How to Bake the Perfect Wedding Cake

by Gina Henning

  “Jack, I just…I’m having a hard time wrapping my head around the idea of you buying a house that we are supposed to live in together without thinking about me during the process.” I shake my head and stand up. I need to get out of the leaves. Some are even a bit moist and my navy skirt and peach blouse are not exactly the right attire for being in leaves.

  Jack stands up and reaches for my hand. “I thought about you during the entire process; you were my focus. This house, the land, everything it encompasses is a circumference of our love woven together and our journey, our past, our memories, and our future.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Look around you, Lauren—what do you see?” Jack motions with his hand to our surroundings. I scan the area, the trees, and then focus back on him.

  “Trees?” I shrug.

  “What kind of trees?” Jack points to the leaves.

  “I don’t know… You’re the tree person in this relationship, remember?” Over Christmas Jack compared me to a tree… It sounds odd but in the moment it really made me swoon, well it still does. It was a really sweet gesture when he picked out my Christmas tree.

  Jack laughs. “Yes, and you are definitely still a Douglas fir, but the trees that we are surrounded by right here in this forest on our property are pecans.”

  I gasp. “Are you serious?” I take a step back and take in the sight of the leaves and the nuts or would-be nuts hanging from them.

  “Yes, our house has a pecan grove. Walk with me…” Jack guides me out of the forest and we move farther away from our house until we meet another lining of trees. Jack stops and points. “Do you know what kind of trees those are?”

  I stare at the branches and the leaves, but I honestly have no idea. I could maybe identify an oak tree with a colored picture diagram but other than that, I’m batting zeros. I shake my head. “I don’t know.”

  “Apples. Braeburn apples.”

  My chest tightens. Tingles of fear and excitement run over my arms. My face is hot. And my mind is racing. “Are these the apples you used in the pie contest?”

  Jack doesn’t need to say anything. No words are required. His blue eyes are sparkling down at me with a love that is endless and overflowing. I can’t even deal with this much emotion. I can’t believe what I’m seeing. Jack has merged the things that brought us together—pecans and the apples that won the Fourth of July competition—all in one on our property.

  Our land.

  Our house.

  Our home.

  Yes, I can do this.

  Chapter Five

  As our feet make it back yet again to the front door, Jack squeezes my hand. “Ready?”

  I can’t help but laugh—ready is our word. Or Jack’s word that often applies to so much more than the current situation. He’s been asking me if I’m ready since we first met and now here we are entering our house. And yes, I’m ready.

  “Yes, I’m ready for the grand tour.” I grin up at him. His blue eyes are sprinkled with shades of green and are sparkling down at me with such love and happiness and I’m happy too. There is a small amount of doubt that is twisting inside of me about the details that led up to the purchase of the house. But I know Jack’s intentions were good…Brianna on the other hand. I will have to tackle that topic later.

  Jack leads me into the foyer and the living room is lined with large windows that reach the ceiling. The stairs are wooden and lead up to a catwalk and I imagine seeing our children playing upstairs and sneaking out during a party like the von Trapp kids not wanting to go to bed. My chest tightens. Children.

  “Jack, we haven’t talked about a lot of things.”

  “What do you mean? Is there something you need to tell me?”

  I let out a small laugh. “There are things we should tell each other. Like I know you want kids but how many?”

  “As many as we are blessed with.”

  “Oh no, I’m not going to be some sort of TLC baby machine mom.”

  “Really? I could see you in sister-wife attire and with your hair in two braids.” He tugs on the tips of my hair and I shove him.

  “That sounds horrible.”

  “Well, the sister-wife outfit does, but I think you would look cute with braids.” He brushes his hand along my cheek.

  “No to all of the above. Seriously though, kids?”

  “Seriously kids, yes.”

  I roll my eyes. “Come on, how many kids?”

