Sweet on You

by Katana Collins

  “Good,” I said, pulling back and lifting my brows. “Then I don’t have to do any more baking. That can be your territory.”

  He shook his finger and tutted his tongue. “Oh, no. Grab that apron. We’re remaking these cookies the right way.”

  “Now?”

  “Oh, yeah. Right now.”

  27

  Lex

  It only took us a little over an hour to bake the batch of cookies, and thank God Ronnie was there. I’d planned to make my signature sugar cookies with a dash of sea salt on top, with no alterations to the recipe, until Ronnie reminded me to check the Murphys “not to eat” list. I had completely forgotten about Olivia’s egg sensitivity, and even though she would have probably been okay with the eggs in the batter after they were baked, there was a chance they would have made her break out in hives, or worse. Disaster averted.

  So, we substituted banana and apple sauce for the eggs in the recipe—and I added a dash of amaretto. Hey—I’m a baker, I couldn’t help myself. Penny was underfoot the entire time, licking up spilled butter and almond flour as needed, and Frost sat on the counter, watching from afar, tail swishing with interest. I held up a piece of still-warm cookie to Ronnie’s mouth. She eyed me carefully and parted her lips, and I dropped it onto her tongue. I popped another piece into my own mouth, groaning in pleasure as it dissolved on my tongue.

  “Tell me that isn’t better?”

  Her face went from sarcastic indifference to utter delight. Her eyes widened as she chewed, her mouth turning up at the corners and her cheeks flushed pink. “Oh my God, that is better. So much better.”

  I mean, I wasn’t the type of guy to say I told you so. “I told you so.” Okay, maybe I was that guy.

  “You were one hundred percent right. I need to stay out of the kitchen—stick to the gym.”

  “Oh, no. You’re not getting out of this. When I’m done with you, you’ll be a master paleo baker.”

  One eyebrow lifted over her bright blue eye and she gave me a smirk. “When you’re done with me, huh? When’s that going to be?”

  “Come here, you,” I snagged her waist and tugged her into me, devouring her lips like I had devoured the cookie. As we pulled back, our foreheads rested against each other’s. I didn’t know if I’d ever be done with her. But it felt far too soon to be talking like that. So, instead, I said, “Stay tonight.”

  She pulled her head away from mine, giving me a look. “I don’t think that’s the greatest idea,” she said. “The Murphys seem wonderful, but having your girlfriend sleep over your first night with your daughter? Maybe not the wisest choice.”

  “Girlfriend,” I repeated, startled, and her cheeks went immediately pink as she nibbled her bottom lip, diverting her eyes to the ground. Sure, I had said it… but it was the first time she voluntarily offered up the word herself. My heart gave a little skip as I took a step closer. With one hand, I laced my fingers into hers and with the other, I curved my finger beneath her chin, lifting that ice blue gaze back up to meet mine. “I’m so happy when I’m with you, Ronnie. Thank you for being you.”

  She swallowed hard and I watched it travel down her svelte throat as she nodded nervously. I dipped my lips to hers and whispered, “Please. Stay the night.”

  Ronnie blinked, her eyes impossibly blue against the black lashes framing them, and nodded. “Where will we even sleep? Olivia’s in your bedroom.”

  I held up a finger. “Give me ten minutes.” Placing my hands on her shoulders, I guided her to the couch and sat her down. “Wait here.”

  Fifteen minutes later, I guided Ronnie carefully upstairs to the unfinished loft. As we walked up the stairs, the scene I had set up came into view with several lit candles, the casserole, the cookies Ronnie and I had made, and my air mattress, made up with sheets, blankets and pillows.

  She looked around and inhaled a sharp breath. “Wow… this is really big up here. I didn’t know the apartment had this.”

  “I’ve been debating finishing it up here. Luckily, it’s insulated, so it’s warm in the winter. I really just need to put up better drywall and do something over the subflooring.”

  Ronnie circled the room and pointed to the window to a small balcony. “I always thought that balcony was just decoration for the outside of the building. But it’s functional?” I nodded. “Could be really cute, right?”

