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I put my tote bag on the kitchen table. “I asked if you could pick up the kids from school and hang with them for a few, not open a bakery.” I motion to the confections laid out on the counter—cupcakes, a cake, and a trifle.
She smooths pink icing on the tilted cake and tosses the rubber spatula in the sink. “No biggie. You know I love to bake, and it’s no fun, doing it for one.”
“Things not going well with Kent?” I bemuse.
“No, and I’m so damn sexually frustrated that I might explode.” Her eyes widen as she practically collapses against the counter dramatically.
I laugh and lift a pink-frosted cupcake. “Baking away your feelings?”
She rolls her body along the counter and grabs a cupcake, peeling away the wrapper. “It’s either that or I’m going to mount that walking sex on a stick you have in the den.”
My hand flies to my chest as I look at her with a raised brow and a frown of disgust. I look toward the entrance to the den and then back at her since the only man in this house is my father. If she thought I had a problem with him dating Anna, I’d die a very early death if my best friend went to bed with my …dad.
Just then, a deep, loud laugh sounds from the den. It’s a laugh I’ve become very familiar with over the last few weeks. A laugh that rings my bell on varying days, depending on his schedule. True to his word, Will has been meeting with Hunter to work on the school talent show, which is happening this weekend.
My hand slams into my forehead. “I forgot Will was coming over tonight.”
“I’m so excited I got a chance to see.”
“See what? Him teaching Hunter how to levitate?”
She almost drops her cupcake as she declares, “The hot-as-heck police officer who has been arresting my friend’s heart.”
“All right, Miss Romance Obsessed. No one’s heart is in play around here. The man has been very kind to my son, and we happen to get along well. If memory serves me, you thought he deserved to have his balls cut off not too long ago.”
The oven timer goes off. Tara grabs potholders and takes out a tray of brownies and places them on the stove.
Tara might be an awesome baker, but she’s made a mess of the kitchen. Dirty bowls and spoons create a mound in the kitchen sink. The countertops are full of crumbs, egg and milk splatter, and open ingredient packages.
“Brownies!” Hunter flies into the kitchen with his Avengers cape flowing horizontally and his casted arm in the air.
I scoop him up before he’s able to get the brownies and place a ton of kisses on his neck, making him giggle.
“Brownies?” I say between kisses. “I think you meant,Mommy, you’re home! I love you and missed you. I haven’t seen you all day!”
He laughs as my hands tickle his sides. “I love brownies!”
“And I love you!” I put him down on the ground and then playfully spank his butt as he rushes over to Tara to be served a brownie. “Wait. You haven’t eaten dinner yet. Daddy’s gonna be here soon to pick you up.”
His eyes light up. “Oh yeah. He’s making macaroni and cheese tonight. It’s so good. He uses three cheeses now and puts bacon on the top! It’s my most favorite food in the whole wide world.”
Tara cuts a hearty slice and hands him a plate. “Have a brownie, kid. If Dad says anything, let him know Aunt Tara spoiled your dinner.”
I raise my brows at her, but there’s no need to scold an adult. Besides, it’s better when she misbehaves around the kids. I have to stand my ground and show a good example.
“Hunter said there’s brownies?” Will walks into the kitchen.
Sliding my hands in the back pockets of my jeans, I puff out my chest. “Tara made enough confections for an army. Help yourself.”
“I’m a sucker for a cupcake.”
Tara’s eyes roam over his torso, which happens to be clad in a tight-fitting long-sleeved shirt. “I bet you are.”
I hip-check her while offering a napkin to wipe the proverbial drool from her mouth.
Will takes a cupcake out of the tin and peels back the wrapper. He leans against the counter and savors his delicacy while I savor him. His Adam’s apple bobs in a masculine tease. Really, he makes eating a cupcake a freaking art, including a slow licking of his lips, followed by the sucking of a fingertip. It’s the sweetest gesture a middle finger ever did make.
I grab a napkin for myself as well.
