Page 56 of Break Me Like a Promise (Oak Valley)

When they finally parted, he brought his lips to hers in a gentle kiss.

“I’ve got you, Ruby Delacey. And that also includes providing you with Swedish meatballs and mashed potatoes, or anything else you desire.”

That brought out a smile, and Ruby squeezed his arm. “You know what? I’m gonna let you.” She set the stuffed elephant she’d been carrying around in the wire bin with the pillows, and grabbed his hand on her way to the food line.

They stood in silence except for placing their order, managing to grab a two-seater by the large windows overlooking New Jersey shopping strips.

“So,” he began between bites of food. “You’re thinking of staying in Oak Valley?”

Ruby pushed her mashed potatoes around. “Not so much a choice. If my mom needs me… my mom needs me. I left before because she was okay, but now she can barely move around the house without getting exhausted. And I know it’ll get better, but if she needs another cycle, I — I need to be there.”

He looked at her, her hazel eyes a yellow-green in the right from the windows. “I get that. If there’s anything I can do to help, please don’t hesitate to let me know.”

“Okay, thanks. A—Are you still planning on leaving?”

It was his turn to push his food around. Colton couldn’t lie to her, but now was definitely not the time to bring up San Francisco. They’d given him a week to accept or decline the offer, and while he’d talked to his mom as if he was taking it, there was still that nagging voice telling him it wasn’t right.

So he was as honest as he could be.

“Yeah, I think so. At some point, anyway. But I’m not sure when, or how. I—I’m still thinking things over.”

He shoveled meatballs and lingonberry sauce into his mouth, avoiding her gaze.

“I think Olive’s looking to expand the bakery. Maybe… Maybe you could open your own shop, in a different town. Different state, even.”

“Like, as an off-shoot of For Goodness Cakes?”

She shrugged and dug into her food. “Sure. Or even open your own spot.”

“Ruby, I wouldn’t even know where to start with something like that. Sure, once it was running, I could manage it. But it wouldn’t make sense for someone like me to start their own business.” Colton shook his head. Why did everyone want him to open his own shop? He tried to keep the frustration from his voice, but based off the set of her jaw and the rising color in her cheeks, he hadn’t succeeded.

“It’s just a suggestion, Colton,” she gritted her teeth. “If you worked with For Goodness Cakes, they’d take care of all that starter stuff. If they franchised, you would. And at that point, maybe it’d be worth opening your own shop. You have the business and baking aspects down, everything else you can ask for help or hire people.”

Hunger had left Colton’s stomach, the food on his plate becoming nauseating. He didn’t know how much longer he could put off telling her about San Francisco, even though he hadn’t officially accepted. But it had to be the right time, and in the middle of IKEA after she had a slight breakdown about her mom followed by a tense convo on what his next plans were was not it. He took a deep breath, swallowing his pride.

“Okay. Okay, you’re right. I’ll keep it in mind. Are you ready to go look through the Marketplace?”

She cocked her head, surprise in her eyes. “Oh — Um, yeah. Sure, that sounds good. Here, I got these.” She leaned over and picked up their food trays, giving Colton a nice eyeful of her cleavage. His cock immediately twitched, and as he watched her walk away, he tried to keep the thoughts of those hips around him from causing more damage he’d have trouble hiding. He adjusted his pants, annoyed that even after she irritated him he could still want to throw her on a surface and fuck her until she screamed his name. He rubbed his hand over his face.

“I’m sorry, did I do something?” Her voice was behind him, low in his ear, as she pressed her chest into his back.

She knew exactly what she was doing.

“Nope.” Too husky. He cleared his throat. “All good. Shall we?”

He avoided looking at her, trying to think of all the boring things in IKEA. Which led to thinking about Ruby home, which led to thinking about taking her to bed. He sighed and switched tactics, thinking about owning a business. Okay, better.

When he did finally look at her, he could see she was torn between laughing at his reaction and wanting to tease him even more. He shook his head, placing a light hand on her arm and guiding her to the stairs.

“Come on, you brat. Let’s go look at dishware.”

Ruby threw back her head and laughed, the sound echoing in the large dining hall. It made him smile, and Colton wanted nothing more than give her everything she wanted.

48

IKEA had been fruitful, if not for actual items then for information. And not just for her bus — the time spent with Colton doing something a normal couple would do was refreshing, and she felt had brought them closer. Over the course of several hours, they’d goofed off, had a little tiff, and worked well together in measuring and envisioning interior designs for the bus. Looking over at him in the car, singing through a classic, while he drove them back to Oak Valley felt like a dream.

And — miracle of all miracles — he actually gave in a little and said he’d consider his own pastry shop. One thing about knowing someone from being kids was truly knowing their dreams, even if they’d forgotten them. And she’d known from their early conversations that Colton dreamed of opening his own bakery. But that had been so long ago, and then football happened, and then pressure from his dad doubled down.

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