Page 46 of Magic and Muffins

“I’m as sure about him as I am about you,” I said.

“Aw,” Cross said a moment before shouting, “Group hug!”

I was crushed between two hard bodies and felt Shepard trying to push Cross away without hurting me while Cross laughed. Slipping out from between them, I grinned at the pair as I watched them scuffle playfully.

Shepard walked away first and started cleaning up our dishes. He left shortly after to check in at the pack house and his people before meeting with Hugh in person.

“What would you like to do?” Cross asked after I started the dishwasher. “Your wish is my command.”

I laughed. “I don’t need any wishes fulfilled. You have already done that for me. How about a quiet evening? I could go for one of those. Maybe a little creative baking time, too. I should have asked if there was a cookie wolves favored the most.”

“I suspect their tastes vary like humans.”

It sparked an idea. “That’s perfect.”

“What is?”

“That everyone has varied tastes. What if I don’t pick the type of cookie for the class? What if the woman can choose her favorite cookie? By her making her favorite, not only can the wolf smell a potential mate but also what kind of preference she has.

“I mean, it’s only a cookie, so it will hardly represent her whole palette. But it’s a start. Gives a sliver of insight into a person. Like what if they were a coconut lover and you hated coconut?”

“I see what you’re getting at. But you would need to plan supplies for nearly every cookie conceivable.”

I shook my head. “When the women sign up for the class, they can request the cookie they want to make so I can have the ingredients ready for them.”

“Sounds like a win-win.”

The idea excited me. Everything was coming together, except it was all just talk until I put the idea into motion.

“You have a laptop here, right?” I asked.

“In the study.”

While the details were running through my head, I wanted to organize them and create a sign-up form.

Sitting behind the desk, I opened the laptop and laughed at the desktop screen. It was a selfie of Shepard sleeping and Cross pretend-kissing his cheek.

“Does Shepard know about this?”

Cross nodded with a wink. “He wasn’t happy at first, but you know he can’t say no to me for long.”

I shook my head at him, loving that he was playful with Shepard. His relaxed approach had probably helped win Shepard over.

Creating a new document, I flooded it with ideas. Cross helped fill in where needed. By the time we were done, we had a list of things we would need, a promotional image for social media posts and ads, social media accounts, and a form for class sign-ups.

I leaned back, happy with our work, when a slice of pizza appeared in front of my nose. It smelled delicious and helped me realize I skipped dinner.

“When did you get this?” I asked Cross.

“It was just delivered. I didn’t want to disturb your progress. But I think it’s time for dinner, a little mindless television that people seem to love to watch, and then bed.”

I closed the laptop and grabbed the slice of pizza. Following him out to the living room, I saw he had the box of pizza on the coffee table in front of the couch. We settled in, and I curled up against him, feasting, cuddling, and watching a mindless movie.

The movie didn’t even matter. Just having a normal evening was exactly what I needed.

CHAPTERTEN

“How long areyou going to sleep?” Cross murmured as he kissed the side of my neck.

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