Page 22 of A Real Alpha
I kissed him again and this time, his shy smile made it even sweeter.
“I didn't have time to make breakfast, but I can feed you fresh baked goods downstairs.”
“Alright,” he finally agreed. “I'll come down after Roscoe wakes up.”
“Great.”
I looked down at the little guy, fast asleep on the carpet. It was fluffy and babies weren't supposed to have blankets and pillows and the like, but I still felt guilty when I saw him there.
Dropping to my knees, I bent and very gently kissed the soft hair on the top of his head. He shifted and wiggled a little but didn't wake up. Everything that little angel did just made my heart feel tender.
When I stood, Connor was watching me with a strange look in his eyes, but I was already running too late to scrutinize it. “I'll see you downstairs?”
He nodded and with that, I took off to open the cafe.
Igor was waiting at the back door, looking a little cross when he saw me rushing down the stairs.
“The muffins won’t be ready for opening,” he said gruffly.
“I'm sorry, I'm sorry,” I said, ducking past the large alpha to unlock the door. “I have to get an extra key for you.”
“You should if you plan to continue to be so irresponsible.”
I let him in, quickly entering the alarm code after I did. Huffing, he went straight to the kitchen, flicking on all the lights. I couldn't blame him; Igor took his baking very seriously. I was convinced that he was half the reason we had lines out the door every morning.
Sighing, I quickly turned on the rest of the lights, arranged all the chairs at the tables and made sure we were ready to open. By the time I’d flipped the Open sign, Igor had workedhis magic and was already delivering hot scones to the display and the muffins were just behind those. He nodded to me, looking pleased, and went back into the kitchen to prepare the sandwiches.
Relieved, I took orders as first customers lined up. I hurried through the coffee orders until the morning rush passed, all the while glancing at the clock wondering when Connor would arrive. He was all I could think about.
It wasn't until noon and when Sage walked in to start her shift that Connor suddenly appeared at the front door, as though he was a normal customer and nothing more. My heart leaped at the sight of him. He was all cleaned up. Roscoe was too, in one of the outfits I'd bought him. With the afternoon sun shining in the window behind them, I was pretty sure they were otherworldly, and just for me. When Connor’s gaze caught mine, something passed between us that made my heart skip.
He came up to the counter, smiling shyly.
“Hi,” he said.
“Hey, how are you?”
“Good,” he laughed, glancing around.
“What can I get you?” I asked eagerly. “Pick whatever you want.”
His cheeks heated but he walked to the glass display, reading all the labels.
I couldn't tear my eyes away. Even the way he moved was so sweet. He had one hand in Roscoe's tiny grip for comfort and he bit his lower lip like he was uncertain but trying not to be.
Finally, he glanced at me and pointed to one of the egg sandwiches.
I took it and plated it right away. “With a muffin?” I suggested. “They're really good.”
He shrugged and nodded, blush deepening. “Okay.”
“And a coffee?” I asked. “How do you like it?”
“Um...Maybe a latte?”
“Sure. Go find a seat and I'll bring it all out to you,” I suggested.
He nodded and turned, only glancing back at me once.
