Knead: Contemporary Romance (Creamy's Bakery Book 1)

by Aspen Drake

  She’s sound asleep. I hate having to pull her out of bed, but I hate her father even more. I shove as many of her clothes as I can fit into the duffel bag then find a backpack she uses to carry some of her toys. I pull out a few I think she can live without and add some toys she'll want to have with her wherever we go. As much as I hate to throw the damn pony JR gave to her inside, I know how much she loves it. It's not exactly a substitute for a loving father, but it's probably the best she's ever gonna get out of him.

  After take a quick peek outside, I’m fairly confident there are no cars coming, so I drop both bags on the floor by the front door and go look for my spare key. It takes me a minute to find it in the kitchen junk drawer but thankfully it’s there.

  When I have everything that I'm going to take, including my laptop so I can continue to work, I pull my sleeping daughter out of bed with her blanket still wrapped around her little body and head outside.

  “Where are we going, Mommy?” Isla doesn't open her eyes fully as she mumbles in her sleep.

  “We’re going for a ride, baby. I'm sorry to wake you, but we’ll be in the car in a second.” With her pillow hanging from two fingers, I carry her out to the car and lay her across the back seat. I'll deal with seatbelts later. Right now, I just need to get away from this house before anybody sees what I'm doing.

  When she's settled across the back, I run to the front door and grab the last of our things. I leave the doors unlocked as I walk away from the house I love.

  An hour later, I'm pulling up to the gate and hitting the intercom button at Amy and Nate's house. I should've called, but I knew I wouldn't be able to explain everything over the phone. I’m still shaking from the adrenaline rush that came with sneaking away.

  “Yes.” Nate’s deep voice is clearly irritated from being bothered so late in the evening by an uninvited and unexpected guest.

  “Nate, hi. I'm sorry to bother you, but it's Beth.”

  “Beth? Are you okay?”

  “Um, mostly. Can we come in?”

  The gate is already swinging open when I hear Amy shouting in the background. “Come on in. I'll meet you downstairs.”

  Nate’s wearing a pair of low hung pajama bottoms and nothing else as he holds the door open for me. He gently takes Isla out of my arms as soon as I’m inside. “Should I put her in the guestroom?” he asks.

  I'm nod through the tears that are already forming. “Are either of you hurt?”

  I shake my head as one tear escapes.

  Nate sighs and places his hand on my back. “Amy's up in bed. Go talk to her while I get Isla settled.”

  “Thanks, Nate,” I whisper. “Let me just grab our bags.”

  “Leave them. I'll get them out in a minute. You go talk to your sister.”

  Knowing that Isla is safely under Nate's protection, I rush up the stairs and fall into my sister’s arms.

  “Bethy, honey. What's wrong?” Amy voice is tinged with panic as she holds me against her chest. “What happened?”

  “He's back, Amy. I don't know how he found us but he's back and he won't leave.”

  Amy rests her cheek on my head and lets me cry against the fabric of her nightgown. “Did he do something to you? Did he hurt you or Isla?”

  I shrug. “Isla's fine. She thinks he's amazing. Best daddy in the world,” I say with air quotes.

  Amy makes a face that perfectly echoes my feelings about the matter. “We’ll file a restraining order against him. We can keep him away.”

  I cough out a dry sob. “It won’t matter. He'll walk right through any restraining order we try to put in place. Then, he’ll be even more pissed when he gets to me. I don't know what to do. I can't stay at my house, but I can't run. There's nowhere safe that we can go.”

  Amy pushes me up and looks me straight in the eye. “You're not going anywhere. You're staying right here. Nate can turn on all the security cameras twenty-four/seven if we have to. No one will get near you or Isla.”

  “Really?” I sniffle loudly. “Do you think we can keep him out?”

  Part of me knows it's naïve to believe she can actually keep them away. If he wants to find us, he will. But right now, I don't have any other options. This is the safest place I know of, and Nate has more resources than anybody else I know.

