You're Waffle-Y Cute

by Love, Frankie

  You're Waffle-Y Cute

  Frankie Love

  Contents

  You’re Waffle-Y Cute

  1. Billy

  Bailey

  2. Billy

  Bailey

  3. Billy

  Bailey

  4. Billy

  Bailey

  5. Billy

  Bailey

  6. Billy

  Epilogue 1

  Epilogue 2

  The Way To A Man’s Heart Book 7

  About the Author

  Copyright © 2020 by Frankie Love

  All rights reserved.

  No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  You’re Waffle-Y Cute

  The Way To A Man’s Heart Book 6

  By Frankie Love

  Bailey says waffles are her favorite.

  So, when I ask her to prom, I make sure she knows just how waffle-y cute I think she is.

  But she’s more than adorable — she’s everything.

  Most people think Bailey’s shy — but I know it’s more than that.

  The girl I love is hiding the truth.

  And when she goes MIA the night of the dance, I’m scared she might be in serious trouble.

  I’m done being cute — I’m ready to fight for my girl.

  Even if it means losing everything else.

  Truth is, I love Bailey a waffle lot.

  Dear Reader,

  When you know, you know.

  Billy has plans — and he doesn’t care if people think eighteen is too young to make a life-long commitment.

  He’s ready to make Bailey his waffley wedded wife.

  Grab some whipped cream and maple syrup because things are about to get sticky sweet!

  xo, frankie

  Chapter One

  Billy

  She wears low top white Converse, with pink laces, every day. She wears button-up shirts tucked into light washed denim jeans and cardigans, her long brown hair in a high ponytail, a ribbon tied around it. Her face looks freshly washed every time I see her, and her blue eyes are bright.

  But I know that appearances are deceiving.

  She always looks so polished, so put together, but now it seems she is falling apart.

  Here she is, in a puddle of tears, waiting at the city bus stop, reading a schedule.

  “Do you need help?” I ask her. We went to middle school together, and I had the biggest crush on her, but then she moved away for five years. Now we’re seniors, and she’s back in town.

  I don’t think she remembers me.

  But God, I remember her.

  I’ve seen her in the hallways for the last month, always with her nose in a book. Hard to reach. Definitely out of my league. But here she is waiting for a bus, upset. This, I can help with.

  She looks up at me, and I realize just how beautiful she is. She wipes at her eyes. “Oh, I’m fine, just…” She shakes her head. “A bit… frustrated.” Her words seem to fail her. “Do you ever have those days where it just feels like one thing after the next?”

  I nod, wanting so badly to wrap my arms around her and comfort her somehow. “I’m Billy. I go to Taylor too — I’ve seen you there.”

  Her eyes lift. “You do?”

  I run a hand over the back of my neck. “Yeah, you probably haven’t seen me because you’ve always got your nose in a book.”

  She smiles slightly at that. “Sounds about right.”

  “So, what is the problem?” I ask.

  She waves the schedule in the air. “The next bus isn’t for an hour. I read it wrong.”

  Frowning, I take a look at it. “Where are you traveling to?” I thought most routes ran more regularly.

  “Oh, I’m one county over. So, I have to transfer.” She shakes her head. “It’s a whole thing.”

  I twist my lips, not wanting to let this conversation end. I see the diner, Hot Spot, ahead and get an idea.

  “Want to get something to eat across the street while you wait?”

  She bites her bottom lip, considering.

  “My treat,” I add. “I was going there anyways.”

  “Were you really?”

  I chuckle. “Let’s just say I’m suddenly craving something sweet.”

  She nods then, tucking the schedule in the pocket of her backpack. “That sounds really nice, Billy. I’m Bailey, by the way.”

  “I know.”

  She lifts her eyebrows as we go to the crosswalk. “You know my name?”

  I give a shrug as we reach the diner. “I’m Billy Barton, and we actually went to Taft Middle School together too, but that was years ago.” I pull open the door for her and she enters.

  “Really?” She turns to me and smiles. “You know, I thought you looked familiar but you’re so… so much…” Her cheeks to turn red and she shakes her head.

  “So much what?”

  She giggles. “Well, a lot bigger. In general.”

  I laugh, giving Valerie a wave. She owns this place, and she is a friend of my older sister, Kourtney. “That’s fair. I was what, 80 pounds in seventh grade? Now I’m nearly triple that.”

  I am 6’4” and do lots of weight training. “I wrestled all through school and it didn’t mean I was popular, but it did give me a place to focus my anger. It was especially good after my mom passed a few years ago. I was pretty wrecked.”

  “I’m so sorry,” Bailey says, taking my hand just as Valerie comes over to greet us with a pair of menus. She looks down at our hands and I see her bite back a smile.

  God, small towns, right? I bet my sister will know about this before the hour’s up.

  But I don’t mind. I want the world to know I am with the girl I’ve been in love with since I was twelve years old. Now I’m eighteen — a man — and I know how to fight.

