“Just ask him,” she said.
“He won’t come.”
“It’s cake.”
I knew what she was doing. She wanted me to try to make nice with my brother. Admittedly, cake was probably a good way to do it.
“Fine, I’ll try.”
I caught up with Cooper just as he was heading out the doors. “Cooper, wait.”
“Hey, Brynncess.” He shoved his hands in his coat pockets.
“I’m going to the bakery for cake tasting.” I paused, noting how his eyes lit up a little at the mention of cake. “Do you want to come?”
He narrowed his eyes and pressed his lips together, like this was an extraordinarily difficult decision. “Cake?”
Damn it, why did he make it so hard to stay mad at him? He wasn’t even trying to make me laugh, but I couldn’t help it. “Yes, cake. Lots of it. Samples of all different kinds.”
“Yeah, well, it’s probably better if I go. If someone else picked, you’d end up with shitty cake.”
I rolled my eyes but decided to take this as a small win. At least he wasn’t ranting about the fact that I was getting married. Maybe this was progress.
The bakery was just down the road, so we walked. Cooper started talking about grilling meats and I let him talk. Sometimes I got tired of his endless rambling. But things had been so strained between us, this moment of normalcy was nice. Even if I did hear more than I ever wanted to know about the relative merits of marinating versus his homemade steak rub.
When we got to the bakery, Cooper held the door open for me and the little bell jingled.
“Oh my god, it smells good in here.” He walked in and started eying cupcakes and cookies in a glass case. “Can I get one of everything?”
“You’re ridiculous.”
A woman in a crisp white apron came out from the back. She looked young, maybe mid-twenties, and had blond hair pulled up in a bun. “Hi, can I help you?”
“I’m Brynn Miles. I’m here for a wedding cake tasting.”
Cooper sighed heavily, but I ignored him.
“Great,” she said. “You two have a seat and I’ll bring out the samples.”
I sat at a little round table, but Cooper paced along the glass case, then over to the window. He glanced outside, then went back to the case.
“You can sit,” I said.
He scowled but took the seat across from me. His leg bounced, and he bobbed his head slightly, almost like he could hear music.
The baker came back and set a tray filled with small cake samples on the table in front of us. “I have them labeled, but if you have any questions, just let me know. I find it’s better to leave couples to it, rather than hover.”
Cooper swiveled toward her, his mouth turning up in a crooked grin as he looked her up and down. “I’m not part of the couple. She’s my sister. I’m just here for the cake.”
“Oh, I’m sorry,” she said. “Well, it’s nice of you to help her choose. Let me know if I can get you anything else.”
“We will absolutely do that,” he said, still grinning at her.
Her cheeks flushed, and she bit her lip. I swear, the woman almost giggled. Cooper didn’t take his eyes off her until she disappeared into the back again.
“Seriously?” I asked. “Do you have to flirt with every woman in existence?”
“What?”
“Don’t pretend like you’re not aware of what you’re doing.”
“Relax, I’m just playing,” he said. “She’s married anyway. Has a ring.”
“She’s married and you still eye-fucked her like that?”
Cooper lowered his voice. “I did not eye-fuck her. What do you know about eye-fucking, anyway?”
“I’m a woman. I know plenty about being eye-fucked.”
He groaned. “No one should be eye-fucking you.”
“My fiancé can eye-fuck me all day long,” I said, crossing my arms. “In fact, he can—”
“Stop.” Cooper put a hand up, palm out. “Don’t say it. I swear to god, Brynncess, I am not equipped to deal with this, so you need to shut up right now.”
“Why are you being such a pain in the ass?”
“I’m not,” he said, and the poutiness in his tone made me want to strangle him. “I’m here, aren’t I? I’m helping you pick a… cake.”
“A wedding cake.”
“Whatever.”
I shook my head and laughed. “Can we just taste these, please? I need to choose one before we leave.”
With a deep breath, he picked up his fork. “Fine.”
