“That’s fantastic news. Muffins are on the house today, guys.” I stand up and hug Dean before going to the case and taking out two apple nut muffins and putting them on a plate for my friends. I drop off the goodies and head back to the kitchen to keep working on the cinnamon buns Jackson convinced me to make. I think I’ll drop one off at the clinic for him later. As I’m putting them in the oven, my brother sticks his head in the kitchen.
“Hey Mills, can you come next door and look at something?”
“Yup.” I load the tray of buns into the oven, set the timer, and follow Ethan through the bakery and into the future café. A plastic barrier covers the opening between the two spaces, and Ethan has done a great job keeping the noisy jobs to a minimum during the hours the bakery is open. It’s been a couple of days since I was in here, and the changes are incredible. The floors have been refinished, and the walls are painted the same soft butter yellow as the bakery side. The furniture I ordered is stacked against one wall, and the deli counter is installed. I run my hands over everything as I wander around in awe.
“Ethan. This is amazing.”
He comes to stand beside me and drapes his arm over my shoulders. “You did it, Mills.”
I nod, my head resting against his shoulder. “We did it. Seriously, Ethan, I could never have done this without you.” His arm squeezes me gently.
“Mom would be so thrilled with this place.”
Tears spring to my eyes. “I wish she was here.”
“She is. They both are.”
We stand there quietly for a moment, united in our grief in a way no one else can possibly understand. My brother has been my rock for years. Our loss brought us closer than most other siblings will ever be, and for a long time he has been everything to me. Friend, confidant, protector. But when his phone vibrates and he pulls it out, and I see Summer’s name on the screen, his arm falls away from me and I realize I’m not everything to him anymore.
He’s found the love of his life, and rightly so, she is his priority now.
So, whose priority am I?
Chapter 18
Jackson
There is no point in denying it any longer. My feelings for Mila are real, and I want her in my life. I want to spend the night with her, wake up with her…hell, I even want to spend more mornings at the bakery with her even if I am feeling absolutely exhausted by the early afternoon.
I’ve got a break between patients, so I close the door to the office, and lay my head down on the desk. Just a few minutes and I’ll be fine.
Mila’s voice saying my name softly penetrates through the fog of sleep and in my half-awake state, my arm lifts up on its own accord to wrap around her body. I tug her in close, hearing her low laugh.
“I don’t know how you survive those early mornings day after day,” I mumble, blinking up at her. She strokes my hair, and this quiet moment feels so natural, even though there’s no one around.
“Well, I’m not normally up until midnight with my dog.”
Reluctantly I move my hand from her waist and stand up to stretch. Out of the corner of my eye I watch Mila, and her gaze doesn’t leave me. That’s when I see what she’s set down on the desk.
“Is that for me?” I unwrap the plate holding one of her massive cinnamon buns and my mouth starts to water. “You’re ruining me. What bran muffin can compete with this?”
“Maybe the two you ate this morning?” she teases right back. I rub my stomach and grin at her.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” She shakes her head as I take a large bite of the cinnamon bun, then tear off a piece and hold it out to her. “You need to have some.”
Mila’s eyes flare as she opens her mouth. I put the piece of bun inside, and she lets out a soft moan that has my dick stirring in my pants.
“That’s really good.” She reaches across me to tear off another piece and pops it in her mouth with a smile.
“You should know, you made it.” My voice is husky. I had no idea cinnamon buns could be so damn sexy.
Things are shifting between us. I know I need to man up and talk to her about the fact that I want to make things official between us, but that means opening myself up for rejection. Before I found out that Stefani cheated on me, I would have probably laughed at myself for even considering the idea of Mila cheating. Every sign is pointing to her being attracted to me, and things are definitely getting a lot more serious between us. But if I could be so wrong about my ex, could I be wrong about Mila?
My phone rings, and when I glance down, I see it’s my mom. “I have to get this, but can you wait for me?” Mila nods and I answer the phone.
“Hey, Mom. I’m just at work, is everything okay?” I don’t break eye contact with Mila, watching as she fidgets with her bag.
“Hi sweetie. I won’t keep you long, just wanted to see if you could possibly get the day after tomorrow off to show your parents around? I know it’s short notice, but we wanted to surprise you and come to the island tomorrow. Your dad convinced me to give you some warning so you could get some time off work.”
