Frosted Sweets (A Taste of Love Series Book 1)

by A. M. Willard

  “Natasha, I love you, but you have enough on your plate. I’ll be fine. I just had a moment, so stop fretting about me.”

  Brody looks down at her, pulls her closer to his side, and places a soft kiss on top of her head. He looks over at me and gives me a nod, letting me know he will take care of her. It’s then that I realize how far we’ve all come. Now we just need to get our Natasha onboard.

  “Hatch, I’m tired, and I don’t think your spawn likes Italian food,” Zara whines, giving him the worse pouty face I’ve ever seen.

  “All right, let’s get you home,” he says as he looks to Frankie and Brody, who rode with them.

  “Go ahead,” Brody says. “We’re going to take a taxi. I need to talk some sense into this one tonight.”

  We all to erupt in laughter. Frankie and Natasha are the most stubborn people we know, that is, when they want to be.

  Jayden and I quickly help pick up the table after we say goodbye to the others. An hour later, we say our own goodbyes as we leave Natasha with Diesel. I’m sure I’ll hear about that one this week, but after the evening we’ve had, she needs to open her eyes.

  THE DRIVE HOME IS QUIET and has me thinking of my friends and how life has changed over these short months. Here I was, fixing to get married to a man that I thought I belonged with on some level, but sit beside another who makes my heart flutter when I think about him. Zara, my friend who wants to spread her wings and fly, has been clipped and is expecting a child. Natasha, the one who usually holds us together with her straightforward points of view, is a mess over feelings that she doesn’t like to show. Frankie, our dear, sweet Frankie. She’s been through more than any of us and deserves so much more than the cards she’s been dealt. Her heart is big, and when she loves, she loves with her all. Deep down I know each of us will achieve what we wish for in life, but it’s the road we travel that gets us to it that matters. With our friendship as strong as it is, I know we will be able to conquer the world. That simple fact has been the strength of my everyday life, the sheer power of what makes me hold my head up. Without this bond, I’d be a crumbling mess of a cupcake lying on the bakery floor. Maybe we have to crumble before we can be put back together? Maybe that’s what is happening to each of us now. I fell apart on the inside with Simon, and Jayden is slowly putting me back together. Zara fell apart years ago, but Hatcher is the one putting the pieces back in place for her. Frankie is falling apart now, but with Brody and us by her side, I know in time she will heal and find love. Natasha loves deeply but keeps this front up for not only her job but the world. She’s been broken, and Diesel is the one to put it all back. She’s like one of his cars, wrecked from deep within, but with some TLC and time, she’ll be fixed.

  This comforts me as we park outside my apartment, and I ask Jayden to come up. Tonight I figured out that I don’t want to fight our attraction or connection. In the past, I pushed other men away, and then I allowed Simon to change me. With Jayden it’s easy, it’s as if fate overtook my life and placed him in the park that day. Gave him a severe sweet tooth that brought him through the doors of my bakery, and embedded him in my life. What does the future hold for us? That’s one thing I’ve decided to not figure out. I like this whole new me, taking it one day at a time. I’m twenty-nine and have my whole future ahead of me. If I marry, I do. All that matters is that I have the ones who surround me in life.

  Jayden and I enter my apartment hand in hand, and now I know we will be okay. It’s when I look up into his brown eyes that I see the future, and it’s bright with him by my side.

  “Let’s go to bed,” I say as I place my hand in his and drag him behind me. Okay, it might not hurt that when I allow my gaze to drop over his body, I tingle on the inside. I got lucky with this one. He’s the whole package, and worth the taste of love he plans to show me.

