But it was. The little mole. The curls. The golden-brown hair growing out behind the dyed locks.
“Hey, are you alright?” the omega asked, reaching out to steady him.
“Zinn?” Calder appeared from the dining area.
“Cap? Yeah, it’s me. You forgot the paintbrush for the cake. But this client might be having some kind of episode.” He squeezed Assa’s forearm gently. “Do you need water or something?”
“Sorry,” Assa finally ground out. “Please come in. I’m Assa, by the way… Welcome.”
Zinn gave Assa a sympathetic look. “I guess kids’ birthday parties are pretty stressful, huh?”
Calder volleyed his eyes from Assa to Zinn, and Assa realized the alpha already knew about his cake designer’s resemblance to Ryde.
Assa’s gaze bored into Calder’s. “This is what you wanted to talk to us about?”
“Yes. After I saw Ryde at the bakery, I had to make sure, of course, but yes. It obviously isn’t something I could keep to myself.”
“Why does it sound like you guys are talking in code?” Zinn asked anxiously. Assa felt nauseous when he noticed the little crease popping up between the omega’s brows was exactly like the one his son got when he worked out a math problem. “Actually, nevermind. You can explain it to me later. Right now, I have to make an eight-year-old’s cake perfect.” Zinn padded over to the cake and put the paintbrush on top, securing it with a small toothpick. “There. All done.”
“We can come back after the party,” Calder said to Assa. “I still think that’s the best plan.”
Assa nodded just as Wes came in from the backyard. “I told Ryde I needed to grab a plate, but I really wanted to make sure the cake was set up for the big reveal—Hey, Calder,” he said, walking over to the dining table. “Whoa. This looks even better than I imagined.”
Zinn spun around and extended an arm to Wes. “Nice to meet you. I’m Zinn, the designer.”
Wes’s Adam’s apple bobbed as his jaw clenched. His gaze darted to Assa before he shook Zinn’s hand. “Wes,” he gritted out.
The silence grew suffocating, but Assa couldn’t bring himself to speak.
Zinn looked at Calder. “Is everything okay? I feel like I walked in on something?”
“Nothing for us to worry about fifteen minutes before the party,” Calder said. “We need to talk to Assa and Wes about some other stuff. But we can come back later to do that.”
“Was something wrong with the cake?” Zinn asked. He turned to Assa. “I promise I did my very best. I mostly do wedding cakes, but I really tried to make this one special for you.”
“The cake is beautiful,” Assa whispered, finding his voice. “And so much more special…now.”
He felt the urge to touch Zinn, to rub his thumb across that little mole on his cheek. He should have been scared, worried that this man was about to upend their lives. But how could he feel that way about someone who was so genuinely concerned with making Ryde’s cake perfect? Especially when he didn’t even know.
Assa experienced a wave of compassion for this gentle, creative omega.
He’d endured unspeakable pain and betrayal to bring Ryde into the world.
And after everything that had happened, he’d arrived at their door.
Exactly where he belonged.
But peeking at his husband, Assa wasn’t sure Wes felt the same.
Wes looked at Calder. “You’re coming back?”
“I’ve waited three weeks. Waiting longer won’t make it easier.”
As Wes grunted in reply, Zinn put his hands on his hips. “Okay, what is going on? Why do you all sound so cryptic? If it isn’t the cake, why do we need to come back?” Again, he turned to Assa. “No offense. You seem lovely, but this is all very weird.”
“I’m sorry,” Assa hushed out, not knowing what else to say.
Calder placed a palm on Zinn’s shoulder. “It’s a long story, sunshine. I’ll tell you in the car, so you have some time to sit with it. But we’d better leave now so they can have this party.”