I took a bite of white cake with buttercream and strawberry filling. Basic, but it was good.
Cooper put a bite in his mouth. “Hmm. This one tastes like bitter lies.”
“That’s carrot cake.”
“Interesting.” He took a bite of the next one. “This one’s not bad. Unrealistic expectations.”
“Cooper.”
But he was on a roll. He sampled the next piece. “This might be the one, Brynncess. Life-altering-mistakes with you’re-too-fucking-young frosting.”
“Wow, I’m so glad I brought you,” I said, my voice flat.
He took his time finishing his bite, then went on to the next one. His fork slid through the spongey cake and he made a show of taking a dramatic bite.
“Oh, yeah, this one. This is good. Same you’re-too-fucking-young frosting, but this betrayal cake is fantastic.”
“I hate you right now.”
He licked the frosting off his fork. “No you don’t.”
“Yes, I really do. I want to smack that smug grin off your face.”
“So violent,” he said. “You don’t need to resort to threats to get your point across. I thought I taught you better than that.”
“You taught me to stand up for myself.”
“Good, I’m glad to know you were listening. Why am I here, anyway? Shouldn’t he be picking cake with you?”
“He had to work late.”
He took another bite of chocolate with whipped mousse filling. “Kind of a shitty excuse, don’t you think? Shouldn’t he be making this a priority?” He pointed to another cake sample with his fork. “You should pick the carrot cake.”
“Chase doesn’t like carrot cake.”
“I know.”
I barely resisted the urge to smack my head against the table.
The baker came out again and smiled at Cooper. “How are we doing?”
“We’re doing excellent, sugar.” He wiped his hands on a napkin and stood. “You have an amazing talent and quite frankly, we’re lucky you share it with the world.”
She blushed a deep scarlet. “Thank you.”
“I have to get going, but I think my sister knows what she wants.”
“Oh, okay.” She twisted her hands together. “Would you like a complimentary cookie before you go?”
Cooper turned up the heat on his grin. “I would love one. Can I pick anything I want?”
“Of course.”
I rolled my eyes. Naturally he’d get a free cookie. The guy played women like a piano prodigy.
He picked a cookie—chocolate chip with walnuts—and she got it out of the case. She handed it to him in a little white bag.
“Thank you, sugar. This is the best thing that’s happened to me all day,” he said to her with a wink. “Although if you didn’t have that ring on your finger, I’d be sampling your cookie tonight.”
“Cooper!” I had no idea how he got away with that stuff.
She giggled behind her hand, seeming to have forgotten my existence. At least she wasn’t offended by Cooper’s ridiculousness.
He took his cookie and paused next to my table on his way out. “Choose wisely. If you have shitty cake, I’m not coming.”
“Maybe we won’t invite you.”
“Then it’ll be the worst wedding ever.”
“Ha.” I pointed at him. “You said wedding.”
“Fuck.” He glanced back at the baker. “Whatever, s
he gave me a cookie.”
The bell jingled again as Cooper left. I tasted the other cake samples while I waited for the baker to come back to reality after being Cooper-ified. She’d taken the full force of his charm. I was impressed she was still standing.
I ate the last bite of chocolate cake with whipped mousse frosting. This was definitely the one. It was delicious, and Chase would love it.
I put in the order, confirming the date with the baker. My phone buzzed with a text from Cooper, so I checked it on my way back to the winery.
Cooper: It’s not too late to back out. We can eat the cake anyway.
Me: Stop being ridiculous
Cooper: Just saying. We don’t need excuses to eat cake.
Me: How’s your cookie?
Cooper: Amazing. Did she give you a cookie?
Me: No
Cooper: See?
Me: See what? What’s your point?
Cooper: That I’m awesome.
I shook my head and put my phone away. I didn’t know if I’d ever understand my brother.
Twenty-Three
Brynn
I took my coat off as I walked. It was warm for the beginning of spring. Living in the mountains, the spring weather could be anything from freezing cold with a late-season snow to hot enough for shorts and flip-flops. Today was somewhere in between, but I didn’t need the coat I’d worn to campus.
