Page 14 of Dead Ball Situation

“They haven’t stopped coming all morning.”

Sacha didn’t know how to react. He didn’t want to tell Baba about Bandit’s cheating and break her heart, but neither could he find an ounce of forgiveness.

“You don’t look happy. Are these the gift of a guilty conscience?”

Sacha worked up a smile he didn’t feel. “No. I’m just overwhelmed and not feeling great.”

Baba nodded. “Okay. I’d hate to curse the boy. It’s been a long time since I dragged out my magic, but I would for you.”

Sacha’s smile turned genuine. “I know, Baba.” The doorbell rang, saving Sacha from their conversation. If it was more flowers, he would tell them to take them back and not darken his door again. Bandit didn’t mean it. Flowers were a cheater’s gift. They made Sacha’s chest hurt. Baylor and Chipper stood on the steps, waiting. Sacha suddenly wished he had bothered a little with his appearance.

“Hey. This is a nice surprise.” He hoped. Damn. It was possible this had to do with Bandit and he might be fucked.

Baylor flashed a bright smile. “Hi, gorgeous. It’s so good to see your face.”

Sacha waved them inside. “I know. It feels like we’re always missing each other.”

Baylor nodded as he stepped inside. “To be fair, I barely work anymore.” He paused halfway to the kitchen. “Holy shit, Sacha. Is there a reason you have a flower shop in your house?”

Sacha waved away the question and rushed the pair to the table before Baba butted in. “It’s a project.”

“Oh.” Baylor blinked. Chipper pulled a chair out for him. “I’ll admit I haven’t kept up with things the way I should.”

Sacha waited until Chipper sat before joining them. “It’s okay. You’re still newlyweds. You’re allowed to bask.”

Chipper winked.

Everything inside Sacha sighed. Some people really got it all.

Baylor shifted nervously, setting alarm bells clanging in Sacha’s head. “Actually, that’s kind of why I’m here. When Chipper and I got married, we already knew we wanted to adopt. With Zander’s help, it’ll probably happen very quickly and we’ll be dealing with what’ll likely be a special needs child.”

Fuck. He was about to be given even more work. His chest felt like it might cave.

“So, I’ve made one of the hardest decisions of my life to dissolve my business.”

It was worse. He couldn’t breathe, but Baylor kept talking like he hadn’t ripped the rug out from beneath Sacha.

“I don’t want to split my time and travel with a child who’ll likely have a lot of separation issues already. It wouldn’t be fair. Plus,after losing Micah, I don’t know if I can handle being away from another child.”

Everything he said was fair, but not to Sacha. He tried not to hyperventilate.

“But I also don’t want you to think I’d just leave you like this, so Chipper and I have a proposal for you. We’d like to fund a startup. You’re the most talented cake artist I’ve ever seen in my life, and in my business, I’ve seen a lot. We already have thirty orders lined up for you at two thousand a cake.”

Sacha blinked. He couldn’t breathe for a new reason.

Baylor didn’t seem to notice. “Don’t worry. You know I’m good at scheduling. There’s no time crunch. I calculated plenty of time for each creation. I also left plenty of space for you to take on more orders. So, what do you say?”

Sacha was stunned speechless. “I don’t know what to say. There are so many details. How much percentage will I get of these orders?” Sacha hated to be all about the money, but he kind of had to be.

Baylor made a dismissive motion. “I won’t be taking a percentage. Plus, I’ve already deposited a severance check of seven hundred and fifty thousand into your account. That’s five years' pay. Hopefully, that’ll be enough to get you started.”

Artem burst through the door and threw his backpack away as he ran toward Sacha. He skidded to a stop and didn’t bothersaying hello before shoving his phone beneath Sacha’s nose. Sacha’s chin dropped. His hands shook as he reached for the device. He felt the final pieces of his heart shatter. There it was. Tip kissing Bandit. He supposed it was some sort of gossip article, but the proof was still the same.

Sacha passed the phone back to Artem. “I’m sorry. Please excuse me.” That was all he managed before he darted for his bedroom. He couldn’t deal with anything else today.

Sacha sat on the edge of the bed and wrapped his arms around his stomach. He felt like he would fly apart if he took too deep of a breath. A light knock sounded before Baylor walked in without waiting for an invitation. He sat next to Sacha and squeezed him against his side. Sacha lost the battle. Tears flowed down his cheeks as silent sobs racked his body. He had known, but seeing it was more than he could take. Sacha had honestly thought it was love. He was so fucking ridiculous. Of course, Bandit wouldn’t love someone like him.

Baylor kissed his temple. “Let it out. Do you want to break something? I could drive you to go slash his tires.”

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