Page 70 of Hale's Pawn
Getting Oran to leave for the next day was hard but I got it done, well, Mikonos did. I had to beg him and promise him that I’ll get him something extravagant for his birthday before he even grunted his yes. It honestly wasn’t even a hard task, all he had to do was distract Oran, with the help of Jagger, for the whole day.
“Tell me to stay,” Oran says to me.
I snicker. “No, I’m still mad at you. You got sand in my ass.” I close my eyes, trying to get some shut-eye.
Oran chuckles as he pulls me to his body. He plants light kisses on my shoulder. “I said I was sorry but either way, you deserved it. You made me feel some type of way when you were talking to Joaquin and Mikonos told me something about him.”
I turn to face him. “Something like what?”
“Like he’s in love with you.”
I blink. “Huh?”
Oran shakes his head, trying not to smile. “You’re so clueless sometimes. How could you not know? You didn’t see the special treatment you received from him or maybe from other guys who liked you?”
I think on it. “No, I was busy trying to balance every activity that my mother signed me up for and trying not to get on her bad side. I was a busy teenager and young adult, my dear husband. Is that where the whole ‘I demand respect’ stuff was coming from?”
Oran nods. “Yeah, and the fact that I want you to have fun with me too, not just everyone else.”
I lift his hand and kiss the palm of it. “You’ve got it. We’ll have one day to ourselves and you can take me to all the fun places you want to go to, even if fun means sitting on the couch watching rom-coms all day.”
Oran snickers. “Thanks, asshole, but I like other things.”
“I don’t doubt it at all. I can’t wait to do what you like to do.” I kiss his palm again and hold on to his arm as I drift back to sleep.
After Oran, Jagger, and Mikonos were gone in the early hours, both Karessa and I jumped into action. I smile as I see all the supplies and materials that both Karessa and I had delivered. Karessa checks everything out. “I’m going to need a hand or two,” she says as I slip my apron on.
“Brady, Marshall…” I answer her and she looks at me like I’m a nut, but when two of the men come from the backyard entrance, Karessa nods.
I get to work too, deciding that instead of making Oran only one cake, I’ll make 3 rows of different flavours of cupcakes. I make chocolate, vanilla, red velvet, lemon and blueberries, and a birthday cake.
I make the orange velvet birthday cake first, and as it cools off for the next two to three hours before I can add the chocolate buttercream frosting, I work on the cupcakes. After that, I leave both to cool off before the icing.
I look up at what Karessa is doing and I love how simple, yet great, it looks. It’s not all over the villa, but there’s orange and gray balloons that create an archway big enough for Oran to stand in the middle and take pictures, even if he doesn’t want to. I’m going to make him.
I move on to do the one thing I know everyone thinks I can’t do; cook. You would think people would know that I’m, first-,off a damned belle and second, my mother. She tried to bend, shape and mold me into the perfect housewife, but I don’t know what that is. I was too rebellious in my ways, too questioning, too much of awhy the hell must I be the one doing thattype of girl. It’s a surprise Oran doesn’t ask me over and over again if I was dropped on my head. Which I was…by Jagger stupid-ass Hanlon.
But I smile because if it wasn’t for this stupid-ass man, I wouldn’t have been able to do what I did for Oran’s birthday.
Hours later,the decorations are done, the food is set on the table, and the cupcakes and cake are done as well. I don’t get a chance to change before I hear the guys coming in. I hang up my apron and remain in my dark blue shorts and Superman t-shirt. I know I probably look crazy but whatever. Once they come around the corner, I’m practically on the tips of my toes. “Happy birthday!” Karessa and I shout.
Oran’s eyes are wide as he takes everything in. I stand there, waiting for his reaction and when he takes too long, I feel like I’ve done something wrong. I look at Jagger for help and he elbows Oran. Oran blinks and smiles. It’s a genuine smile that has me off that negative thought of him not liking it. “Thank you, guys.” He spots the cupcakes and cake. “Is that an orange cake?” He grins.
“It is. It’s an orange velvet cake.”
“They do that?” Oran asks and I nod. He looks around again and sees the massive assortment of food. His smile widens. “Food.”
Mikonos scoffs and he looks at me, telling me he fed him in Greek. I snicker when Oran glares at him. Jagger walks over to Karessa and pulls her into a kiss that has me blushing. Sheesh, but I can see how fast they’re falling for each other and it makes me happy.
“You did this for me?” Oran asks me.
I nod. “Yeah, I did. Well, not the decorating because that is not my area of expertise.”
Oran closes up the space between us. “You cooked for me?”
“I did.”
Jagger takes this opportunity to get on my nerves. “You can cook?”