I’d been to class, and now I was meeting Grace for coffee. The café we usually went to was a short walk from campus. Grace and I had been getting together at least once every few weeks since last fall.
I don’t think either of us had quite known what to do with each other at first. She’d been an only child until she was in high school. I’d grown up with three brothers. Neither of us knew much about having a sister.
But early on, we’d seemed to both come to the same conclusion. It didn’t matter what having a sister was supposed to look like. We’d form our own relationship and figure it out as we went.
So we met for coffee or lunch sometimes. Grace lived in Tilikum, not too far from campus, so it was easy to get together on days I had class.
She was already at a table when I got to the restaurant. I got my coffee, then went to her table and hung my coat on the back of the chair.
“Hey,” she said. “Isn’t it gorgeous out there?”
I sat. “Yeah, it’s so nice.”
“How have you been? How are the wedding plans coming?”
“Good so far,” I said. “There’s a lot to do, but I think we’ll manage.”
“I’m excited for you,” she said with a smile.
“Thanks. I wish everyone was.”
“Is Cooper still mad?”
I sighed. “He’s being such a pain in the ass. He’s still not speaking to Chase. I brought him with me to the bakery for cake tasting yesterday and he kept referring to the cake flavors as things like bitter lies and you’re too fucking young frosting.”
She laughed. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t laugh. But I grew up next door to a family with five boys. I’m well acquainted with the mantrum.”
“Mantrum?”
“Man-tantrum,” she said.
“That’s my new favorite word. He’s throwing the biggest mantrum ever.” I took a sip of my coffee. “I don’t even know why he’s mad anymore.”
“I’m sorry,” she said. “I know how hard that is.”
I thought about the ring on Grace’s finger. She didn’t talk about her fiancé very much, except to say that he was away and they couldn’t get married until he came back. I wondered if he was in the military—maybe involved in something top-secret and she couldn’t talk about it. Leo’s military service had been a bit like that. There was a lot he couldn’t talk about. Whatever her reasons, I always felt like I shouldn’t ask too many questions. But it seemed like maybe she’d given me an opening.
“Does your family like your fiancé?” I asked.
“Yeah, our families have known each other forever,” she said. “But there are people in my life who think I’m stupid to wait for him.”
“Really?”
She nodded. “I’m used to it, though. And honestly, it’s none of their business. They don’t need to understand.”
“I admire your attitude,” I said. “And your self-assurance.”
“Thanks. I’m not always so confident about it. But honestly, the people who are judging me don’t know the truth because they only see what they want to see. And it’s not up to me to change their minds. Although I’m not dealing with a brother who’s being a pain about my wedding, so your situation is a little different. What about the rest of the family? Are they on board?”
“My mom is, for the most part. So is Zoe. Roland and Leo are… reluctantly supportive.”
She smiled. “Your brothers—I’m sorry, I should say our brothers, but I’m not used to it yet—they’re good guys.”
“They are. Even when they’re being ridiculous and driving me crazy. Which is often.” I took another sip of coffee. “So, there’s actually another reason I wanted to see you today. I was wondering if you’d be a bridesmaid.”
“Oh my god, Brynn.” She touched her mouth and took a deep breath. “I’m so honored. I would love to.”
“Yeah? I’m so glad. I really want you to be a part of it.”
We both stood and hugged. Tears stung my eyes and I sniffed a little.
“This is so exciting,” she said. “I’ve never been a bridesmaid before.”
“Really?”
“Nope. I don’t have any other sisters, and I’ll be shocked if my best friend gets married before she’s fifty.”
“Oh, so she’s the female equivalent of Cooper?”
Grace tilted her head. “Actually, a little bit. Cara’s a fireball. It’s going to take one hell of a guy to handle her.”
“She sounds pretty cool.”
