Page 74 of Worth the Heat
While it may have started as fake, it’s clear to anyone that the relationship between Isabella Santo and Sebastian Garcia will stand the test of time. What we didn’t know, however, was the fact that our favorite biker boy also rocks the title of hot dad!
Other online news sources may give you his child’s name, gender, age, and all the details I’m privy to, but I will not be doing that. I firmly believe children should stay off the Internet. Is the child gorgeous? Absolutely. But I will not feature them at all.
The child’s biological mother chose not to be part of their life. And while Ms. Santo may never have viewed herself as maternal, I have no doubt she will be an excellent mother. This author hopes Mr. Garcia and Ms. Santo choose to procreate, as whatever offspring they produce will be absolutely breathtaking.
Isabella: WTF!
Me: What?
Isabella: That stupid website just posted an article about us, Camila, and any potential offspring!
Me: Did they print Camila’s name? Because I have no problem going after them for that.
Isabella: No, they claim that they feel children shouldn’t be on the Internet that way.
Me: Well. Shockingly, I agree with them.
Me: I also agree that you’ll be an excellent mother.
ISABELLA
Summer fades into fall, and I get comfortable in my new normal. Sebastian moved forward with purchasing the distillery a few doors down from my bakery, and spends most of his days working from my kitchen. At first, I was aggravated at having him invade my space. My kitchen has always been my sanity. It was where I could go to unwind, process things, and find my confidence. But slowly, Sebastian has become my saving grace. My person. The one who gives me peace and confidence to be exactly who I’m meant to be. There’s something so incredibly tranquil about working in my kitchen while Sebastian sits beside me, quietly typing on a laptop. Every so often, he’ll ask what I’m working on, or reach over to touch me in some way. A light caress of my cheek, a kiss on my temple, or a massage of my neck. Somehow he knows when I need it. I think it grounds us both.
From a baking perspective, autumn is my favorite season. I love making things with pumpkin, apple, cranberry, and cinnamon, as we get ready for the holidays. Apple dumplings, cranberry bars, maple blondies, and my favorite thing of all: pumpkin cheesecake bites. People can’t seem to say no to an adorable little ball of orange bliss, shaped like a pumpkin, and rolled in sugar. Even when I make dozens at a time, they’ll sell out before noon.
“What are you working on?” Sebastian asks quietly.
I’m rolling out dough for my second most popular item. “A sugar cookie with a maple glaze.”
“Bet the kids love that one,” he comments.
“They do, but my frosted Christmas ornament in November and December is much more popular.”
“Ava is up front, right?”
“Yes. She’s here until close.” My lovely employee with the lead foot didn’t even bat an eyelash when I explained the situation with my ex-boyfriend. In fact, she seemed even more excited. Sebastian is convinced she has some sociopathic tendencies.
“Good. I need to run down to the bar. I should be back in fifteen or twenty minutes. Will you be okay?”
Sebastian hates leaving me alone here, even for a few minutes. “I’ll be fine. No one knows I’m back here. I’m hoping to go home early today anyway. Can we leave when you get back?”
He smiles. “Of course. Camila is having a sleepover with Hannah and Luca, so we’ll have the house to ourselves.”
Camila is pretty much obsessed with all of my nieces and nephews, but especially Luca’s two kids, Melanie and Caleb. She’s older than Melanie, but they love playing with all of Melanie’s stuffed animals. Caleb is very much still a Momma’s boy, but he’s fascinated with watching his big sister and Camila play.
“Do you have plans for me, Mr. Garcia?” I ask coyly, and he wraps his arms around my waist, pulling me snugly against him.
“I always have plans for you,” he whispers seductively against my ear, his hot breath sending a shiver down my spine. “I’ll be back soon.”
“Hurry. Now I have plans for you too,” I call out as he strides from the room. I hear his loud laughter all the way out the bakery door.
Shaking my head, I get back to carefully icing the maple leaf-shaped cookies, when I hear Ava ask me to come out front. Her voice sounds different, and I’m immediately on edge. I take off mygloves, grab my phone, and pull up Sebastian’s contact. I hit ‘call’ and stuff the phone in my jeans, between my skin and my panties. I figure it’ll be too obvious if I put it in my pocket, even though I know any conversation will be really muted under the fabric. But I’d rather have Sebastian alerted about nothing than have no way to contact him if something is wrong. And something tells me I’m about to wish Sebastian had never left the bakery.
“What’s up?” I ask, rounding the corner and stopping on a dime when I see three men, one of whom is holding a gun to Ava’s temple. “Let her go, please. She doesn’t know anything.”
“Bitch, I’ll decide who gets let go,” one of them snarls. Looking to the right, I notice one of the guys looks very familiar. He smiles, a sinister grimace that sends fear shooting down my spine.
“I think our girl remembers me,” he boasts, making the other two laugh. He strides toward me, his chest out in arrogance. “Time to meet the boss.”
