Page 12 of Finding Home with You

“How did you know how to make all those cupcakes?” I ask him and he chuckles a little. It’s not something most guys would know how to do, let alone most guys I would get involved with.

Ryan shifts so he’s looking at me, putting a small bit of distance between us as we lie side by side on the bed. He reaches over and tucks my hair behind my ear and gives me the cheekiest grin before he answers me.

“What if I told you I paid someone else to make them so I could impress you?” he says, but the smirk on his face gives him away and I swat him on the chest with my hand.

“You’re a liar,” I quip back, and this time he laughs, his voice hoarse with sleep still, but something about it is incredibly sexy.

“I am,” he retorts back and this time it’s me that laughs.

“So seriously, the cupcakes?” I ask, my elbow now propped up and my head resting on my hand, a questioning look on my face.

“My mom,” he says, casually like everyone’s mom teaches them how to bake in their spare time. “She had me in the kitchen with her for as long as I can remember. I have three sisters and being the only boy was never an excuse to not help out.” He shrugs his shoulders again like it’s nothing.

“That’s really cool. I think I’d like your mom,” I say and then immediately regret my words. Why the hell would I say that? It implies that I want to meet his family or that I think this is a full-on relationship.

I roll away from him, mortified by my comment, but Ryan senses my unease and quickly pulls me back toward him.

“Erin,” he murmurs, “You would like my mom and she’s going to love you.”

My stomach feels like it has just flipped over and I swear to god he loves to shock me. My heart is racing in my chest, the sound filling my ears, and I hope like hell that he doesn’t notice my face flush embarrassingly.

“I love that I can make you blush, Red,” Ryan whispers, his mouth next to my ear, as his warm breath against my neck causes goose bumps to spread across my skin.

It’s hard to rattle me; it’s even more difficult to make me fall silent, but holy shit if Ryan Summers isn’t a professional at knowing how to turn my life upside down.

“Do you want to know a secret?” he asks and all I can do is nod my head in response, afraid I’ll say something stupid and give myself away even more. “I love to cook. Like, I fucking love it.”

I laugh out loud and not because of what he’s said but because he couldn’t be any more fucking perfect.

“I’m a terrible cook,” I admit and now it’s him who is laughing.

“What? That’s not possible. You were supposed to bake three dozen cupcakes for Kelsey, which I want to add, I made four dozen.” He winks at me, a confident look on his face.

He’s such an overachieving cheeky shit, and again I playfully swat at him before explaining myself.

“I can bake, and I bake pretty damn well,” I say, tooting my own horn a bit; if he can do it, so can I. “But I can’t cook to save my life. I’d starve if it wasn’t for carry out and frozen pizza.”

“I find that hard to believe. If you can bake, then you can cook.”

I shake my head in response and Ryan rolls his eyes muttering something about me being full of shit and him needing to give me cooking lessons.

The room falls silent again and I run my fingers through his hair wondering if life could get any better than this. My shit day yesterday turned into the perfect night with the perfect man, only to start off again with the perfect morning. I don’t have any idea how I got this lucky.

“Now about that thank you I’m owed…” Ryan jokes, breaking the silence, a look on his face that says he’s ready to collect now. I laugh out loud and give his ass a little smack before pushing him away from me.

“Another time,” I respond back, climbing out of bed quickly, his eyes trailing over my half-naked body. “We’ve gotta help Kelsey get ready for Beck’s party. You don’t want all those amazing cupcakes to go to waste now, do you?”

“Ugh…” Ryan exhales hard running his hand through his hair. “Put some clothes on or I’ll be eating cupcakes off that fine ass body of yours instead. I don’t give a shit about that party.”

Laughing at him, I wink before heading to the bathroom. I hear Ryan scrambling out of the bed and I yell, “Don’t you dare come in here! I’m showering alone or we both know we’ll never get to the party.”

“Erin!” he screams, and I hear him fall back onto the bed letting out a loud groan.

A few hours, many swats of a hand, and a few grumbles about not being allowed to straighten my hair in my underwear later, we are on our way to Beck’s birthday party.

When we walk in Kelsey is freaking out about us being late, not that we are actually late seeing as the party doesn’t start for another three hours, but she’s still about to lose her shit.

Ryan has the cupcakes stacked in his arms three boxes high as I guide him over to the bar to set them down. Kelsey immediately opens the top box and gasps out loud.

---