  Natasha

  THE GIRLS HAVE LEFT, and I’m not thrilled with the fact that I’m left here staring at the wall of muscles before me. Diesel scares the shit out of me. I’m not afraid that he’ll hurt me physically, but emotionally I’m scared. It’s been five years since I thought about opening my heart to another man, five years that I’ve been married to my work. I know it’s not healthy to be married to your job, but when you’re in a committed relationship with one of the partners and he leaves you for another woman, you adjust your life. I’d just started working for the law firm and fell head over heels in love with Marcus. I was young and stupid, trying to devote my time to the law. As a woman lawyer, you have more to prove than the men do, and since I was the first woman to be hired in ten years, I had a lot on my shoulders. I worked night and day, taking case after case. In the end, all it got me was a broken heart, and a reputation that I had to clear up. I don’t take to men cheating, which is why I threaten Simon daily. He’s finally decided to stay clear of me, which suits me fine.

  Now let’s focus on Diesel. He is the total opposite of what I would be attracted to. My usual type is a man in a suit, one of power, and equal education. One where I can picture us curled up on the couch reading, talking about politics, not the one in front of me now. Diesel is all man, muscles, and gives you this macho personality. The thing that weakens my heart is when I watch his eyes light up about Cassidy. I don’t know the history of her birth, but something in me wants the whole story. I just don’t know if I’m prepared for it, or for the next step. The power he could have over my heart scares me. I haven’t pictured love or a family since Marcus. I wiped it off the table and accepted that I would have my friends and work. This is the game changer. It’s either a sentence for life or a temporary stay in jail before reality sets in and I have him running for the hills.

  It’s now or never.

  “Diesel, I’d love to meet Cassidy. When you are ready?” I say as I fidget with the dishtowel in my hand.

  “I’d love that. I know she’s going to like you just as much as I do.” He stalks across the open space between us.

  “You’re going to have to take this slow, and understand that I work all the time. My clients are my life.”

  “I can handle that, as long as I get you to myself sometimes. Do you think you can handle that?”

  “I’ll try, but also know that I haven’t dated in five years. I mean, I’ve gone to dinner with guys and stuff, but nothing else.”

  “Noted. I haven’t dated since Cassidy’s mother. My daughter comes first, and I strive to be the best father that I can be.”

  “I can tell,” I say as lay my head on his chest and allow myself a moment to take this in. To understand what I just committed myself to. Now it’s not just my heart on the line, it’s the core of a man and child.

  Frankie

  BRODY’S NEXT TO ME in the back of the taxi as we head to his place, and I’m not sure if I’m ready for this. Tonight when he spoke up after overhearing me, I was sure he’d run for the hills. Hell, I would’ve. A few weeks ago I wasn’t as scared as I am tonight. The worry all started when I overheard him and Hatcher talking about the baby. He was explaining how he couldn’t wait until I came around so we could move forward and not only start a relationship but a family. That was the night before I left to go on the photo shoot. I refused to take his calls, texts, or anything. Tonight was the first time we’ve talked and seen each other. I know he’s a good person, but good people deserve their dreams. All I will do is shatter them to pieces.

  When I had my last surgery, Brody was by my side night and day. He listened to me as I cried for what I felt like I lost. He reassured me that life wasn’t over, and there were so many other options available. It was easy for him to state it, as he could walk away and find a woman who could be what he needed. Every day I get up and pray I can walk, pray I can function in this world like an ordinary person. When I have a session scheduled, it doesn’t matter how I feel, I have to put a smile on my face and do my job. I get to look through the lens of my camera and pretend that this happy couple or family before me is my life. It’s a few minutes of each day that I get to p
retend to be someone else. Then I pack up my bag and head back home to my solitude where reality comes back.

  If I allow myself to let him in, will he regret it all in five years? Will it end in divorce because I’m less of a woman? Those are the questions I ask him over and over, ending with the same answer from him. He’s always reassuring me I am all that matters. But in life people say things to comfort other people, it’s not always the truth, and I refuse to be the one who ruins his life.

  I think it’s time I take them up on the job offer in New York. It’s time to walk away from this life and start fresh. Brody deserves more than I can offer, and this is the only way I know he can move on. I have to remove myself from him. I’ll come back to see my friends, as they are my family. I’ll need to break the news to them, but for now, I will board that plan and start working on a new life that only includes myself.

