Page 9 of Baking for His Omega

Gideon rose up to his full height. “It’s on the house. I’m glad you two came. How about we sit together and enjoy a break?”

“Are you sure? There might be another rush.”

“I’m sure.”

We sat at a table, and Gideon brought over another danish for himself and my bear claw, along with a fruit cup and spoon for Wyatt. “Thank you. And thank you for all your help yesterday.”

“You’re welcome. I’m happy you came today. I was actually planning on calling you tonight.”

That took me by surprise. My heart fluttered. “You were?”

“Yes. But since you’re here, I can ask you in person. Would you like to go out on a date with me, omega?”

Omega. The word fell from his mouth like warm honey. Sweet. Inviting. Dangerously sexy.

I said nothing for a moment. I wanted to say yes, and my deer was already celebrating inside me.

No. I couldn’t be hurt again. And I wouldn’t bring another male into my life who would bond with Wyatt only to leave us again.

“I can’t,” I said and got up so fast I knocked the chair over and almost fell down.

Gideon shot out of his chair and caught my arm, stopping me from making an even bigger idiot of myself. “I see,” he said, and my heart broke. He sounded so disappointed.

“I have to go.”

Wyatt and I were out of there in seconds, and almost instantly the regret sank in. I told myself the decision was the right one for me and my son but, that night, as I lay awake in bed, alone, I wondered if that was true.

Chapter Nine

Gideon

Why did I have to be so pushy?

We were having a nice conversation, and he was enjoying my pastries, and I had to go and ruin everything. After leaving his home the night before, I couldn’t get Kelly out of my mind. A bear waited his whole life to meet his mate, and I’d never done anything harder than walk away after helping him clean up after the party.

His scent, the brightness of ripe summer peaches, remained in my nose, bringing forth an image of his face every time I closed my eyes. He’d been so lively, leading the games and handing out slices of cake. All the children loved him, but especially Wyatt who watched him with such adoration. He’d mentioned wanting the other father to be part of the little guy’s life, but did that mean that he would welcome him back into his own?

Or was he never entirely out? Couples had trouble and broke up and still, especially where children were involved, they managed to find a way to get back together. From his reaction to my invitation, either he wanted to try to make that work, or he wasn’t interested in me like that.

My bear was so sure he was our mate, and I shared that feeling, but did that mean Kelly would feel the same? Could one person think they were fated and the other completely disagree?

I finally fell asleep sometime after midnight, but I woke up a couple of hours later with an idea for a danish I hadn’t made before.

There was nothing for it but to get right down to the bakery and start the day’s baking. I wasn’t likely to get any more sleep now. Plus, I was excited about the danish. At the startof summer, everyone was looking for flavors that mirrored the season. In fact, I’d just gotten a case of peaches from one of the orchards outside of town the day before and had been trying to decide what to make with them. I would do a fresh peach pie, of course, with mountains of fluffy whipped cream, and turnovers. Muffins with that crumbly topping that Anisette said everyone liked so much.

And peach danish. It was practically a festival of the fruit. I could even get her to make a sign for the window. I had spent the predawn hours baking so many peach pastries and desserts, the bakery had the scent of my mate, which was less soothing than I might have anticipated. Rather, it kept him in the forefront of my mind.

By the time Anisette arrived, I had the racks filled with at least double what I usually baked in a day. “Are we expecting a crowd?” she asked, filling her mug from the coffee urn. “It smells incredible in here. Like summertime.”

“That’s exactly what I was going for. I’m glad you think I achieved it.” At least, if I never had a mate, I could enjoy my work. “Before you fill the cases out front, maybe you could make a sign letting people know we are featuring peaches today? I have overdone things a bit.”

Anisette leaned close to the danish and sniffed. “The danish smells heavenly.”

“Please take one and let me know if you like it. If it’s good, we can probably continue to serve it for a month or so until peaches start to go out of season.”

“All right!” Anisette picked up one of the pastries and set it on a small plate. “Ohhh, it’s still warm.” She carried the plate and her mug to the kitchen island and climbed up on a stool. “It’s going to be a big hit.”

“You haven’t even had a bite yet,” I protested.

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