  This is my best and only option for keeping myself and my daughter safe.

  Chapter Seventeen

  Becca

  After a few days of moping, I finally get out of my funk over seeing Cody and feel ready to get out again. It’s time to move on. Maybe even change things up in my life. I start with my morning routine.

  Instead of going for a morning run, I head to the gym and run on the treadmill. About five minutes into it, Cody walks towards the weight room. I forgot he uses this gym too, but it doesn't look like he saw me, so I keep my head down, turn up the speed, and ignore everyone around me.

  One foot in front of the other.

  That's all I'm focused on. That's all I can think about. Not the fact that the one that got away is only fifty feet away from me and wearing nothing but a pair of basketball shorts.

  Once I hit the forty-five minute mark, I’m considering whether to keep going or stop when I feel someone watching me.

  I don't want to look up. I don't want to talk to Cody, but after a few more minutes, I give in and look up, letting my eyes roam through the room to see who is watching me. I almost trip when I realize the eyes focused on me from across the room don't belong to Cody at all. It’s Joe, the hot man I made a mess of myself in front of at the bar last weekend.

  Oh my god.

  I’d hoped to never see him again because that was the most mortifying experience of my life. My eyes drop to the control panel, and I start frantically pushing buttons to stop the machine. Once it's slow enough that I can hop off without killing myself, I grab my phone and towel and run into the locker room.

  I'm sure he saw me leave so maybe he'll forget about me in a few minutes. If I’m lucky, I can sneak out without having to actually talk to him. Just to be safe, I kill some time by grabbing a towel from the rack and hopping in the shower. Hot water pours over me, effectively washing away the sweat but doing nothing to cleanse my humiliation.

  I'm never drinking tequila again. When the guilt of wasting water during a drought is too overwhelming for me to ignore, I turn off the faucet and reluctantly get out. At the door leading back onto the main gym floor, I consider which path will lead me to the next exit with the lowest probability of seeing Joe. There's a circuit training section that he probably doesn't use, so I push open the door and turn left to take the route past the circuit trainers.

  “Becca, hey.”

  God!

  I freeze and look up, wishing I had brought in my sunglasses and a ball cap today. Joe is right in front of me.

  I force a smile. “Hey. Joe, right?”

  “Yeah. How you doing?” He steps closer and my neck cranes back to look at him. He’s taller than I remember. Maybe six four or six five.

  “I'm good. Just heading to work.”

  “Cool.” His hands slide in his pockets and he seems nervous. It’s actually kinda cute. Not as confident as he seemed at the bar. Then again, my memory can’t be completely trusted. “I just wanted to make sure you're feeling okay. You rushed out so quickly… I figured you'd be pretty messed up for a day or two.”

  My smile is more genuine now as I think about the absurdity of that situation. “Yeah, I was definitely messed up, but I’m all better now.”

  “Great…” One hand comes out of his pocket and he drags it through his damp hair. My eyes trail down from the deep blue pool of his eyes and land on his chest. I can't avoid looking at the way his tight performance shirt clings to his pecs. His body is pumped, and his abs clearly outline the path to his happy place.

  Fuck, this man is cut.

  Joe clears his throat, and I realize I'm staring. My gaze immediately finds his and the crinkle at the corners proves he's laughing.


  Busted.

  Thankfully, my face is already red from the run so I don't care about any extra heat tinting my cheeks.

  “I was also wondering if maybe we can grab a bite sometime. Maybe get lunch or dinner?” I search his face for signs of malice. Is he serious? He barely knew me for five minutes, and I puked all over his office. On top of that, I ran out on him.

  “You want to see me again? I’m a little surprised.”

  “Why would you be surprised?”

  I avert my eyes, focusing on his muscular legs. “Well, I didn't exactly leave a good first impression. I didn’t think you’d ever want to see me again.”

