo. The only thing I know is that he’s in L.A. until tomorrow for some important meetings, and yesterday, all these pictures of him and his ex having dinner surfaced, spreading like a wildfire even I couldn’t escape.”

I inhale deeply, the anger and hurt bubbling up all over again. “I mean, did you see the pictures? They looked so dang cozy. Did they look cozy to you too?” Throwing my hands up in the air, I fling little pieces of dough everywhere.

She lets out a big breath before rubbing her hand across her forehead. “Shit. They did look cozy. What a son-of-a-mothertrucker. I can’t believe he gets you all hot one day, and then the next day, he’s out dining with his ex-fiancée when he knows there’s paparazzi everywhere. He better watch his ass when I come to Brooksville. Sexy ass or not, no one messes with my best friend. Didn’t she pull a number on him when they split last year?”

I shrug my shoulders. She knows I have no idea about that kind of stuff. Torturing myself with yesterday’s pictures was already more than enough for me. “No clue. That’s your territory. You’re the celebrity fangirl, not me.” Staring at my dough, I suddenly feel a little overwhelmed with everything. “Thanks, Mo.”

Her voice is soft this time. “Hey, hey. You’re not crying, are you? None of that, all right? Gosh, I will most definitely kick his butt.”

I can’t help it and laugh. Monica has a way about her which is why we get along so well.

Letting out a long sigh, I rub the back of my hand across my forehead, careful not to smear dough all over my face. “I don’t know what I was thinking, to be honest. Me and a famous rockstar? In which universe does that ever work? Maybe in fairy tales and cheesy chick flicks, but not in real life. Plus, I’m not even sure if I’d want that after the last few days. This is totally normal in his world, isn’t it? All the media attention and seeing these posts about the ‘dream couple reuniting’ and stuff like that. So much drama. I’d have to deal with this constantly. I mean, this is his life. With this new development, there will probably soon be paparazzi everywhere, including here, hoping to catch a glimpse of the power couple. Or one of them alone, at least. I’m actually surprised they haven’t been here yet.”

Monica’s eyebrows draw together so tightly, they almost look like one big unibrow. “Ugh, I don’t know what to say. I’m sorry. Even though I’m extremely pissed about the whole spiel, I really don’t think there’s something going on between these two. I’ve learned over the years how much the media obscures reality. I wouldn’t put it past that woman to meet up with him and calling all the paparazzi herself. I think her spotlight has been rather dull since she and Hudson called it quits, so I wonder about her motives in all of this.”

I only shrug, not sure what to say. All I know is that I feel incredibly disappointed and just plain sad. For a very short moment, I thought that maybe, just maybe, I might have something special with him. But that feeling is long gone. “I don’t think I can deal with this spotlight life.”

She points her finger at me. “Remember you told me Hudson said the media usually leaves him alone when he’s home? I think that’s true. I barely found any pictures online about him in Brooksville. It’s just too far away from the main celebrity scene for the paparazzi to care about. I mean, who wants to spend hours on the road to take a picture of him grocery shopping or something boring like that? Besides, I’m sure his family would’ve said something otherwise, especially Hannah. Even though I have a bone to pick with him, I don’t think he’d mislead you like this.”

“I have to agree with her on that.” The deep voice comes from behind me, making me gasp.

Thankfully, I recognize it after the initial surprise and turn around. “Gabe! What is it with you guys always sneaking up on me? I’m starting to wonder if that’s a family trait.”

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