  “Lex,” My name, breathless on her lips sent goosebumps racing down my body. “If you were able to buy the place from Nate and finish this upstairs area? You could get at least a thousand extra a month in rent. I mean… at least. An adorable two-bedroom apartment in the center of town? You could even do short term rentals in the summer and make a killing. There’s so much potential.”

  “There was never a need to fix up this space up here. My one-bedroom apartment had been plenty of room… until recently.”

  I took Ronnie’s hand and tugged her toward the two chairs I had set up by the balcony window. In front of them, I had put two dinner plates on a small folding table and spooned out some of the casserole and a glass of wine for Ronnie. I wanted her to feel at home here.

  I held out the chair for her and she slid into it. “Now that we have a private place to sleep… will you stay the night?”

  She smiled and took the wine glass in her hand. “I’d love to.”

  “Good.” I took my seat across from her, my gaze shifting out the window, and I smiled as I recalled the first time I saw Ronnie, from this window, running in the park.

  “What are you smiling at?” Ronnie asked.

  I shook my head, not even realizing I had been smiling. “Nothing,” I answered and stabbed my fork into the casserole.

  “Oh, come on. You had a shit-eating grin on your face and I want to know why!” Ronnie pointed her fork at me, her own smile lighting up her face. The warm glow of the candlelight cast a russet-colored hue on her tanned skin.

  I bit my lip and shook my head again. “I can’t tell you. It would break our rule about taking things slowly.”

  “I think that ship has sailed.” She blinked rapidly, seemingly taken aback by my statement. Then, quieter, she said, “Tell me.” The humor from moments before had vanished from her features and in its place was an intense curiosity.

  “You sure?”

  She nodded.

  “You’re not going to go running for the hills if I tell you this?”

  She scrunched her face, pretending to be deep in thought. “I mean, unless you’re going to tell me something like you’ve been keeping my trash for the last year in your basement and using my old lipstick to pretend to be closer to something my lips touched… no, I won’t go anywhere.”

  “Jesus,” I hissed, then snorted a laugh. “Your mind is a dark, depraved place.” I tapped my pointer finger to the center of her forehead. “Okay.” I sat back in my chair, delicately balancing my fork onto the edge of my plate. “I was remembering the first time I ever saw you.”

  “At my mom’s house, right? The pie delivery on Father’s Day?”

  I smiled, remembering that day vividly, as well. “Not exactly. That was the first time we met. Not the first time I saw you.”

  Her brows pinched together. “When did you first see me?”

  I gestured to the window. “I was sitting right here. I was still living among unpacked boxes. I hadn’t opened Latte Da yet, but I had signed the lease and was using the kitchen to fulfill private orders. That morning on a whim, I decided to have my coffee up here where it was dark and peaceful and had the best view of the town center. I thought I’d be totally and utterly alone… and that’s when I saw you running in the park. I nearly dropped my mug of coffee on the floor. I was so startled to see another person awake, let alone one so beautiful. From that day on, every morning when I woke up at four, I took a few minutes to have a cup of coffee up here, waiting to see the only other person out and about at that ungodly hour. You were determined. Tenacious. It didn’t matter the weather… you were always out there running. I didn’
t think I’d ever meet anyone who was on the same crazy schedule I was… waking up before the sun. But there you were, up even before me every morning, because by the time I was having my coffee, you had not only been up… but were dressed and out the door, working out.”

  Ronnie smiled and arched her brow. “You were watching me every morning?”

  I shrugged. “At the risk of sounding creepy… yes. I wasn’t stalking you or anything, but seeing you on your runs became part of my morning ritual. I spent months wondering who you were. Why you were up so early. If you had trouble sleeping, too. I wondered if your voice would be strong and loud or if you’d be quiet and breathy. And… you gave me hope. That maybe there was someone out there for me someday. I had no idea that someone was actually the girl I spied on every morning.” I took a breath and turned to face Ronnie who was now staring out the window into the dark, inky night. “I’m sorry if that made you uncomfortable.”

  A slow smile lifted at the corners of her mouth. “It didn’t.”

