Shit, these are the best ones? What else could she have made that is worse than this?
“It’s definitely something!” I say, unable to lie to her. But I also can’t be honest and tell her I’ve never tasted something this bad in my life. Aubrey takes her baking to heart, it’s the only times I see her getbadlyemotional, and her pregnancy hormones take over.
“Okay, try this one.” She hands me some type of flaky pastry with chocolate seeping out the sides.
I put down the cupcake and take the pastry, inspecting it for a moment.Okay, this looks promising.I take a bite, expecting the delightful taste of chocolate, but instead I’m hit with an intense, bitter taste.Not promising at all.
“Wow…” That’s all I can manage to say as I force the bite down.
“That one is a honey mustard and chocolate pastry knot. They’re so easy to make, if you like them, I could make you an extra batch!” She holds onto my arm with a proud smile, and I feel like shit for the thoughts racing through my mind.
“Oh, that’s okay, sweetheart. There are already so many, no need to make more.”I don’t care what she says, that is not honey mustard!
“If you say so, but if you change your mind, just let me know. Okay, now this one,” She moves on to the last stand with muffins that hold a slight pinkish-red color. “This one is my favorite.”
I pick it out of her hand and make a silent prayer before I bite into it.Oh God! I was wrong, there is so much worse than the coconut-pickle cupcakes!My gag reflex activates, and I try my hardest to keep a straight face as I chew, and chew, and chew.I don’t think I can swallow this.
“What… what is this one?” I finally manage to send that dirt down my throat.God, my stomach is going to hate me for this later.
“Beets and grape with cream cheese filling. It’s good right!? All the flavors blend so well together, I can’t believe I never thought about it before.” She bounces on the spot, rubbing her belly and taking another muffin from the stand, biting into it with a moan like it’s the most delicious thing she’s ever had.
I have no idea how to react, what to say. These are all horrible and now I’m stuck with batches of them from what I can see.How do I get rid of them without her noticing?“Why did you make so many?”
“Oh, I thought we could bring them over to Morgan’s later. We’re going to be a lot, so I made extra.” She smiles, finishing her muffin.Jesus, now I’m going to have to let everyone know without telling Aubrey. This is going to be a disaster.
I pull her to me, kissing her temple. “How about you go shower and get dressed, and I’ll pack these all up for you?”And throw a few away in the trash. Jesus, I’m such an ass…
“Thank you.” She pecks my lips and graciously walks away toward our room.
I quickly put as many as possible into storage containers to bring with us when we head over to Burkley’s place. The whole gang is meeting up for a pool day at Clay and Morgan’s. It will be the first time we’re all together since Emma’s poorly ended birthday. We’ve seen them a few times separately, but never everyone at once.
Except for Greyson, we’ve seen him once since the air has been cleared, and it was awkward. You could tell he was still uncomfortable about the whole thing, but he at least made an effort, and I appreciate that.
Although I know he’s been calling her daily. No matter the time of day, he’ll make sure to talk to his sister for a minimum of thirty minutes. The first time it happened, Aubrey just stared at me the entire time, confused with what was happening. There was no reason behind his call; all he did was ask how she was feeling, how the pregnancy was going, what she was most excited about, and if she needed anything.
Aubrey kept trying to end the call, sensing it was odd, but every time he’d come up with a new topic of conversation before she could. Finally, she understood what he was doing. He was trying to earn her love back.
Once I’m done storing everything, I look over what’s left. There’s at least a dozen of each kind, and that’s still too much. I take three from each and bring them over to the big garbage bins in the garage. My Angel never looks through these, so there’s no way she’ll find out I threw some out. I’ll just need to keep disposing two or three a day without her noticing until there’s no more.
It’s a quarter past ten by the time we pull up outside of Burkley’s residence in my R8. I tell Aubrey to wait as I round the car and head over to the passenger door, pulling it open and giving her my hand. I wanted to take a more practical car for her since this one is low and she’s pregnant, but she insisted it was fine. I help her out of the car and walk her to the front door.
I ring the doorbell seconds before Clay opens it and greets us. “Hey, Aubrey. You look great.” He hugs her and lets her in.
“Mind helping me with the bags?” I nod my head toward the car. To be honest, I could get them alone, but this gives me the opportunity to spread the word.
He frowns, looking at my car but shrugs and follows me. “Sure.”
Once the door is closed behind him and we’ve reached my car, I pop my hood and begin to pull out two bags. One filled with snacks for Aubrey and anyone else who might want, and the other contains the atrocious treats she made.
Clay chuckles. “You needed help for this?”
“Actually, no. But I needed to warn you and I’m hoping you can spread the word discreetly to the others.” I lift the bag that should be at the bottom of a bin right now. “Aubrey baked this morning for you guys. I don’t know if it’s the hormones that are messing with her tastebuds, but do not eat them.”
“Come on, they can’t be that bad.” He frowns again.
“They are, you’ve been warned. I didn’t have the heart to tell her, but I almost threw up eating them.” I shiver, the taste resurfacing on my tongue.
He snorts at my visible tremble. “All right, I’ll pass the word.”