  Jack reaches for my hands and pulls me in close to him. “Lauren, I want nothing more than to make children with you. Why do you think I picked out a six-bedroom house?” His lips meet mine and before I can do the math in my head my mind is being swiped of any possibility of calculations. No numbers, no equations. All I see is Jack and being with him is better than anything I’ve ever experienced. He runs his hands through my hair and then holds my back to pull me in close to him. “How many isn’t an issue.” He leads me out of the living room and into another room.

  “What about our finances? I know you bought this house, but should we meet with a lawyer and draw up a will?”

  “Uh-oh…are you making arrangements for my demise? Planning on turning our little chateau into a bed and breakfast or something?” Jack tips up my chin so that our eyes meet.

  I laugh. “Yeah…I can’t imagine myself ever running a bed and breakfast.”

  “True enough, the guests would starve.”

  “Hey, I know how to make a great batch of popcorn.” I nudge his shoulder and he doesn’t budge.

  “Right, but most bed and breakfast places offer more than popcorn as a means to feed their guests.”

  “I am also good at making coffee.” I nod.

  “Really? You are still in bed when the last of the coffee is dripping into the pot.”

  “That’s because you like getting up early to make it…right?”

  Jack reaches for my hand and kisses my knuckles. “I like making it for you.”

  “Well, it doesn’t matter. I don’t want to run a bed and breakfast. I want to discuss things with you. Are we going to merge finances? Who is going to pay for the electricity? What about our retirement?” I bat my eyelashes at him as if I can speed up an answer from him.

  “Retirement? We’re several decades away from that… As far as electricity goes, I think we have enough of that between us to keep the lights on forever.” His lips meet mine and he’s right—we have enough spark to light up a castle in the dead of winter.

  His lips trail along my neck and he guides me into another room. It’s like we are dancing a waltz of one two three four, spin and turn and pause. And we do pause. We pause in this moment to take in the grandeur of this amazing room. Its cream-colored walls with white crown molding. The windows are open but there is nothing in the backdrop but trees. Our trees. Full of leaves and possibilities. All these moments are happening before us. Our wedding, and our marriage. I see everything unfolding before us and it’s beautiful.

  “This is our bedroom. I did wait to furnish it. Except for the bed. I figured you would be okay with my bed.” Jack lays me down on his sheets. They’re soft and smell of him. Delicious apples and a warm woodsy fragrance. He’s staring down into my eyes. “Are you okay with this bed?” His finger traces the side of my jaw and over to my mouth. “Lauren?”

  I let out a big breath. “Yes, I love your bed. It’s so…big.”

  “That’s what she said.” Jack laughs.

  I roll my eyes. “I can’t believe you said that.”

  “Come on, it was fitting. What better place to use that line than in my bed?”

  I scrunch up my eyebrows. “You mean our bed, right?”

  “Yes, Lauren, our bed in our house. Everything you see…” He takes my hand and puts it over his heart. “Is yours for now and forever.”

  I reach up and pull him towards me and his lips crash onto mine. Our tongues meet in a riptide of passion and I’m being swept away in his love. His hands are roaming all over my body and clothes are bei
ng tossed like we are on fire and need to stop, drop, and roll. I can’t get close enough to him. I want to be with him like this for now and forever. Deeper and deeper he’s making me fall and feel things that I’ve never even imagined. How could a love be so true, so real, and so right?

  ***

  I take in a deep breath and glance at Jack. He’s pulling his shirt back over his head. His abs are rock hard. How many sit-ups does he do a day? He definitely has a beach body. I gulp. We haven’t discussed where we’re going to honeymoon, but I assume it will include a trip to the beach or at the very least a pool. If so, I’m going to need to tackle some ab routines of my own.

  “What’s going on in that gorgeous head of yours?” Jack is staring at my face, inspecting me as if he has a code to unlock my mind. He’s already unlocked my heart.

  “I was thinking about our honeymoon.”

  Jack lets out a laugh. “Ready, again?” He’s stalking towards me and his hands are in my hair, twirling my locks and twisting my heart into a place of excitement. My head is tingling. My mouth is melded onto his and my mind is wiped clean. What was I thinking about? I have no idea. The only thoughts running through my mind are pleasure. And he’s hitting all my pleasure points. His fingers are trailing all over my body like he is unlocking a high score for finding each trigger, each peak, and each valley of my body. I’m in pure bliss.