  You better believe I’ll fight for my chance with Bailey.

  Bailey

  Billy Barton.

  I can’t believe it.

  Here I am sitting with the one boy who always looked out for me in small ways in middle school. He probably doesn’t even remember it. He was always so polite, so gentle and kind. He’d make sure I got picked for a team in PE, made sure I wasn’t sitting alone in the bleachers at assemblies, and when kids picked on me for my secondhand clothes, he always got them to be quiet. Which was impressive, considering he wasn’t a big kid. But he had no tolerance for bullies.

  Now he’s a wrestler. I’m not surprised. He looks so strong, so masculine and so grown-up, it makes my heartbeat quicken just to look at him.

  And he is still as polite as ever. Offering to pay for my meal, looking out for me.

  God, I wish I had him in my corner the last five years. I needed a man like him in ways he wouldn’t understand.

  “What sounds good?” the waitress asks.

  I scan the menu quickly and ask for coffee with cream. “And waffles. Please.”

  “I’ll have the same,” Billy says, giving our menus back.

  “Sounds good Billy and…” She looks at me.

  “Bailey,” I say.

  “I’m Val. Friends with Billy’s sister. I’ll get your orders right up.”

  When we are alone again in the booth, I try to calm my nerves. I don’t go out with guys — ever — especially not guys like Billy.

  I’m a girl form the other side of the tracks and he is — well, he’s as all-American as it gets. From money, a great family, the kind of person who will go to college and have a perfect life all ready for him.

  “So, you live a county over?” he asks.

  I nod a
s we get our coffee. How do I explain this? Stirring in my creamer, I try. “Yeah, after I left Taft all those years ago, we moved around a lot, my mom and me. Right now, we’re at a motel in Sunnyslope. It’s temporary. A few months ago, when I enrolled at Taylor, we were staying with friends here.” I shrug. “It’s complicated.”

  Billy takes a drink of his coffee as the waffles arrive. My stomach growls. He hears it.

  “Sorry,” I say. “I’m just so hungry.”

  “Did you have lunch?”

  I nod. “I get free lunch at school but lots of times it’s…well, it’s all I have.” I exhale, not knowing how to explain. He waits for me as I breathe in the sugary sweetness of the waffles. He takes my hand in his across the table, gently. I don’t pull back.

  “I hate that you’re eating a meal a day. And that you’re homeless. Bailey, I had no idea.” He shakes his head, his thumb rubbing the top of my hand. I feel a wave of emotion rise up in me.

  I shake my head. Embarrassed. “I’m not trying to get your sympathy.”

  He gives me a half-smile. “I know. But I do care.” He swallows and his Adam’s apple bobs, and I have this thought of him kissing me, of him never letting me go. I could melt in his arms. A man I just reunited with after so many years. We were just children before, but now we’re all grown up.

  He nods at my fork, telling me to eat up. “Don’t want to let it get cold.”

  I pour syrup over the golden stack. “This is my favorite. My ultimate comfort food.”

  “You know,” he tells me, “I always had such a crush on you.”

  My eyes widen. “On me?”

  “Yeah,” he says softly. “On you. I always thought — and still do think — you are waffle-y cute.”

  Chapter Two

  Billy

  I’m stunned — heartbroken and surer than ever that those feelings I had for her, that I have never let die, are still as strong as ever.

  Bailey is such a goddamn angel on earth. So gentle, kind, and beautiful. Every fiber in my being wants to go all alpha and do anything in my power to make her feel safe. Forever.

  She eats her waffles quickly — and my heart breaks, knowing she hasn’t been cared for properly. If she was mine — when she is mine — I’ll never let this happen again.

  “Want another order?” I ask as she finishes her last bite. Realizing she won’t ask for more, I go to the register and take care of it for her.

  When the second helping comes, I ask her how I can help.

  “I know we just reunited, but God, Bailey, I want to make sure you’re okay. Taking a bus across town, staying at a motel — I just… Do you want to stay with me?”

  She licks her lips. They are pink and perfect and God, I want to kiss them. “That’s really sweet of you, but I could never. My mom… she… well, I need to be there for her. She’s not really good at taking care of herself.” Her eyes are downcast, and still, I see them fill with tears.

  I decide it is now or never. I move to her side of the table, slipping into the booth next to her. I rest my arm over her shoulder and let her lean against me. She exhales, her head rests on my chest and God, I want to be her man. The one to take care of her.

  “You’re carrying so much Bailey. I want to help you, but I know you need to do what you think is best.”

  “Thanks,” she says shakily. “I’m really all my mom has. And so even though I know it’s not a great situation, until I graduate, I want to be here for her.”

  “And after graduation?” I ask, knowing it’s only a few weeks away.

  “After, I will put my foot down. I’ll make a plan. Somehow.”

  “You don’t know what you’ll do?” My dad has been helping me plan my future for years. The idea of not having a parent looking out for you, to navigate the world on your own seems like such a hard hurdle.