“Yeah, she’s great. I’ll invite her along for coffee one of these times.” Her phone rang, and she peeked at the screen. “Sorry, it’s my mom. I’ll just see what’s up, if you don’t mind.”
“No problem.”
“Hi, Mom. I’m having coffee with Brynn.” Her face fell as she listened. “Oh my god, don’t even open the door. Did you talk to him? What did he want?”
I waited, feeling bad for listening in. But I had a feeling I knew who she was talking about.
“You’re sure he’s gone?” She shook her head, rolling her eyes. “I swear. I know I shouldn’t but god, Mom, he’s such an ass. I can’t believe he did that. No, I’m coming over. Yes, now. It’s fine, I’m positive she’ll understand. Okay. See you in a few.”
Grace hung up and put her phone away.
“Why do I have a feeling that was—”
“Dear old Dad? Yeah. He showed up out of nowhere a little while ago. I don’t remember the last time he tried to contact my mom. Do you know what he’s been up to? Why he might be trying to weasel in on my mom again?”
“I have no idea. We haven’t heard from him in months. My mom might have, through her lawyer, but everyone assumes I’m too young and fragile to participate in grown-up discussions so they don’t tell me things.”
“That’s annoying. I’m sorry to bail on you, but I can tell when my mom’s upset, even when she’s trying to hide it. And Dad showing up always upsets her. Plus I need to find out if Elijah saw him.”
“Speaking of Elijah… I don’t want to push if your mom isn’t comfortable with it, but we’d love to meet him.”
She smiled. “Yeah, we’ll have to do that soon. The whole thing has been a little overwhelming for my mom. She doesn’t want to keep him away from any of you, but she’s struggling a bit with how to handle it. He’s very… literal. And inquisitive. He’s going to have so many questions.”
“That’s understandable. None of us want to step on your mom’s toes.”
“Thanks. I’ll talk to her about it again and see what she thinks.” She stood, so I followed and hugged her again. “Than
k you so much for asking me to be in your wedding. I can’t wait.”
“I’ll let you know when we go dress shopping.”
“Perfect. And if there’s anything I can do to help, just text me.”
We said our goodbyes and Grace left. I sat back down and stared at what was left of my coffee. Why had Dad come here? Was he trying to see Grace’s mom? Or did he want to see his kids?
He hadn’t once tried to come see me. He hadn’t called, or texted. Not a single attempt at contact.
I felt such a confusing mix of emotions. I didn’t want him bothering my mom. It would have made me angry to hear he’d come to Salishan. So why did this hurt? Why did knowing he’d tried to visit his other family make me feel so awful inside?
Whatever his reasons, I needed to let someone know he’d been here. I texted Leo.
Me: I was just with Grace. Dad showed up at her mom’s house.
Leo: When?
Me: A little bit ago.
Leo: Where are you?
Me: Coffee shop near campus.
Leo: Come home.
Me: Why?
Leo: Just to be safe. I don’t trust Dad.
Me: He’s our dad. He’s not going to hurt me.
Leo: Don’t care. No chances.
Me: I’m fine.
Leo: Did you tell Chase yet?
Me: No, I texted you first.
Leo: Call him now. I want him to know.
Me: You’re weird, but OK.
Leo: That’s how this works now. Chase takes point.
Chase takes point. That seemed like a big concession, coming from Leo. Oddly, it took the sting out of my dad’s general shittiness. And I did want Chase to know. In fact, what I needed right now was to sink into Chase’s arms.
I left my coffee and walked back to my car, texting Chase as I went. As soon as I got his reply, I felt better. Chase always made me feel better. He’d meet me at my place, and I knew as soon as I was with him, he’d give me everything I needed.
Twenty-Four
Brynn
Chase wasn’t there when I got to the florist. He was supposed to meet me, but his truck wasn’t in the parking lot, and no other customers were inside. I checked my phone again, but he hadn’t texted. Hopefully he was on his way.
Forbidden Miles Page 16
