Page 49 of Then Came Love
Jordan bumped Jax with her shoulder, eyes wide with surprised amusement.
Finlay hurried over, carrying a folder and scowling at her husband. Her hair flounced over the shoulders of her pink-and-white floral blouse. “Brandon Whiskey, what did I tell you about hollering things like that in the bar?”
“What? You’ve got company?” Bullet chuckled. “Jordan’s here to see you. Her guy couldn’t make it, so Jax stepped in.”
“Hi, Fin.” Jax kissed her cheek. “How’s Tallulah?”
“She’s just the sweetest little girl on the planet. Thanks for asking.” Finlay turned a warm smile on Jordan. “Hi, Jordan. Please excuse my husband. I love him to pieces, but there’s a reason I’m looking for separate catering space.”
“There’s nothing to excuse,” Jordan said. “He obviously loves you very much.”
Finlay lowered her voice as if sharing a secret. “You should see him with our baby girl. Lulu turns that beast into a teddy bear. I have a table all set up for us on the other side of the room.”
As she took a step away, Bullet said, “Hold up, Lollipop. I think you forgot something.”
Finlay turned around, and he tapped his lips with his index finger, a slow grin lifting his beard. Finlay rolled her eyes as she went to kiss him, but her smile betrayed her.
Jordan whispered, “I love that.”
“He’s not so scary now, huh?”
They followed Finlay across the room to a table draped in a white tablecloth with a candle in the middle, two champagne glasses, and a bottle of champagne on ice. On each side of the table there were seven slices of delicious-looking cake.
“Wow, champagne?” Jordan exclaimed. “And that’s a lot of cake. You didn’t have to go to all of this trouble.”
“I’m holding tastings in a biker bar,” Finlay said. “I need to add all of the ambience I can for beautiful brides like you. And as far as the cake goes, you said your fiancé didn’t enjoy sharing and that he was particular about sweets, so I gave you two slices of each cake and several choices instead of the standard four.”
“That was nice of you,” Jordan said. “He would have appreciated your efforts.”
“No problem at all. Why don’t you and Jax make yourselves comfortable, and I’ll give you my spiel.”
As they sat down, Jax wondered if Jordan realized how often she made excuses for Todd.
“Before I forget, I emailed you sample menus as we discussed, but nothing is set in stone,” Finlay said. “We have plenty of time before the wedding, so you and Todd can take your time reviewing them and get back to me once you’ve had time to make some decisions.”
“That’s perfect. Thank you.”
“Now for the cake,” Finlay said. “I usually let couples do tastings on their own instead of hovering, but I’m happy to sit with you if you prefer.”
Jordan looked at Jax. “I think we’ll be okay, don’t you?”
“Champagne, cake, and a beautiful woman? I think I can handle it.”
“Great. In that case, let me give you this.” Finlay handed Jordan the folder she was holding. “Inside you’ll find a flavor menu and ingredient lists for each cake, just in case you have guests with allergies. I also included information about a few other flavors I can make in case you don’t like any of these.”
“I’m sure we’ll love them all,” Jordan said.
“Let’s hope so. I’ll come back to check on you, but if you need me, I’ll be in the kitchen working my magic.”
After Finlay walked away, Jax said, “Do you think she has any idea that she just walked away from two of the biggest sugar fiends she’s ever met?”
“Shh.”Jordan leaned closer. “Don’t spill my secrets.”
He poured the champagne. “Your secrets are as safe with me as you are.”
She gave him a look that said she wasn’t sure she was all that safe with him.
With that gentle reminder, he said, “I’m sorry you didn’t get to share today with Todd.”
“It’s fine.” Her jaw tightened. “It’s just cake and a roof over our heads when we say our vows.”
He put his hand on hers. “It’s not just anything, and you don’t have to pretend like it is. It’s okay to be disappointed in the man you love. It doesn’t mean you don’t want to be with him, but stop acting like your feelings are expendable, because they’re not.”
She looked at him for so long without saying a word, he feared he’d said the wrong thing and was about to apologize when she said, “You’re right. It’s all important. My feelings, his feelings, the cake, the venues. He said it was just cake, and I guess I tried to convince myself of that. But I don’t want to think about anything negative right now. I had a great time today, and that’s because of you.” She lifted her glass. “I appreciate you, Jax. Thank you for making this day—this whole week—so much fun.”
