Page 56 of Love Without Control

“There you go, buddy,” Dane said, handing it over.

“So sorry about that,” the woman said, finally catching up. “You must be Eden and Dane. Mimsy said you two were staying in the Smith house for a while.”

“That’s us, and it’s no problem,” I said, giving the woman a smile. She had blonde hair scraped into a haphazard ponytail and a pretty, round face. “Are you Charlisse?”

“What’s left of her,” she joked.

I squatted to the kid—who I remembered was named Cooper—and poked his belly. “And you must be… don’t tell me. Let me guess.” Tapping my chin with my index finger, I hummed. “Hmmm, you look like your name would be Booper.”

“Nooo,” he giggled.

“I feel like I’m on the right track though. Is it Pooper?”

He fell onto the grass, holding his belly as he laughed. “I’m dying of funny-ness.”

We all laughed right along with him. The kid was freaking adorable with chubby cheeks, blue eyes that matched his mother’s, and sandy-brown hair.

“Okay,” I conceded. “I get one more guess. I’m going to say Cooper.”

His mouth popped into a little O as his eyes turned into saucers. “That’s right. I is Cooper.”

“Well, it’s nice to meet you, Cooper,” I told him, helping him to his feet. “I’m Eden, and this is Dane.”

His gaze traveled up and up. “You’re really tall, and you have dirt on your shirt.”

“Cooper!” his mother hiss-scolded him before turning her pleading eyes on Dane. “I am sooo sorry.”

“Nah, that’s alright. I do have dirt on my shirt because I’ve been down at the beach,” Dane said easily.

“That’s where we’re going,” the little boy said. “We’re going to play footbawwwl.”

“Yes, we’re going now.” Charlisse rolled her eyes and muttered, “Before my kid says anything else to embarrass me.”

Dane chuckled. “It was nice to meet you.”

“You as well,” she said, swiping some grass from her son’s hair as they walked toward Sombrero Beach.

Pinching my tongue between my teeth, I piped pink icing onto one of the cupcakes Dane had made that afternoon. “This sucks,” I griped, watching as the lopsided form took shape.

Dane inspected it and wisely set it down without a word, but he was obviously unimpressed. In the time it took me to make one ugly cupcake, he’d already finished a half dozen. And they looked freaking spectacular.

“Why do yours look so good?” I grumped, setting down my piping bag. “Yours look like Michael Jackson cupcakes, and I’m over here making Tito.”

Dane cackled and cast my catastrophic attempt one more glance. “You just need practice.”

I leaned forward with my chin in my hand. “Or I could just watch the master do his thing.”

“That works too,” he said, picking up a sheet of wax paper with tiny purple bits of frosting on it.When the hell did he make those?I watched with fascination as he peeled off each purple bit and placed them on top of one of the cupcakes with tweezers until they formed…

“Is that a lilac?” I breathed as he adjusted one of the frosting petals until it was exactly where he wanted it.

“Mmhmmm,” he hummed absently, holding it up and scrutinizing it like he was a jeweler who had just acquired the Hope Diamond. “I think the petals dried a little dark and with too much blue. I’ll lighten it and add a little pink next time.”

I lifted skeptical eyebrows at his self-criticism. “Looks perfect to me. ”

Giving a one-shoulder shrug, he placed the masterpiece in front of me with a shy smile on his face. “See how it tastes.”

“This is for me?” I couldn’t disguise the utter delight in my voice. “It’s too pretty to eat.”

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