  “Lauren, I want to experience you in every room of our house.” Jack breathes into my ear and goose bumps pop up on my neck.

  My chest tightens. “Mmm…you want to do that right now?” I let out a laugh. Jack sinks his teeth into my neck and he nibbles with just the right amount of pressure to send me over. I squeal and pull away from him. His blue eyes are flickering at me like he’s a wolf cornering his prey and I do what anyone in the same position would do and run.

  I run out of the room and out of the hallway. I shriek as I curve and stumble up the stairs. I can’t look back and see if he is on my tail. I know he is; it’s almost as if I can feel him breathing on my neck. I cross the top step and pause for a second to decide which route to go and I’m halted. Jack’s arms are around me. His mouth is in my hair, making its way towards my ear.

  “Come on, if you want to play hide-and-seek you’ve got to be a little stealthier than this.”

  I laugh. “I wasn’t even trying, if I was…I would have won.” I turn and face him. His delicious eyes are sparkling at me and his mouth is forming the perfect smug grin.

  His head is nodding but his face is full of disbelief. “Sure, like in the trees?” He cocks his head to the right and tips up my jaw up to lock eyes with him.

  I roll my eyes. Yes, he found me when I took off during our Christmas tree hunt and then again in the extensive garden of this lovely house. But this does not mean that I’m not good at hide-and-seek. I shrug. “You were just lucky.”

  Jack laughs. “I’m lucky to be with you but finding you is not luck—that’s skill.” He leans down and our lips lock into an engaging kiss.

  I pull back. “Seriously, we should figure some things out…together. About our wedding and everything that follows.”

  “Everything that follows is you barefoot in the kitchen baking pies for our family.” Jack guffaws.

  “As if!” I push him, but again he doesn’t budge. His body is so much larger than my own and I love every inch of it, and him.

  “All right, listen, as far as the honeymoon goes, tradition says I get to pick.”

  “Actually, I think it says your best man does. Speaking of which, who are you asking?” I stare up into his sparkling blue eyes and see a hint of sadness. I swallow. I’m sure Jack would have liked his brother to be his best man, but unfortunately he is gone.

  Jack breaks our eye contact and takes a step back. “I haven’t decided. Of course as you probably have guessed I would have wanted Lewis…but that’s not a possibility.”

  “I’m sorry,” I let fall from my lips. Though as these two words are released into the air I remember when I spoke them before how Jack assured me that I shouldn’t be sad or sorry as his brother had led a great life.

  Jack shakes his head. “Lauren, don’t be sorry.” He steps closer to me and raises an eyebrow. “I’m thinking about asking Trent.”

  I roll my eyes and laugh. “That would be perfect. Maybe he can reassign my bridesmaids and reorganize the wedding while he’s at it…” I shake my head.

  The vein in Jack’s throat throbs. “What problems is he causing you?”

  “Nothing, I can’t handle…or at least will try to.”

  “Lauren, if he comes near you physically again, I won’t wait for you to handle things through your Human Resources department.” The vein is pulsing on overtime.

  “Jack, I’m handling it.”

  “Handling it? What is it? Has he tried something again?” Jack grabs my arms and is demanding with his eyes that I focus on his face.

  “No, not anything flirty or of that nature. He’s just…being Trent in other ways. Listen, I don’t want to talk about it. Can’t we focus on planning our wedding? It’s only a few months away.”

  Jack shakes his head. “Lauren, I don’t want this to be an issue between us. I’m going to be clear and communicate with you exactly what I’m feeling and what my actions will be.”

  I swallow. “Okay.”

  “If Trent so much as shakes your hand for longer than a millisecond, I will have more than words with him.” His eyes bore into mine. “And that will be the least of his worries.”

  My shoulders slump. “Okay…got it.”

