Page 65 of How To Fake A Fiancé

I realize this could also be a good opportunity to spend time with Kami’s mom. No doubt with her I’ll get more straightforward answers. It’s clear Kami isn’t going to tell me what she’s going through emotionally. I might be grasping at straws, but it’s better than being stonewalled by the woman I’m desperate to know, love, and claim as mine.

I interject, “If you don’t mind, ma’am, I’d like to help you with baking today.”

“You would? Oh, that’s so sweet of you. Kami, your man is such the southern gentleman. I’m almost positive you’ve hit a gold mine. We’ll get started once breakfast is over.”

I let out a chuckle. “Thank you for the flattery, ma’am. I just want to help in any way I can.”

“Do you know the first thing about baking?” Kami challenges in a whisper.

I turn my gaze to her. “There’s a lot of things you still have yet to know about me, darlin’.”

She blinks at my clapback as I rise from my seat, kiss her forehead, and grab both of our now-empty plates.

Once the rest of the dishes are clean and put away, Aaron and John start working on the turkey outside on the back patio. Kami and Sofia head out the door shortly after.

After saying her goodbyes to her girls, Maria walks into the kitchen and claps her hands together. “Let’s get to work, Ian.”

“Yes, ma’am,” I chime. “Where should we start?”

I watch as Maria grabs a small booklet out of a nearby drawer and sets it on the island. Once she opens it, I see it’s a scrapbook with a variety of recipes.

She and I stand on opposite ends of the island as she quickly flips through one recipe after the other. I catch glimpses of different Mexican cuisine that make my mouth water. Every so often, she’d stops and plucks out a recipe.

Once she’s done, there are three recipes lying beside each other. One is for chocolate cake, one for pumpkin pie, and one for lemon bars.

And suddenly I’m hungry again.

“Lots to do today. Good thing I have an extra set of hands. Makes things easier and go faster.” She smiles to me as she ties a pink apron around her waist.

Once she’s done, she hands me a black one. I look at the front of the apron and chuckle. “Is John a Batman fan?”

The front shows an illustrated Batman suit from the pecs and abs and down to the groin.

She looks at me amused. “No, but my ex from a couple of years ago was. The only thing he graciously left behind was this apron.”

“Seems like he had good taste in superheroes.”

Grabbing large mixing bowls, she starts to prep. “Superheroes, I’m afraid, were the only things he had good taste in.”

“Poor guy.”

She shrugs. “His loss.”

“Well, you and John look great together,” I compliment, changing the subject.

“Thank you. Took a lot of frogs in my life after my ex-husband left to find my prince charming.” She looks out onto the back patio, watching John hold the turkey while Aaron begins to season it. “But in the end, he found me.”

Sending her a warm smile, I gather flour, eggs, and every other ingredient, then place them on the island.

There are so many questions that float in my mind. Where is Kami’s dad? Why did he leave? Why doesn’t Kami ever want to talk about her childhood?

“If you don’t mind my asking, Maria, what was Kami’s childhood like? I’d ask her myself, but she never seems to want to talk about it.”

“It’s no trouble at all. Kami is a very private person, even when she was little. She’s always been a bit shy.”

“I want to take care of her, but she hardly lets me.”

She nods with understanding lining her face. “That girl has always had an independent streak, especially after her father left. It’s nothing personal.”

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