Page 33 of Baking With A Rockstar

I only hesitate for a second, before walking straight into them, immediately feeling safe and secure.

He gently puts his head on mine and gives my back a few soft pats. “Sorry, my brother is such a dimwit sometimes.”

The back door of the bakery slams shut and footsteps approach.

A familiar scent hits me, and I close my eyes, knowing exactly who it is, even before his melodic voice fills the room.

“Please, Gabe. Tell me how you really feel.”

Chapter Thirteen

Gabe givesmy shoulders a squeeze before letting me go. He turns around to face his brother, who’s not looking happy at all. “Well, well. I guess you’re back, huh?”

“Looks like I interrupted something.” Hudson’s voice is more of a growl than anything else as he glares at his brother.

Gabe’s nostrils flare the smallest bit as he stares down Hudson. “If, by interrupted, you mean me trying to see if Charlie’s okay, then hell yes, you interrupted something. There’s no need for you to come in here and act like the wronged party.”

I’m stunned by this exchange, and all I can manage to do is look back and forth between the two brothers, not sure what’s going on. Am I supposed to step between them to break up whatever this is? Hudson’s acting like I did something forbidden with Gabe, which is obviously a big joke. Plus, he’s the one who was schmoozing with his ex, less than twenty-four hours ago.

His face is drawn into a grimace—his lips almost white from pressing them together, eyes little slits, and his dark eyebrows are drawn together so tightly, the crease between them looks like a crater. He looks like he’s ready to pounce on his brother.

They both actually appear ready to explode, their hands clenched into tense fists at their sides.

“What are you talking about? I only call it like I see it.” Hudson’s almost yelling at this point.

Gabe laughs once, but there’s not an ounce of humor in his voice. “Obviously, I’m talking about you and Addy having a jolly old time at dinner, giving the paparazzi, and therefore the world, a wonderful show. Apparently, you don’t give a crap what those pictures do to the people in your life.”

“You have no idea what you’re talking about, so just shut up.”

Wait. Is Hudson shaking? I’m pretty sure his nostrils are flaring too. The only thing that’s missing is steam coming out of his ears to complete the picture of an angry cartoon character.

Let’s hope he isn’t going to explode out of his skin in a second and turn into Hulk, or we’re really screwed.

Taking a step closer to Gabe, I pat his arm gently. Someone has to diffuse this situation, and it looks like I’m the unlucky winner. “It’s okay. I’ve got this.”

Hudson’s eyes dart to me, going wide for a moment. When he blinks a few times, I wonder if he momentarily forgot I was there. His shoulders sag, and he almost seems to visibly deflate.

Gabe turns to face me in a way that blocks Hudson from my view, almost as if he doesn’t want him to see me. “Are you sure? I can kick him out if you want to, or I can stay here, if you prefer not to be alone with him right now.”

Gratitude washes over me for having added another great person to my life, and I give him a small smile. “That’s very sweet of you, and I can’t tell you how much I appreciate your concern, but I’ll be fine. Promise.”

He still doesn’t look convinced, but nods anyway. He turns around and points a finger at Hudson. “You better be nice to her, or you’re gonna have to deal with me.”

To my surprise, Hudson holds up his hands in surrender. “Fair enough.”

Gabe pulls a card out of his back pocket and hands it to me, his fingers brushing mine briefly in the process. “Here’s my card. My cell number is on the back. Call me, and we can talk about the guest house and whatever arrangements need to be made, okay?”

“You bet. Thanks so much again for helping out.” I put his card in the front pocket of my apron.

“It’s no problem at all.” He bends down and gives my cheek a quick kiss without lingering. “Take care of yourself. Call me if you need anything.”

When he walks over to Hudson, they silently stare at each other, before Gabe speaks up. “You’re an idiot, bro.”

Less than five seconds later, he’s out the door, letting it shut loudly behind him. That leaves Hudson and me in an eerie silence as I try to avoid his blazing look.

Of course, he’s the first to say something. “So, you’re moving into my brother’s guest house? You could’ve just said something if you didn’t want to live with me anymore.”

“What?” His question throws me off, and my hand shoots out to the counter to give me some extra balance.

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