Page 78 of Sweet on You
“I hope so. I don’t want her thinking I abandoned her for the first year of her life.”
Concern etched lines into his face and I brushed my fingers across his knitted brow. “She’s still a baby. She’s not going to blame you for that. Besides, you have years to find ways of screwing her up and get her to blame you for other things. Just you wait. When I was fourteen, I flunked a test and blamed my mom because she got home from her nursing shift late and we didn’t have dinner ‘til nine o’clock.”
“You blamed your mum for that?”
I rolled my eyes in spite of myself. “See? We’re all little shits growing up. You and Olivia will be perfectly fine. Not without bumps in the road, but nothing you two can’t overcome.”
Another sigh. “I hope you’re right. My parents and I didn’t have that kind of relationship. I couldn’t talk to them about anything.”
My chest ached with his admission. “Well, that’s on them. Not you. And you won’t make that same mistake with Olivia… ever.”
He smiled, though it was tired. “Well, that’s true.”
“Now, what do you say we sneak into some of those sugar cookies I brought?”
He quirked a brow at me. “Didn’t you bring those for Olivia?”
“She’s not even a year and a half old! How many cookies can a kid have?”
He laughed and stood, straightening his t-shirt. “You are literally stealing cookies from a baby,” he said, shaking his head.
I wiggled my brows as I took a bite. “Is it really stealing ifIbrought them? Besides, they’re paleo cookies.”
“Did you make them?” He asked, leaning over me to grab one from the container.
“Maybe.”
“Well, then I better taste one of these. I’m not sure I’ve ever tasted a Ronnie Tripp original.” He leaned over and took a bite of the cookie I held in my hand, his face immediately dropping. “And now I can see why.”
My jaw dropped and I smacked his arm. “You jerk!” I cried, keeping my voice a harsh whisper so as not to wake the baby. “For healthy cookies, they’re not bad.”
His cocky smirk spread wider. “Not bad isn’t the same as good,” he said with a wink.
I rolled my eyes. “Oh, man. I knew there was a reason I shouldn’t date a man who can bake.”
He took another bite, swirling the cookie in his mouth and swallowing. He looked deep in thought before he snapped his fingers. “Too much coconut flour,” he said. “And I think you’d do better with maple as your sweetener, not honey.”
I narrowed my eyes at him, folding my arms. “And what exactly do you know about paleo baking?”
He bent down and brushed his mouth across mine gently. “I’ve been doing my research,” he whispered with a wink.
“Good,” I said, pulling back and lifting my brows. “Then I don’t have to do any more baking. That can beyourterritory.”
He shook his finger and tutted his tongue. “Oh, no. Grab that apron. We’re remaking these cookies therightway.”
“Now?”
“Oh, yeah. Right now.”