  I’ll be back to pack my place up and to visit everyone. Once I know what I’m doing, I’ll fill them in, but until then it’s just another trip that has to be taken.

  “Let me walk you in?” Brody asks as I exit the back of the taxi. I allow him to step out, but before he can shut the door, I duck down and tell the driver to wait. Brody looks at me as he tries to understand what I’m doing.

  “Brody, this is as far as we go. I know what you say, but you have to understand where I’m coming from. You will always hold a piece of my heart, and for that I thank you.” I stand up on my tippy toes and allow my lips to rest for a moment on his cheek. I take this moment to memorize the way his skin feels against them, the way he smells and feels against my body. One day he will thank me for walking away, and one day I will heal enough to let another man into my life.

  “Goodnight, Brody,” I say as I walk away from him. I know the silence that comes from behind me is because he’s trying to process what just happened. I couldn’t bring myself to say goodbye, as that would feel real and final.

  Zara – Two Weeks Later

  THE NIGHT WE LEFT NATASHA’S made me think about what life holds for me, Hatcher, and the baby. Deep down I knew what the outcome would be, but I wouldn’t be me if I didn’t fight it. It’s been a few weeks since then, and life has been crazy for us all. Morgan and Jayden are connected at the hip and have started a new ritual of baking together after the shop closes. I find myself rushing out, as I don’t want to catch them like she did Hatcher and me. Natasha has a playdate later this afternoon, and I wish I could witness this interaction. It’s going to be the first meeting between her and Cassidy. Frankie left to go to New York for a few weeks, but something deep within tells me it’s going to be longer than that. I haven’t let on that I suspect something or said anything to the others. I know Frankie needs this time to dig deep. I plan to call her and put her on speaker when we make the announcement to everyone today.

  I can’t believe I let Hatcher talk me into marrying him. Not to mention the sheer fact that we eloped. My parents are going to kill me. I never imagined my wedding; I always pictured myself alone and free to do whatever. But … I’m pretty sure if I had sat down and thought about it, it would include my family and friends. Now, instead of celebrating with them, I’m moving into Hatcher’s house that he just bought. It’s cute, but outside of the city, in the burbs.

  I’m standing in the driveway gawking up at this charming colonial house and trying to figure out what I’m supposed to do with this place. I don’t garden, I’m not the homemaker type of gal, and he’s not figured this out yet. Why we couldn’t just stay at my place or his apartment beats the heck out of me. The only good thing about this place is the back sunroom that he’s agreed to turn into my yoga room. He says I can burn whatever I want, bend whichever direction I feel the need to, as long as I take an oath to try to love it here.

  When I turn around and look at the house across the street, I notice the soccer mom waving. Quickly I turn back toward my new home and run off to the safety of the walls that will now become the place I raise my child. As soon as I slam the door and my back hits it, I call out for Hatch. “Hatcher! Can we please move back to the city? I’m not becoming one of them.”

  “Zara, you don’t have to become one of them, just enjoy the peacefulness of the burbs. It’ll grow on you, I swear it will.”

  “I have the feeling it won’t, but I told you I would try this. Are you going to grow to hate me when you realize I’m not what you need? I’m telling you, this was a mistake, and there’s nothing wrong with being a single mom and dad. Yeah the sex is incredible, but I don’t cook, I hate to clean, and how am I going to get to work?”

  “Yes, the sex is fantastic, even now that you can’t get enough of me with those hormones. I am aware that you burn everything, but can bake a mean cake. You’ll drive that car of yours into the city, that’s how.”

  “Why do I let you talk me into these things? You do realize our friends will be here soon?” I say as I adjust my neck more to give him the access that he wants. Hatcher knows this is one of my weak spots, down the neckline toward my collarbone. All he has to do is touch the spot and I melt in his hands. Okay, so maybe that’s how he got me to agree to elope. We woke up on a Friday and he started explaining the house he just bought and one thing lead to another. He seems pretty proud of himself that he teased me and teased me until I finally agreed to marry him. Hint to the reason I’m pushed up against this door on a Saturday with my friends headed here to unpack the U-Haul in the driveway.

