Page 31 of A Little Twist

“It’s delicious.” His voice is butter.

“Well, thank you both. I’m so glad you like it.”

“You made this cake?” Pinky’s blue eyes are wide.

“I sure did, and your dad helped me.”

“Daddy says he only makes adult beverages and reheats the food Gram brings us.”

My eyebrow arches, and I glance at him.

He grins. “I might have oversold the meals-included part of the job. You’re welcome to use the kitchen, though.”

“In the hopes I might make enough for three?”

Tilting his head to the side, he starts a comeback when another voice interrupts us.

“This is a cozy group.” Drake stands beside Pinky holding a plate of cake and a flute of champagne. “Ready-made family, Cass?”

“Ahh…” I’m completely startled.

“Something like that.” Alex smiles confidently.

Pinky holds my knees, bouncing on her toes with her mouth open like a little bird.

“Here you go.” My voice is quiet as I feed her another piece, and she breaks into another round of circle-hopping and chanting.

I imagine she’ll crash hard after this day.

Or she’ll be up all night.

In two days, I’ll be living with them, and I’ll know. My chest squeezes at the thought, and I sneak a glance at Alex. His square jaw is set, and his protective side is so sexy. I want to curl my fingers in his hair and rest my head on his shoulder like he really is my future husband.

“I’d like to run something past you, Stone.” He glances at me feeding cake to Alex’s energetic little girl. “I wonder if you might have some time to meet on Monday?”

I freeze, flashing worried eyes to Alex. He gives me a little wink, and while I’m sure it’s all part of the fake engagement act, I feel it all the way to my toes.

Tearing my eyes from his, I glance up at our unwelcome visitor. “Britt said you were only in town for the weekend.”

Drake’s eyes narrow, and it’s so obvious he’s sizing us up. “I decided to stick around a few days to pursue some of my personal interests.”

“What might those be?” Alex leans back, draping his arm across the back of my chair.

“I’ll discuss it with you on Monday. I don’t want to spoil this festive occasion with business talk.”

He strides away into the crowd, and I turn worried eyes on Alex. “What do we do?”

“Don’t worry about it.” He traces his fingers lightly on my back, satisfaction in his gaze. “You’ll move your things into my place tomorrow, and I’ll meet with him on Monday.”

He smiles, and my eyes catch on his full lips, remembering our kiss.

Alex Stone has succeeded at everything he’s ever set out to do. I’m sure he can handle this little mess I created. He asked me if I trusted him, but the real question is do I trust myself?

CHAPTER9

ALEX

“That one’s too big.” Pinky’s voice is quietly serious as she points her little finger at the small pancake I’ve just dropped onto the hot frying pan. “It can be yours.”

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