Page 2 of Devil

The bakery was busy, which gave me the opportunity to look Bailey over as she moved behind the counter filling orders. I'd stayed away from her since coming back for good. At least as much as was physically possible when two people lived in the same town, knew some of the samepeople, and did business in the same stores. But I had. I could count on one hand how many times I had gotten a glimpse of her, whether it was passing by as she walked out of the grocery, or seeing her through the window of the bakery as I rode past.

Time apart hadn’t changed much because I knew from the stiffening of her body that she somehow sensed I was there. She verified that when she stood with the current customer’s order in her hands. Her eyebrows crinkled as she looked at me, but then her eyes moved beside me to Ally, and the corners of her mouth turned up. Bailey continued with the customers while Ally and I waited.

When our turn came, and we stepped closer to the counter, and she was in arm’s reach of me, that damn voice came back. And as she looked at me and I ran my eyes over her, dumbass didn’t even come close to how stupid I’d been.

Bailey had curves in all the right places, ones to remind a man when he holds on all the reasons why he loves females. She had her hair pulled back in a ponytail and rolled up into a net in the back. But I could still picture how it flowed over her shoulders and down her back in waves. One thing was for sure, if I closed my eyes, I could still remember how the strands felt as I ran them through my fingers. When I made my way back to her face and looked into the brown of her eyes, I could see the hurt that laid deep in their depths.

“What can I get you, Lance?”

“How about one of your strawberry cheesecakes and is that an apple pie in the case?” The smile that spread across her face and the chuckle that followed caught me off guard. “What’s so funny?” Then I wished I would have kept my mouth shut when the smile faded.

“Sorry, it just...well.” At one time, we could say anything to each other. And now, Bailey felt the need to apologize for smiling. “It’s what you used to ask my mom when you would come over to the house and she’d been baking. You know, when we were...” She paused.

“Dating? A couple? Together? Is it that hard to say, Bailey?” Christ, could I be a biggerdick?But it pissed me off that she felt she couldn’t even mention that we’d once been together. And the mad was for myself because I was the one responsible for the awkwardness between us. “Is it?” I don’t know why I pushed, but I watched the change in her as she stared at me. She clenched her teeth, and her upper lip curled slightly. Then she looked over at Ally who was busy looking at all the desserts in the case ignoring us before her eyes came back to me and she leaned in closer. At least as far as the counter between us would allow her.

“Ohno,you don’t, Lance Cummings. You don’t get to come into this bakery and get an attitude because I couldn’t finish my sentence. A matter of fact, you don’t get to have an attitude about anything that concerns me. Your choice, not mine as I recall,” Bailey whispered, which I was sure because of Ally, but she made her point.

“How’s your mom doing, Bailey?” She leaned back and stood straight. Her face lost the mad it was wearing at the mention of her mom.

"Good,really good. The doctors cleared her to get back to an actual life. She worked today and seeing her here, well...it was great. With the mastectomy and chemo, they feel they got it all. Time and no reoccurrence will better her odds, but we will take it for now.”

"That is good to hear." I smiled, and she nodded. I always liked Claire. She treated me like part of their family when I was with Bailey. I had checked on Claire often through a contact I had at the hospital.

“So... Can I get you the cheesecake and the pie or do you want something else?” Bailey moved over to stand behind the case where Ally stood with her finger in her mouth, in deep thought, no doubt over the selection of cupcakes. It was also Bailey’s way of ending our previous conversation.

When I didn't answer Bailey right away, she turned her head in my direction, and her eyebrows creased as I stared back at her.

“Lance?”

I smiled and then said, “Sure, babe, that will be good for right now.” The crease in her brows deepened at my words, but she turned and pulled the two items out of the case and boxed them. I, on the other hand, battled in my head with everything I had said about staying away. I’d been ten kinds of stupid. Shit, even bantering with Bailey, I’d been more relaxed in her presence than I’d been for I don’t know how long. “Ally, have you made up your mind?” I unglued my feet from the spot where I stood and moved beside her.

“Can I haves two?” Ally looked up at me and smiled. As I looked down into her blue eyes, I wondered how the hell anyone was ever going to be able to tell this little girl no. It hadn’t happened yet. I was sure life at the MC was going to be real interesting when she hit puberty.

“Yeah, Spider, get what you want.” Ally faced Bailey and pointed to the ones she wanted. Bailey pulled them out and placed them in a box too.

“Yous comin’ to my birthday party, Bailey? I’m gonna be five,” Ally said proudly. Bailey chuckled.

“I am. I’m even making your cake.” I couldn’t help but smile, especially when I saw how Bailey’s eyes lit up and her expression softened as she spoke to Ally.

“Yay,what’sit gonna be? Mommawontstell me. She said it was supposed to be a surprise.”

"Well, I guess that means you’ll have to wait to find out then, Spider," I said, and Ally looked at me and put her hands on her hips.

“That’snotreallysfair, Uncle Devil.” The look Ally gave me was a familiar one. Speed had used that very same look hundreds of times growing up when he wanted the rest of us to do what he said.

“Yep, and trying to get Bailey to tell you your surprise isn’t either?” I cocked my brow and waited as Ally frowned at me. I could only imagine the wheels turning in her head. “Whatever you got working in that head, save it. We need to headback,so we are there whenyour momma and Carly have dinner finished.”

"‘K. Can I eat a cupcake in the car?" Bailey chuckled, and I glanced over at her and smiled.

"Nope." Ally's head dropped, and I could see her mouth in full pout. When Sami and Ally first moved to Black Hawk me or one of the others would have jumped through hoops to make her smile again. That was until Sami and Carly called us suckers, then laughed and informed us Ally had each of us wrapped around her finger. The others and I wanted to argue with the women but what would that have accomplished. Instead, we all agreed. I, for one, hoped the pint-sized biker chick never learned to tear up, because we would all be screwed. “Not going to work, I’m on to you.” Jeez, when her head raised and her eyes hit mine, then she smirked, the only thing I could think was maybe screwed wasn't a strong enough word.

“You men are doomed. You know that, right?” Bailey said and chuckled as she rang up the sale. I moved to stand in front of the register and pulled out my wallet to pay.

“You might be right. When I have kids, they’re going to be all boys.” I picked up the boxes and held them with one arm and reached for Ally’s hand with the other.

"It's a 50/50 chance. You're a medic. You should know that?” Bailey grinned.

“Nah, myol’ lady wouldn’t do that to me. Besides, nothing but male swimmers,” I answered as Ally pulled on the door and I hooked it with my foot and used my hip to open it for us.

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