  “Shh … You like it when I drive you mad, and I just heard a car door.”

  “We can keep them waiting for a few. I know it won’t take long if you want to run upstairs and christen the bedroom.”

  “No, I think you’ll have to wait. Plus, we have news to spread.”

  “You are a mean man, Hatcher James.”

  “You are exquisite, Zara James, and you make me euphoric to be married to you.”

  “Stop sucking up, and let’s go surprise them,” I say as I hold up my ring finger to him. We walk hand in hand out the front door and I can’t help the smile that I’m sporting. Who would have thought I would’ve been the first to marry, the first to become a mother, and be so happy? Right as we get halfway down the sidewalk, we stop and I hold up our hands that are intertwined together, and scream out, “We did it! Not only am I knocked up, but I got hitched!”

  To Be Continued….

  ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

  I have no idea where to start, as I have so much to be thankful for. This journey has been amazing, my readers are fabulous, and I love the support that they all give me. When I signed my contract with Booktrope Publishing, I wasn’t sure what to expect, but now I couldn’t be happier that I made that decision. So let’s start with them. The whole administrative team, thank you. Even when you are busy, you always have time to stop and chat with me and give the best advice possible. My team… You guys are my rock, and I love the relationship that’s been built. Chelsea Barnes …. You are a rock star … Thank you for listening to my rambles when I am stressed, supporting my ideas, and keeping me focused on my deadlines. Not only do you manage my project, you created this amazing cover that I am in love with. I just hope all the readers like it as much as we do. Lisa Gilliam … You are an amazing editor, and without you my words would be full of nonsense. Thank you for believing in me, and my work. I absolutely love working with you and feel honored to have you as a part of my team. I look forward to many more novels that will have your touch to them. Leticia Sidon, I love how you can catch things and are a dedicated member to the team. As they say, two sets of eyes are better than one, and you take that to heart. Thank you for believing in me and hanging around as we take this journey together.

  To my Sparkling Divas…. Some of you have been with me since the very first book, and always seem to surprise me with your devoted dedication. Thank you for picking up that first story and taking a chance with my work. I could never thank you all enough for the love, support, and encouragement that you provide me.

  My beta readers; A. M Guill
iams, Kelly Vaughn Morin, Tabitha R Holmes, Amy Kehl, Jess Haney, Cheryl Welch, Jamie Sadler; Thank you for reading this story along the way and loving it as much as I do. I love how each of you give different feedback, and how it touched you all in different ways. Thank you again for the support.

  To my hubby… You are my rock, my biggest supporter, and greatest fan. I love you with all my heart and can’t thank you enough for allowing me to follow my dreams. When I want to give up, you remind me that I have readers that are waiting for the next story. You never cease to amaze me in how much you believe in me. Thank you for pushing me to follow my dreams.

  To my son… Today is your birthday, and what better way to celebrate than with a new release? You asked me once to release a book on your birthday, so here it is and I am sure we will have many more. You are my angel, and I couldn’t be prouder of the person you are turning into. Usually a parent is supposed to teach a child lessons in life, but when I stop to think about it, you are teaching us. I love our world that is bright and full of the colors from the rainbow. Always remember that you can do and be anything that you want to be. I love you to the moon and back.

  To all the blogs that steadily support me on release day, cover reveals, reviewing, and the simple act of sharing a teaser. Thank you… The support is so appreciated, and I love all the bloggers.

  To my readers … What do I say to you all? I know I always say thank you and I hope you know how much I mean it. I love hearing from new and old ones, and I can’t wait to know what everyone thinks about this new series. The readers are the most important part of this process; the feedback, the support, and dedication that you all demonstrate, it’s amazing.

  My family and friends, thank you for backing me up and telling me to keep going forward. You all know who you are.