Page 49 of Baking With A Rockstar

Definitely a lot more than I’d planned.

It seems like there’s nothing I can do about it either. Not that I’m sure I’d even want to.

Studying him, I try to figure out if he’s serious right now or not. “Don’t be shy. Obviously, I’ve heard your music before. It’s awesome and beautiful, and I love it. Plus, I don’t think you could write a bad song, even if you wanted to.”

His eyes widen and his mouth opens a little. “You think so? We’ve never really talked about my music before, I guess. And with you not recognizing me when we first met, I just assumed you weren’t into it.”

“Are you crazy?” NowI’mthe one who looks at him in shock. Now that I think about it, I realize he’s right. We haven’t talked about it before. “Iloveyour music. The only reason I didn’t recognize you was because I’m not big into the celebrity scene. I never know who’s who when I see pictures. That’s Mo’s specialty. And to be fair, I was a little distracted by your half-naked entrance.”

Hudson’s grin turns into a smug smile. It’s pretty obvious he knows exactly what I’m talking about and probably how much it affects me too.

Way to go. Might as well tell him more about his abs and happy trail while you’re at it.

I laugh nervously, then take a sip of my coffee. “Anyway. We were talking about Monica. My friend Mo.”

I definitely deserve an award in awkward conversation skills today.

Just then, Hannah walks into the kitchen with Mirabelle in her arms, and I sigh in relief.

Hannah to the rescue.

She walks over to me, barely able to hold on to Mira, who’s jumping around in her arms at the sight of us.

Holding out my hands for Mira, I give her some cuddles. “Hi, sweetie, did you have a good walk?”

Hannah chuckles. “You should have seen her at the pond when she saw the ducks. She loves them.”

“She does. We have to take her there more often.” I look at Mira, brushing the hair out of her face. “Did you see the duckies, sweetie? Quack, quack.”

Just as expected, she laughs and wiggles around in my arms, having become slightly obsessed with animal sounds lately.

After getting a drink, Hannah sits down next to Hudson, looking at me. “Has Gabe set everything up for Monica?”

I hand Mira one of the toys from the counter, then turn to Hannah. “I think he has everything prepped. At least that’s what he said the last time we talked. I offered to help him several times, but he wanted to do it by himself.”

She chuckles and shakes her head. “He’s always like that, don’t worry. He loves to help others, but when it comes to his own stuff, he likes to do things alone and his way.”

Hudson puts down his pencil and looks at me with furrowed brows. “I still don’t understand why she doesn’t want to stay here. Wouldn’t that be so much more convenient for everyone?”

Now that Mira’s around, I close my laptop, not wanting to break it. I’ve had to learn quickly that even though older babies are still super small, they can break just as much as a bull in a china store if given the opportunity. No need to chance that. “She knows that Mira and I have already set up camp here. She didn’t want to add another person toyourhouse.”

Hudson opens his mouth to say something, but I hold up my finger.

Mira grabs my outstretched finger and laughs as I continue. “Plus, Gabe offered, so it’s totally out of my hands anyway.”

“Yeah, I know he did.”

“Something’s obviously on your mind, so spit it out already.”

His gaze flicks over to his grandmother. “It’s nothing, really. Don’t worry about it.”

Hannah eyes him suspiciously too, but apparently makes the decision to let it slide when she turns back to me. “I think it’s a great idea. Gabe has been alone for way too long. It’ll be good for him to have a friend around. I know she won’t be staying with him at the house, but at least she’ll be on the same property. Monica’s a lot of fun. Exactly what Gabe needs.”

It’s useless to say I haven’t been a little worried about the arrangement, but I won’t get in the middle of it. I can only hope everything will work out. “I hope so. It sounds like Mo and Gabe are very similar when it comes to doing things their own way though, so I hope they won’t clash.”

Hannah gives me a reassuring smile. “They’re both adults, so they’ll figure it out. Stop worrying about it.”

I snort. “I know, I know.”

---