  Jack laughs. “You are going to get it…that’s for sure.” He leans in and his teeth graze across my neck. The intensity is not enough to leave a physical mark but enough to leave a trace in my mind of the intensity that has sent my body into an unending cascade of tingles.

  I squirm as if I could wriggle out of his embrace—not that I would want to, but it’s fun to pretend that I’m going to run.

  “Lauren, you’re seriously not trying to free yourself, are you?” If I were facing him in this moment I would surely melt from his icy blue eyes. His breath is warm against my neck.

  I let out a giggle. “You know there is a saying about setting things free that you love.”

  Jack pulls back. “Never heard it.”

  “What, of course you have. Everyone has heard of it.” I shake my head.

  “Nope.” He runs his finger along the bottom of his jaw.

  “Jack, seriously? If you love something, set it free. If it comes back, it is yours forever.”

  Jack’s lips purse and his eyes twinkle back at me. His tell sign. It’s obvious he has heard this quote. I stare back at him and bat my eyelashes. I can wait out his silence. Over the last few months, I’ve learned how to return his silence with my own. In our initial meeting I was an over sharer. I’m not sure if I was trying to overcompensate for his monosyllabic answers but either way, I was quite the donor of information. Now though, I can wait it out.

  The silence seems to last forever. Internally, I have to bite my tongue and pinch at my sides to hold back any small chitchat. I’ve got to win this one.

  “Impressive.” The sides of Jack’s mouth pull up and his white teeth shine back at me like a wolf about to devour its prey. Even his breaking first is only one word. I can’t respond, not yet. I’ve got to hold out a minute longer.

  My eyes meet Jack’s and they are locked like we are speaking a deep conversation, one that only two people in love could participate in. It’s full of meaning and filled with a moment that is beyond special. This moment is filled with silence, with absolutely no words, and yet so much has transpired.

  Jack reaches for my hand. His eyes are boring into mine. He gently kisses each one of my fingertips. “Lauren, I don’t need to set you free; you were already mine to begin with.” His lips trace over my knuckles. “The moment you came striding into that pecan farm, looking frazzled.”

  I jerk my head back and narrow my eyes.

&nb
sp; “And fabulous.” He smiles. “I knew in that moment that you were mine. My heart skipped a beat and I was bothered. I’d never felt anything like that before.” He kisses my wrist. “I didn’t want it to be true, that someone I didn’t know could have such a strong effect on me.” His lips trail up my arm and goose bumps are forming along my skin. I’m going to faint from the gentleness of his kisses. He is making me swoon and I’m falling into this deep moment where I can’t see anything. All my thoughts are gone. My mind is only sparkles of an array of colors. My breathing is heavy and his lips are only on my arm.

  “So, Lauren, no…I don’t have to set you free…” Jack’s lips meet mine and he parts my mouth with his tongue. Our tongues latch on to each other in an intense swirl of passion and love twisted together, rolling over and over, pulling every which way. Will we always kiss like this? Will his mouth always taste this delicious? My parents never kiss like this in front of me. But do they even kiss like this in private? I shake my head and pull back. Note to self, never question your parents’ kissing routines while kissing your fiancé. Yuck.

  “What’s wrong?” Jack’s head cocks to the right. His eyes are full of discernment.

  I shake my head. “It’s nothing.”

  “It doesn’t seem like nothing. You just pulled away from probably one of the best kisses of your life.”

  I roll my eyes. “How would you qualify it for the best kiss of my life?”

  His eyes sparkle back at me. “For starters it was with me.”

  I laugh. “You’re so ridiculous… It’s a good thing you’re a good kisser.”

  Jack clears his throat. “Good? That seems a little bit low in respect to value.”

  “Oh, Jack, I love your kisses and I love you.” I lean into his body and our lips meet again.

  “That’s more like it.” Jack pulls back. “But seriously, why did you pull back?” He traces along the side of my face with his thumb.

  I eye the floor. “I was just…it’s kind of gross…well don’t take it the wrong way. But I was thinking about my parents kissing.”