Page 57 of Billionaire and the Barista

With a nod of permission, I reached for the crayons and lost time in coloring a kitten in rainbow colors.

“So, you’ve discovered the benefits of coloring?” Lacey said at some time later.

“How long have you been here?”

“Long enough to take this picture of the two of you.” She held up her phone and showed me the picture.

“Oh, that’s cute, send it to me,” I said.

I looked at the clock. Perfect timing. I had fifteen minutes to head downstairs and wash up.

“I’m going to be out late after I close. Could you have Robbie spend the night with you?” I asked tentatively.

“You’re gonna bring that guy you’ve been seeing here?” Her eyes were wide with excitement.

“Only to talk. I’m not ready for Robbie to meet him yet. I don’t want to confuse him. You understand?” I certainly hoped she did.

“Of course. Not a problem.”

It was a relief to have Lacey living upstairs. She was smart and reliable. I would miss her when she graduated and moved up in the world.

I headed to the café and lost track of time to the rush of customers. And finally, I was able to lose myself completely in cupcake baking. This felt so familiar, so comforting. There was something meditative about following instructions and blending ingredients. Making batter forced me to slow down. I couldn’t rush the cooking process. There was an optimal time for the batter to be in the mixer and a prescribed time for the cupcakes to bake. And then they had to cool down before I could frost them, or the designs I piped on would melt and slide right off.

The piping process was an entirely different set of meditative practices. I didn’t simply do a fancy swirl of frosting. I built roses, I created art. It was therapy and product all at once. And being able to eat it and have it taste wonderful, seemed like an added bonus.

My kitchen time was limited since Miguel had to leave at six. The new guy, David, seemed to be getting the hang of everything, but it wasn’t fair to leave him alone just yet. I needed to be available, and not lost in the meditation of cupcake making.

Before I had time to lament telling Nathan to come over after closing, I was mopping down the front, and Ricky, with David’s help, had already finished the kitchen.

With every passing car, my head was up and looking. I smiled as I saw Nathan head toward the front door. I was in the process of unlocking and opening it when he started to knock.

He stepped inside and wrapped me in his arms. His kiss was comfort and warmth. His kiss was my future. I returned his kiss, and if I wasn’t holding a mop, I would have woven my fingers into his hair and held him close. I poured all of my feelings into that kiss. I wanted him to feel the way he was making me feel at that moment.

It was the kind of kiss that should have had us tearing at each other’s clothes, and me dragging him upstairs. After all, Robbie was spending the night at Lacey’s. I let that thought dance in the back of my brain before shutting it down.

“I missed you,” Nathan said in a low, sexy voice.

The nerves in my belly wanted his touch. My body wanted me to throw responsibility to the wind and take him upstairs to my bed. He would see evidence of Robbie, and then I could tell him. I looked into his eyes and realized that would be one nasty surprise. He didn’t need to find out like that. I needed to use my grown-up words and tell him.

“Let me finish this up. You want to take a walk?” I asked.

“One of those days?”

I nodded.

“Me too. A walk sounds good. Some fresh air and a little exercise will do us both some good after a long day.”

I put away the cleaning supplies, grabbed a hooded jacket, and set the alarm. We headed out the side door and walked toward the church with the swing set.

“How was Texas?” I wasn’t ready to jump right into telling him he was about to be a father for a second time.

Nathan was still in a suit, so I figured he had come from the office. So, he probably needed to vent. He hadn’t sounded happy about being in Texas when I had talked to him.

“It was a cluster fuck. I trusted Gavin with a certain level of responsibility, and he completely fucked it up. I don’t even think he did any of the work he was supposed to do. But seeing you makes everything better.”

He pulled me into his arms and looked into my face.

“I know that everything will work out when I look at you.”

My heart sped up in my chest, and my breath was suddenly hard to catch. If now wasn’t the perfect time, I didn’t know when I would have a better time to tell him.

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