  Bailey picks up her coffee cup, and I reach for mine, but I stay next to her. “It sounds impossible, but I’ve thought about going to culinary school.”

  I smile. “To learn to make waffles?”

  She smiles, looking up at me. “Maybe. But I don’t know. I don’t really want a career. Does that sound bad?”

  I shake my head. “No, everyone wants something different. I got a full ride to college for wrestling, and I’m going to get a teaching certificate.”

  “What do you wanna teach?” she asks.

  “Maybe history? But I’d really like to be a coach. To help guys learn their strength, and what to do with it.”

  “I love that,” she says. “I can see it, too.”

  “So, if you didn’t go to college, what would you want?” I ask her.

  “My dreams are simple. I want to be happy, healthy. And I want a family one day. I want to be a mom, but… a mom who really gives her kids everything.”

  “A stay-at-home mom?”

  She nods. “Is that something people plan for or just fall into?”

  I smile, remembering my childhood. “My mom was a stay-at-home mom. She loved it. And I think it’s as good a dream as any.”

  “I’ll need to get married for that to happen,” Bailey says with a laugh. “That’s probably a long way off.”

  I clear my throat, my mind going crazy. For her. Hell, I’m thinking things no eighteen-year-old needs to be considering.

  But sitting here, with Bailey next to me, it’s impossible to not dream of a future. Besides, girls grow up doodling the names of their crushes in cursive — why can’t a guy do the same?

  “It’s not a marriage proposal,” I say with a chuckle, “but I do have something to ask you, Bailey.”

  Bailey

  I breathe him in. He must use peppermint soap, and I look at him with wonder — having no idea what kind of question he is going to ask.

  “I was wondering if you’d go to prom with me next week?” he asks, holding my hand in his lap.

  I smile. “Really? I’d love to.” I shake my head, surprised in a good way.

  “Yeah?” He smiles so big that I find myself matching his.

  “Yeah.” I bite my lip. “I don’t have any formal dresses, but I’m really good at finding things at secondhand stores and ironing them to make them look fresh and new. A little bit of bleach or a hot water cycle can go a long way toward freshening clothing up.”

  “That why you always look so put together?”

  “You noticed?”

  He grins sheepishly. “I notice.”

  “As much as I love sitting here, I have to go catch the bus.”

  “Can I get us an Uber?” he asks. “I don’t have a car right now — but I’d love make sure you’re home safe.”

  “Really? You don’t have to pay for my car. I can take the bus.”

  “Or, we can get you home in twenty minutes,” he says. He places cash on the table to cover the bill and we gather our bags and coats. He takes my hand when we get outside and I feel a giddy lightness in my chest. Something I haven’t felt in so damn long.

  Most of the time, I am a ball of stress and anxiety, never knowing what kind of state I might find my mother in.

  But right now, it’s just about me.

  Well, about us. Because as we stand on the sidewalk, waiting for the car, Billy pulls me into his arms and kisses me.

  My knees melt and my belly flip-flops, and I sigh against him. His kiss is deep, and long, and sends a wave of desire through me I’ve never felt before.

  I don’t want the kiss to end — ever — but a car horn honks, and we pull back, Billy’s hand cupping my cheek and his eyes meeting mine.

  “God, I can’t wait to do that again.”

  Then we get into the car, hands held tight, and I swear I’ve died and gone to heaven.

  Chapter Three

  Billy

  The next week is a blur of work at the carwash where I work and listening to my sister, Kourtney, gush about the fact she is going to marry my boss.

  My dad is away on business a lot, but he’s home now, and I’m glad. I need to talk to him about
Bailey.

  Every day, I make sure she gets home before I head to work, but I need a car. Dad always said he would help, but I have the money now to do it on my own.

  “I am thinking of getting one from the Ford dealership downtown,” I explain. “I have money saved, and I need a car now. I can’t wait until college in the fall.”

  “Why the rush?” Dad asks. “I swear, a month ago you said you might not want to buy one at all.”

  “Things have changed. Bailey needs—”

  Dad cuts me off. “Bailey — this the girl you are taking to the dance?”

  I nod. I have plans to do more than dance with her — but my dad doesn’t need to know that right now. It would freak him out.

  And no, I’m not talking about sleeping with her, either.

  It’s bigger, more important than that.

  “I love her, Dad.”

  “You what?”

  We’re sitting at the kitchen table and I know he’s surprised, but I press forward. “I do. And she’s been through hell. Having a car will mean I can help get her where she needs to go.” I know I’m being vague, but Dad will lose his mind if I tell him everything I’m thinking.

  “What aren’t you saying?” Dad asks.

  “Look, I’m just saying I love her — I have since we were in middle school. It’s not a phase. And Bailey’s life is hard. Ours is easy. If I can make things better for her, I will.”

  Dad exhales. “Look, I was going to wait for graduation, but I was planning on buying your car.”

  “Really? You don’t have to.”