“Thanks.” I sigh with relief and pat him on the back as I close my hood and we head inside.
But my relief is short-lived, because the second we enter the kitchen, Aubrey has already told everyone about her baked goods, and they all want to try them.Fuck!
Clay chuckles with a head shake as he places the bag on top of the kitchen island. He then passes by me and pats my back like I did to him, whispering, “Good luck.”
Aubrey moves to the bag right away and begins popping out the containers, opening them up and showing them off to everyone. I stand behind her, trying to make eye contact with everyone as I repeatedly shake my head and give them big warning eyes.
“DO NOT EAT THEM!” I mouth over and over and make a cutting gesture at my neck with my hand.
I watch as Clay hugs his wife from behind, mumbling something into her hair. She frowns at first, but comprehension takes over quickly and she smiles. She then steps out of Clay’s hold and turns her back to us as she grabs Gabriel’s arm, pulling him toward the counter behind them.
He looks over his shoulder at the desserts with a disgusted look and nods. He then returns to his spot beside his fiancée who’s leaning into Noah who holds her in his arms. He whispers the message over to Noah, keeping his eyes on Aubrey to make sure she doesn’t notice.
During this time, my girl continues to transfer the treats onto large trays, making them look all fancy, but we won’t be fooled by the devil’s food. Well, except for Silas and Cecilia, they’ve been eyeing the goods with excitement and hunger in their eyes, despite my best attempt at getting their attention.
I’ve already ruled them out as a lost cause. Sometimes in life, we must make sacrifices. Today, they are my sacrifice.
Emma is in the living room feeding her twins, so I’m not really worried about her. That leaves only Veronica and Greyson. Ronnie watches me with a quizzical look like she’s unsure of what I’m trying to say. That is until Noah lowers his head to her shoulder, kissing the skin and murmuring against it. Her eyes widen as she folds in her lips, refraining herself from laughing.
Next is Greyson, and given the look on his face, he got the message all right. Except, he’s glaring at me, which means he probably thinks I’m being an asshole to his sister and not supporting her talent.Trust me, I’m more than supportive when it comes to Aubrey. But these? There’s no hope for them.
“There! You guys are welcome to try them right away.” She looks up smiling at everyone until her eyes fall on her brother, who’s still glaring at me. She looks behind her, directly at me as I quickly drop my hands and smile down at her, placing my hands on her hips and pulling her into me as I kiss the top of her head.
She turns her gaze back to her brother with a sad expression and his face falls. “No, Aubrey… It—”
“Oh my God! What is this!?” Silas shouts with his mouth full, interrupting Greyson’s excuse.
“That one is coconut and pickle,” Aubrey tells him with a frown at his disgusted expression.This is really not going to end well.
“Oh, okay well that explains it. Not a huge fan of coconut. Sorry,” he says, putting it in the trash and going for the pastry that appears yummy, yet is not.
He shoves the whole thing in his mouth.Wrong move, buddy.And I see the instant he regrets his decision. He opens his mouth wide, making a gagging noise and spits it all out into the trash. “Oh, fudge, this is atrocious!”
“Silas!” Cecilia rebukes him. “Stop being dramatic, it’s not because you don’t like something that it means it’s not good.”
Silas, still not having learned his lesson, goes over to the muffins next. He picks it up, turns it around in his hand, smells it, then shrugs and bites into it. He gags again, flapping a hand at his open mouth.
“How does it keep getting worse!?” He runs over to the sink, spitting out the muffin and turns on the tap, placing his mouth under and gurgling water as he tries to wash his mouth out.
“Silas, that is enough! Stop being dramatic,” Cecilia tells him again sternly.
Once he’s done, he’s practically panting and it’s taking all my effort not to laugh, because I get it.I freaking get it.“Fine then, you try one. See if I’m being dramatic.”
“Fine. I will.” She lifts her head high and reaches for the mustard and chocolate pastry.
She takes a small bite, and I can see the worried look in her eyes as she does it. After a few chews, her eye twitches and Clay begins to chuckle into his wife’s hair, Noah doing the same to Veronica, while Gabe turns his back to us, and Ronnie hides her face against his arm. Morgan smiles sympathetically at Aubrey, and Greyson looks down at the treats with confusion.
“This is… um… what’s the word…” Cecilia says as she finishes her bite and sets the rest down.
“Disgusting, that’s what you’re looking for,” Silas provides for her. “Nauseating, gut-churning, vile, revolting, unpalatable. I can keep going if you’d like.”
“That’s enough, Hayes,” Greyson warns him as he looks at his sister.
When I look down at her, her eyes are filled with unshed tears and her bottom lip trembles. Now I really feel like shit for not telling her earlier. I bring my hands up to her arms, rubbing up and down to soothe her.
“Cece?” Aubrey’s fragile voice questions her friend.
She gives her an apologetic look. “I’m sorry, Brey. You know how much I love what you make. But these… these are really not great…”That’s putting it lightly.
