Page 25 of Soaring and Steadfast

“Nope,” he said firmly, shaking his head. “Then it’s just bland spice cake. It has to be the good stuff.”

“Oh, amen…”

He held her gaze, something unspoken passing between them—something safe, something grounding. And then, his voice dipped into something teasing, but there was still that undercurrent of truth.

“And if one of us gets a sugar high or pukes, no one takes photos or mocks the other person.”

She arched a brow. “Has someone done that to you?”

His lips twisted into a grimace. “I’m a water guzzler when I eat too much cake, and someone thought it was funny to take a photo of me on my last ship. I downed a gallon of water, felt woozy, and had to hang my head between my legs for a bit to keep from passing out…”

“Louis!”

“Oh, I know—and then I gagged upside down,” he shivered visibly, and she laughed, the sound breaking free like something long locked away.

“Do you know how hard that is?” he continued, animated now, caught in the memory. “Your nose burns…”

She clutched her stomach, wiping at her eyes, the laughter unraveling something tight inside her as he stood, pointing athis head, demonstrating with a seriousness that only made it funnier.

“There’s pressure on your skull, your teeth and sinuses hurt, and then it’s like pushing up your esophagus… and it was once cake! But that’s not cake coming back up, Lila…”

She could barely breathe through the laughter, through the warmth curling through her chest. And then, just as effortlessly, he straightened and held out his hand—steady, patient, waiting.

“Wanna go eat carrot cake with me until we’re sick?”

Her laughter faded, her pulse stumbling at the way he looked at her—not just with amusement, but with something softer, something that settled deep.

“Let’s leave the dry cupcakes here for the new parents,” Louis said, his voice quieter now, almost unsure. “And I know of a bakery nearby that is supposed to be amazing.”

Her fingers trembled just slightly as she placed her hand in his as if stepping into something unknown but safe.

“No tricks…”

“No tricks, no lies, no judgment, nothing…” His fingers curled around hers, warm and steady. “Just you and me.”

She swallowed back her anxiety and her fear and imagined the screen of her cell phone with his words texted to her. Behind the screen, he wasn’t a threat, but this handsome man beside her felt like one.

“Are you okay?” he asked gently, holding the front door open for her. “We don’t have to go…”

“I want to, I’m just nervous,” she admitted. “I’m… I, uh, I could use something to distract me.”

“Fair enough,” he smiled gently at her. “What if I upped the ante?”

“What do you mean?”

“How about we sit on the beach, do nothing but talk about anything and everything… and we sacrifice that carrot cake,”he offered, his hazel eyes sparkling like a child’s at Christmas. “Does committing the sin of gluttony with your friend sound appealing?”

“Heaven help me, it does,” she chuckled, feeling a flicker of something within her as his smile widened and he clasped her hand a little tighter, leading her down the stairs from the apartment toward a car nearby.

The car was like him, unassuming and quiet… but nice.Man, what would that be like to have a little ‘nice’ in her life?She thought silently as she took a seat in the passenger side of the car. He walked around to the other side, sat down, and paused, looking at her.

“You’re okay – because I never want to push you into something you aren’t comfortable with.”

“I appreciate that,” she nodded quietly. “Cake, conversation, and a view of the beach sounds like the perfect Florida vacation while I’m waiting for my friend to deliver her baby.”

“Would you like me to take you by the hospital later?”

“Would you mind?”

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