Page 13 of Bake You Mine
Hey, did little bug mention that Kayla and I rented a house in Myrtle Beach for Thanksgiving? I know you have her for the holiday. I hope we can rework.
Seeing as until recently, Chris resided so far up Kayla’s vag, she’d wondered if he got mail there, Aubrey wasn’t keen to engage in the “Darling Daddy” game now. But she was grateful he’d messaged her before her fantasies about Liam could get ahead of her. That’s why crushes suited her better. You couldn’t get hurt if you never tried.
She didn’t want to dwell on that depressing thought, so instead, she replied to Liam’s comment.
You might not want to make boasting statements like that where everyone can see them. They might come back to bite you in the .
Before she could chicken out, she hit send. She groaned and opened the text messaging app to reply to Chris.
She did tell me. For the record, please don’t ask our daughter about plans until you run it by me first. In her words, she’d rather stay here for Thanksgiving, and I’m for doing what Daphne wants.
She fired off the text and flicked on the bathroom light. She pulled a washcloth from the wall hook and washed the day off. Maybe she should wear makeup more often—if only for herself.
Her phone chimed with a text alert from the other room. She flung the washcloth in the sink and stomped over to retrieve it.
I don’t know why I thought you’d work with us. Maybe it’s time to restructure our visitation agreement.
Chris liked to trot out this threat when she didn’t give in to him. He’d been prone to tantrums throughout their marriage, too.
Then I’d be happy to tell the judge how you’ve managed to see your daughter a paltry fifteen times over the last twelve months despite living less than ten minutes from us. You don’t get to play dad when it suits you.
She threw her phone on the bed and continued her nighttime skin routine.
Her phone chimed again with another message.
Look, I get that I’ve been a dick in the past. This would mean a lot to us. We’re going through a bit of a rough patch.
She wasn’t shocked that Chris and Kayla’s relationship wason the low end of the rollercoaster again. He liked to play happy family, but reality differed. Her fingers flew across her keyboard.
I’m sorry to hear that, but our daughter is not your emotional support animal. My answer remains unchanged. Start stepping up to be part of Daph’s life. Then, we’ll talk about restructuring visitation.
His reply came through almost instantly.
Okay, fine. You win. You get her for Thanksgiving. I’d like to discuss possibly taking her to Disney World in January.
Their daughter was a million times more interested in anime and Japanese culture than Disney. Chris would know that if he bothered to ask. She would let Daphne field that alone and back her up if needed.
We’ll talk about it later. Goodnight.
Chris responded with a thumbs-up emoji when, at the same time, she received a notification from Liam.
There’s nothing wrong with confidence. And hey, putting it out there right now: if I lose, I'll eat a whole chocolate cake. Okay, wait, not an entire cake. I’d probably barf. But a slice. Deal?
Her phone dinged again, alerting her that Liam had followed her Instagram account. She set the phone down again and finished her skincare routine.
Instead of feeling happy that she and Liam were connecting (she’d oncedreamedof him following her on social media like alovesick teenager), an odd feeling settled over her. Reality was quite different than a daydream.
She appraised herself in the mirror. Anxiety crept around the edges like a vine, threatening to encircle her. She’d always struggled with anxiety, but she’d gotten a lot better at dealing with those overwhelming thoughts. Or so she’d thought.
She let out a long exhale as she flicked off the light in the bathroom. Once in bed, she picked up her phone again. After following Liam back, she responded to his comment with the cake emoji and a simple,I’ll hold you to that, before putting her phone on Do Not Disturb.
She grabbed her e-reader and settled into bed. She’d had quite enough excitement for one day.
A rainy, miserable night meant a typical slowish Monday was a downright snooze. Since they hardly ever had nights this slow, Liam treated his crew to a rare early closing. He doubted they’d have another anytime soon.
He flicked the sign on the door from open to closed.
“Aren’t you worried your Challenger will melt if it gets rained on?” Sasha asked as she tidied up the dining room.
