Page 45 of Baking With A Rockstar

He runs his hands through his hair once before looking back at Gabe. “I’ll tell you guys the whole story together as a family, but let’s just say, I wanted to have kids, and she didn’t. Unfortunately, she wasn’t exactly forthcoming about that piece of information.”

Gabe snorts in response. “Figures. Of course she’d be a snake like that. Why am I not surprised? I knew it must have been something big like that. Who jokes around about having children? Seriously. Some people just shouldn’t be allowed to have a relationship at all. It’s just not fair. There are so many good people out there who deserve to be happy and who genuinely want a partner and children in their life. They should just be left alone in their search to find someone instead of being deceived and used as a pawn. It definitely sounds like Addy needs some serious help.”

Hudson and I look at each other when Gabe is done with his mini-rant. We’re both equally perplexed, so we burst out laughing.

“What’s wrong with you guys? This is serious.” I expect Gabe to stomp his foot in annoyance any second now, which makes me laugh even harder. Mira pulls herself up on the side of her playpen, curious to see what all the commotion is about.

I know there isn’t really anything funny about this, but it almost feels cathartic. Had someone told me just a few months ago what my new life in Brooksville would be like, I’d have laughed in their faces at how ridiculous they sounded.

Wiping away a set of stray tears, I try to calm down with a few deep breaths. “I’m sorry, but all of this just sounds like a bad soap opera—totally scripted and with lots of drama. And somehow, I’m smack in the middle of it all.”

The look on Hudson’s face makes me stop laughing immediately. He takes a hesitant step toward me without doing anything else. “I’m so sorry I’ve dragged you in all of this. That was never my intention.”

“Stop blaming yourself. You didn’t do anything. Yes, you made a bad choice with your partner, but that was last year. That’s in the past, and we all make mistakes from time to time. I have a skeleton like that in my closet too.”

Hudson’s eyes go wide, mirroring my own as I realize what I just said.

This filter system between my mouth and my brain definitely needs a checkup. It has been pretty faulty lately, happily babbling while I try to play catch-up.

Gabe is staring at me too, curiosity burning brightly in his eyes.

I wave my hands in front of me as I try to distract everyone once again. “Anyway, how exactly do you guys plan to solve this crazy mess now? I mean, you do have a plan at least, right?”

Thankfully, Hudson nods. “Yes. Addy will get her PR people to release a statement that the media claims are false. I’ll ignore the paparazzi as best as I can and stay silent for now.”

“Do you think that’s going to work?” Gabe doesn’t sound happy or convinced, and I can’t really blame him. It’s a lot to take in, none of it positive in any way.

Hudson’s jaw is set as he stares into my eyes with a determined gaze. “I promise I’ll get this back to normal somehow. If it was just about me, I’d let it blow over. But that’s not the case anymore. You and Mira are a part of my life now, and I’ll do whatever I can to protect you guys.”

There he goes again, including Mira and me in his life choices, like we’re a team—or a family.

I’m lost in his intense gaze, barely noticing when Gabe leaves my side, muttering something that sounded a lot like, “Damn straight you are.”

Since this is slightly awkward, and I don’t know what to say, I blurt out the first thing that comes to mind. “Are you guys hungry? I think we could all use a cupcake or two. How does that sound?”

I breathe a sigh of relief when they nod, because why shouldn’t they? It’s food.

Better yet, it’s cupcakes, for crying out loud.

Everything’sbetter with cupcakes.

Mira’s starting to complain—still hanging on to the side of the playpen—and Hudson picks her up without a word. I watch the two for a moment before Gabe clears his throat. He has the biggest smirk on his face when I turn to him, and I want to slap the smug expression off his face.

Instead, I duck my head to avoid his knowing gaze.

While they sit down at the table, I walk over to the counter to get one of the boxes I packed up earlier. When I open it up on the table, the sight and delicious smell in front of me make my mouth water. “Red velvet or lemon blueberry?”

Both Hudson and Gabe raise their eyebrows at my question, giving me identical expressions.

I press my lips together, silently chuckling, my shoulders shaking. “I’m guessing that means both?”

They both nod, and we all laugh. Mirabelle chimes in with her high-pitched giggle, clapping excitedly. That’s the beauty about babies. They laugh when you laugh, thinking you’re the funniest person around. Most of the time, at least.

As if she feels my eyes on her, she turns and stares me down. “Ma-ma.” The smile she gives me is so wide my heart swells, like it does every time she says it.

Before I can react, she looks away from me and to Hudson instead. She’s laughing and hitting his chest with her little fists. All of a sudden, she stills and studies his face for a moment. “Da-da.”

Her little voice seems to echo through the room while I stand there, feeling like the world just stopped moving.

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