  I beamed at her… a big, goofy smile that I couldn’t help. This was progress. I had no doubt Ronnie would take a while to warm up to me. To trust me. But I was willing to wait and this week, it felt like we had several break throughs.

  My cell phone buzzed, interrupting the moment. “It’s Brady,” I said, sliding my thumb across the screen to answer it. “Brady,” I said, “What’s going on?”

  “I’m sorry for the late call,” he said. “But I didn’t think you’d want me to wait on this. I just heard from the Murphy’s lawyer. “They don’t want to relinquish custody entirely… yet.” Yet. The word rang in my ears, echoing like we were in a cave. “But they do want you to start taking a large portion of her time. See how that goes for a few weeks and then if everyone is comfortable, switch you over to full custody with mandatory visitation from them. And of course, the drug testing to ensure you’re clean.”

  I dropped my head into my hands. “Seriously?”

  “Yeah. Seriously.” Brady paused, then added. “Congratulations, Lex. You’re about to get everything you ever wanted.”

  I swallowed… hard. I hadn’t planned on going from single bachelor lifestyle to full time dad so fast. I was speechless. Completely and utterly speechless.

  “Lex? You there?” Brady said.

  I snapped out of it. Ronnie was now standing behind me, her hand gliding over my back and rubbing my shoulders in reassuring strokes. “Y-yeah. Sorry. I’m here. It’s just a lot to digest.”

  “I had an idea,” Brady said. “You’ll need childcare during the day while you work, I assume. What if Mr. and Mrs. Murphy babysit a few days a week? That way, they can still spend a lot of time with her, but you are the parent… and you establish the daily routine, put her to bed every night, and have her on the weekends. The grandparents can even have one night a week for a sleepover if they want it.”

  Wow… Brady was a genius. What an amazing way to keep Olivia’s grandparents involved. If they wanted to be, that is. “That’s a great idea, Brady.” Crap, I hadn’t even begun to think about childcare—about how I was going to care for her and run a full-time business? I hadn’t started thinking about schools or daycares or any of the day to day things we would need.

  “Great. I’ll draw up the paperwork first thing in the morning and we’ll begin ironing out the custody stipulations. Get some rest, Lex. You’re going to be an exhausted daddy soon enough.”

  Except he was wrong. I wasn’t even a full-time dad yet and I was already totally and utterly exhausted.

  28

  Ronnie

  It had been five days since Lex and the Murphys had ironed out a custody agreement. Five exhausting, beautiful, sweet days. Penny and I had only gone home twice to grab some things before heading back to Lex’s apartment.

  We were making out like teenagers on the couch each night, or sneaking upstairs to the unfinished loft, whispering and hoping Olivia wouldn’t wake up. That loft needed a door. It needed some soundproofing. All in all, not an expensive renovation, but I can’t imagine tackling any renovation with a fifteen-month-old.

  The loud clank of steel weights dropping on the machine pulled my attention back to Kandi, the client I was currently training. “Atta girl, Kandi,” I encouraged. “Give me three more chest presses.”

  She grunted, her face twisting with a grimace as she did one more… two more… and on the third, her arms started trembling. I reached over, helping her out with the spot for the final press. She panted, dropping the weights, and snapped her towel off the rack to dab her forehead. “Oh, my God. These were so much easier a few weeks ago. Why are they so hard today?”

  I studied her briefly. She did seem more tired than usual. Sweatier. Paler. “Are you feeling okay today?”

  She shrugged, her shoulders brushing the edges of her dark hair. “More tired than usual. A little crampy.” She rested her palm to her abdomen.

  “That time of the month?”

  She shook her head. “Not yet.”

  “Hmm.” I folded my arms and looked at both our reflections in the mirror. Come to think of it, I was looking paler… sweatier… than usual. And my stomach had been hurting a little all morning. “I’m a little crampy, too,” I said. “I wonder if there’s a GI bug going around?”

  Kandi nodded, her eyes going wide. “Ohhh, my niece was sick a few days ago.”

  “Have you eaten today?”