  Joe laughs. “I own a bar. I'm very used to seeing people not at their best on the weekends… Unless it's something you do every night.” He raises an eyebrow, only half joking.

  “No.” I chuckle. “I don't ever do that…and trust me when I say I NEVER want a repeat of that night again.”

  “Okay, then we're good.” He winks and pulls out his phone. “Can I get your number so we can set up dinner? Maybe sometime this week, if you’re free.” His eyes look to me with sincerity, sparkling like sapphires as he anxiously awaits my reply.

  My mouth is hanging open for a few seconds before I rattle off my number to him. If I'm gonna get over Cody, this guy’s definitely a nice way to do it.

  When I finally say goodbye to Joe and move past him, I notice Cody is sitting on the bench directly beside where we’re talking. The look on his face is hard to interpret, but it's clear he heard everything we said.

  I don't know if he's sad or mad or just having a bad day, but something is definitely going on behind those twitching eyes of his.

  Chapter Eighteen

  Carly

  “We’ll be counting down the days until you return.” Max is holding me so tight I can’t take a full breath. But I don’t loosen my grip on him either. Max brings so much fun and happiness to our family on a daily basis. I hope I’m not depressed or lonely without his sweet smile or childlike laugh.

  As soon as Max releases me, I turn and fall into Noah’s arms. Tears are streaming down both cheeks, and the smallest strings of regret are pulling at my heart. Maybe I shouldn’t go. I’m going to miss these two men more than I can even imagine.

  “Shh, shh, sweetheart.” Noah’s deep voice soothes my anxiety as he gently sways us both. “You’ll have a great time and we’ll be right here waiting when you get back.”

  I nod against his shoulder and let out a quiet sob.

  “I can promise we’ll both be thinking of you every minute you’re not with us.”

  “I know.” I rest my cheek on his shoulder and press my lips to his neck. “But I’m gonna be lonely without you guys.”

  “You have a lot of friends to keep you company. By the time you remember to miss us, you’ll be on your way home.”

  “No.” I wrap my arms around his chest and squeeze. “I’ll miss you every night. I hate sleeping alone.”

  Max steps into my back and brushes my hair aside to kiss my shoulder. “You better be sleeping alone.”

  I let out a choked laugh. “You know what I mean. Maybe you guys should come.”

  “Sweetheart.” Noah places his finger under my chin and lifts it up so I’m facing him. “You deserve to have some time with your friends. Max and I have each other. We want you to have fun and not worry about a thing.”

  “I love you guys.”

  Noah kisses my mouth while Max whispers into my ear. “We love you too, beautiful Carly.”

  “And you promise you’ll be waiting for me when I get home?”

  Noah rubs his nose against mine. “We promise, sweetheart. We’ll both be right here waiting for you.”

  ~**~

  These annual training events are always fun, and this time is no exception. I’ve attended several, but in the past, I've never had somebody waiting for me at home. That definitely changes my outlook when I'm out with the girls.

  We’ve had several different trainings this week and this morning we did some short-term color treatments for a bridal party. The bride is some indie rock chick, and we all had a great time with her and her friends.

  It was one of the most fun days I've had so far. But it also made me a little sad to be surrounded by wedding talk. With my unorthodox relationship, I know I'll never have the big white wedding that I dreamed of as a little girl.

  Max and Noah have both mentioned the idea of marriage, but it would have to be to one or the other of them. Someone would be left out in order for it to be legal. I just can't bear the thought.

  Noah argues that since more people have been introduced to Max as my boyfriend and Noah as his best friend, it makes sense for me to marry Max. But I could never do that. Noah is such an important part of both of our lives that neither one of us would feel comfortable with leaving him out, even if it was only on paper.

  Truthfully, that's okay with me. I’ve come to accept that my relationship comes with some sacrifices. And I’m happy to make those to be with them. But it does hit home when I'm at a wedding or working on a bridal party like this morning.

  Cami snaps her fingers in front of my face. “Hello in there. Are you with us?”