  She nodded. “Some almonds. And a couple of hard boiled eggs for breakfast.”

  My heart lurched into my throat. If there was one thing I tried to teach to my clients, it was the practice of healthy eating… not necessarily dieting, but a sustainable lifestyle of eating well. “It’s one o’clock, Kandi, that’s not really enough.”

  She sighed and brushed her palm over her smooth ponytail. “I know. But I’m trying to cut back my calories.”

  I winced and immediately tried to correct the grimace on my face. “I understand. Believe me, I understand. But when you’re working out as hard as we’ve been? Your body needs fuel. You may just be run down from not eating enough.”

  She gave me a weak smile. “Yeah… maybe.”

  “Come on,” I said, waving her over to my counter. “Let’s get a snack.” I handed her one of Lex’s granola bars. “Try this. It’s tasty and healthy. It’s not going to set you back too much calorie-wise.”

  Kandi peeled the saran wrap off of it and broke off a piece, popping it into her mouth. “That is so good.” She took another bite. Then another. “Or maybe I’m just really hungry.” She gave me a wry smile and shrugged.

  “Good.” I smiled at her. “Have some raspberries, too.” I reached into the mini fridge behind our counter and pulled out a bowl of raspberries I had actually brought for myself. But it was clear Kandi needed them more than I did.

  “Thanks, Ronnie.” Her smile fell and she sank into one of the chairs near the front counter. “Working in a candy shop isn’t easy for sticking to a diet, ya know?”

  I giggled and sat next to her. “I’m dating a baker… so yeah, I totally know.”

  Kandi’s eyes darted to mine. “You and Lex?” she whispered, her grin splitting across her face.

  “I’m surprised you haven’t heard by now. It’s been a few weeks… I figured the whole town knew.”

  She let out a little squeal. “I thought you two might be together officially… I saw you guys walking with his daughter the other day, and even though you weren’t touching… I knew something was up. You’re adorable together.”

  I laughed and leaned back in my chair. “I thought we were being so sneaky!”

  Kandi’s head dropped to her shoulder and she rolled her eyes at me. “You thought that was sneaky? You two have been together nonstop for almost three weeks. Your car hasn’t moved from the spot outside of your gym except for maybe once or twice.”

  “Man… I guess there goes my dream of being a secret agent, huh?”

  Kandi snorted. “Yeah, but you are one hell of a trainer.”
<
br />   My smile faded as I noticed again the dark circles beneath Kandi’s eyes. And a small bruise was forming where the weight bumped her arm during curls. A little bump like that making a bruise? She might be low on iron. Or anemic. Or maybe she just caught the little bug her niece had. Whatever it was, I didn’t want to continue working her too hard if something was wrong.

  “Have you been to the doctor lately, Kandi?”

  Her brows formed a ‘v’ in the center of her forehead. “No… why?”

  I swallowed, needing to tread lightly. “Because I’ve been working you pretty hard these last few weeks and any time there’s a big change in diet and exercise, I always recommend a checkup. Just to confirm everything we’re doing is right for your body chemistry.”

  She set the granola bar onto the table, concern tightening her expression. “I hate doctors,” she said, quietly.

  Boy, did I understand that. I hated them, too. I didn’t know of many people who loved going to the doctor. “I know… it’s better than the dentist though, right?”

  “Well, that’s true.” She shrugged. “I’m a girl named Kandi who sells candy for a living. I’m a dentists’ worst nightmare.”

  I threw my head back, laughing at that. “Is Dr. Stevens your general practitioner?” I waited until she nodded. It was an easy guess. We really only have one family practice doctor here in town. “He’s my doctor, too. Why don’t I call and schedule us each a checkup? It’s been over a year since my last annual and I can be there with you to...”

  “…hold my hand?” she offered, interrupting.

  “I was going to say to help… but yes, to hold your hand as well, if you need it.”

  “You’re my trainer, not my babysitter,” Kandi said, grabbing a berry and twirling it in her fingers.

  “I’m also your friend.” I reached out and gave her hand a squeeze. “Let me be there for you.”