  “Sorry, yeah. Just zoned out there for minute.”

  “What? We’re at one of the chicest bars in the city, guys are sending drinks to us left and right, and I did your hair so you look amazing. Why do you have such a sad face?”

  I force a smile. “I'm sorry, Cam. I don't mean to be a downer. I’m just thinking about things.”

  “Thinking about what?”

  Cami is a friend from cosmetology school. We don't work together, but we always try to time our continuing education classes so we can spend a week together on the company’s dime. She's been one of my closest friends for a long time. There are few people I've been completely honest with about my relationship, and Cami is one of them.

  “I don't know. Hearing those women talking about how much fun the wedding is gonna be and how beautiful the flowers are…and the dress and the pictures… It just makes me wish there was a way for me to have that too someday.”

  “What are you talking about?” Cami looks at me like I'm crazy. “You can totally have that.”

  “I can't.” I shake my head and take a drink. “I can’t invite my aunts and uncles and cousins to a wedding where I’m marrying two men. I mean, really. Some of them are liberal, but I don't think my grandma would even survive such a thing. She gets flustered when she sees a woman breastfeeding in public.”

  “Don't be so dramatic. I'm sure they would get over it. And if not, fuck ’em. Just invite your friends and people that support you guys. It doesn't have to include everybody.”

  “But that's the problem. I want to include everybody. I want my dad to walk me down the aisle, and I don't think he would. He tolerates the guys, and he’s civil when they're in the same room. But he would never be okay with me marrying both of them. Oh, and let’s not forget the minor detail about it being illegal. Even if we have a ceremony, it won't be official.”

  “Official, schmicial.” Cami waves her dripping straw at me. “Who cares about official? You’ve got your own medical benefits. That's all getting married is good for. If you want to change your name, you can do that on your own. Although…” She rests the sticky straw against her temple as if it’s helping her think. She must already be lit because she doesn’t seem to notice the pink drop oozing down the side of her face. “Which name would you choose?”

  I laugh and wipe her cheek with my napkin. “I don’t know. I love them both. Ryland and Burgess. They’re both good names so I would be okay either way.”

  “Oh, come on, Carly.” Cami leans in closer and whispers, “You must have a preference…”

  Chapter Nineteen

  Noah

  That's how she feels? Instead of bringing her joy and filling a gap in Carly’ life, Max and I are causing her anguish. We’re forcing her to sacrifice something that means so much to her. />
  Following Carly to New York is probably something I'll regret for the rest of my life. But I'm glad I'm here. When I told Max I’d be busy in meetings all day and he shouldn't expect to see me at the club, he didn't have any suspicion at all. He never would have guessed I was about to hop on a plane to come check on our girl.

  But there was a nagging ache in my gut that told me something was wrong. I needed to see for myself that she was okay. Coming here was purely instinct. My plan was just to make sure she was fine and then go home before Max even realized I was gone.

  I should have known it wouldn’t be that simple. It never is. Deceiving people is always complicated and ugly and painful. Now that I'm sitting here, back to back with Carly in a wall booth, I feel too weak to even move. Everything I thought we had is really just a fantasy Max and I created. It seemed too good to be true. Now I realize it is.

  All we’re doing is bringing pain to the woman we love. Carly is generally happy with us. She loves us almost as much as we love her, but we can't give her everything she needs, not both of us anyway. As long as we're all together, she’ll never be able to have that church wedding she clearly wants. She won't have her family in attendance at the dream wedding she deserves.

  She'll have to keep our relationship hidden from those she loves most in order to spare herself pain and rejection. That's not what I want for her.

  And Max feels the same way. If he had any idea how much this is hurting her, he would make the same decision that I'm making right now. He would realize one of us had to leave.

  Then maybe Carly could be truly happy. She would be sad for a while but she would get over it. And as much as it shreds me to admit, it has to be me. I have to leave the family I would walk on water to protect.