“I was on tour in Asia, Abby.” God, his voice has me pressing my thighs together. Seriously, the man could make a nun want to sin just from his voice. It’s gruff but smooth at the same time. It’s hard to describe, but damn, it makes me want to jump him.
I clear my throat. “I have a box to put it in to take more back to everyone.”
“Why? Why should I share it?” Abby demands.
“Whoa, pregnancy hormones are scary, dude,” Niall says to Knox, humor lacing his voice. Knox is smart enough not to nod.
Abby points her fork at Niall. “You better watch it, Mister Man. You’re going to have to sleep sometime.”
He just chuckles as he scoops up more of his cake.
We talk about nothing that important for the rest of the time. I’ve missed Abby, and while I love my hometown, there aren’t that many foodie types like me around. Most people’s eyes glaze over when I start talking about what flavors I want to feature in my bakery for fall. I mean, if I have to listen to a man go on and on about football, then he should at least listen to the fact that I have a new idea for my Halloween cake flavors.
We talk about our classmates and what they are doing now, and when her new cookbook is coming out.
“You know you should do one,” she says as they are getting ready to leave.
“One what?”
“A cookbook. You know it would sell.”
I shrug. I have been thinking about it. But right now, I have so much on my plate, I don’t even know where to find the time.
“Maybe, next year, after I get some sleep.”
She laughs and shakes her head. “You decide to do it, let me know. I’ll talk to my agent. He would love to have another bestselling cookbook author, and you are well known in the business.”
I made a name for myself years ago, but it had always been my dream to come back to my hometown. I thought I would start my bakery, be a success, and then find a man to share it with. I did not think about how few men were here. Most of the guys my age are either married, or I have known them my entire life.
Knox and Abby thank me again, and I get a big kiss from Evie and a smaller one from Mick. Niall hangs back, and that makes me nervous. I was just getting used to talking with him in the room.
“Thanks for the cake, Blossom.”
He’s going to kill me with that voice of his. I bet his chest vibrates—his wonderfully hairy chest. Okay, not too hairy, just enough. You know what I mean. Either way, I want to run my fingers through his chest hair.
“You’re welcome.”
“I was wondering if you wanted to go out to dinner.”
I blink, trying to compute what he just said.
“Are you asking me out?”
He nods.
“Like on a date?”
His mouth twitches. Probably because I sound so suspicious and surprised at the same time. And dorky. Definitely dorky.
“Yeah.”
“I don’t think that’s a good idea.”
He blinks, and his smile fades.
“Oh, I’m not saying no. It's just that the fact that you are in town will get out everywhere. Um, I could cook us dinner.”
Did I just offer to make dinner for a rockstar I just met? How stupid am I? He doesn’t want to come up to my tiny apartment for a meal.
Then, his mouth curves as his eyes light up, and I think it might be the most beautiful thing I have ever seen.
“That sounds fantastic.”
“Is six okay?”
He nods.
“You can just knock on the door.”
His brow furrows. “Yeah, that’s what I usually do when I show up at someone’s house.”
I laugh. “Oh, well, I live upstairs.” I point to the ceiling. “Just come around to the back if you don’t mind and knock.”
He nods. “Look forward to it.”
Then he slips out the door, and I close it, then lean against it. I just invited a rockstar to my apartment.
Yep, I have lost my damned mind.
THREE
NIALL
“I hear you have a date tonight,” Gareth Patton says as he sits down on the opposite side of the couch from me.
“Yeah.”
I mean, what else do I say to that? Other than that, I am more nervous about this date than I think I have ever been. It’s like I have never dated.
“Who is he seeing?” Jax, their bass player and middle brother asks.
“Blossom,” Knox says, joining the group. I kind of regret not finding my own place to stay here, but Jax and Livvy have a massive house in Charlottesville.
“Ohh, be careful there, son,” Gareth says. There was a time when the oldest brother would have nothing to do with gossip, but now that he married their tour manager, he’s a regular gossip.
“She’s making me dinner. That’s it.”
“Yeah, but remember, Abby is very fond of her,” Knox says, but there is something in his voice that has me looking up from my phone.
I’ve known the Patton brothers for about five years, and we’ve always gotten along. At the moment, I’m not so sure. They’re all looking at me like they want to string me up.
“What?”
“Listen, we know that you aren’t one for settling down. Just understand that Blossom is a sweet girl.”
“Correct me if I’m wrong, but she’s a woman.” I rush on before Knox can say anything. “A businesswoman with a thriving business, and it’s easy to see why if everything she bakes tastes like that cake.”
“What cake?” Jax asks.
“We had our wedding cake this afternoon. Didn’t Abby give you the box when we got back here?” Knox asks.
“No, she did not. That woman gets mercenary with food when she’s pregnant.”
“Get over yourself,” Gareth says. Then he looks at me. “Listen, we know you’re a good guy, and if you don’t want to settle down, that’s cool too. Hell, Blossom might just not want to settle down.”
“Why would you say that?”
Great, now I sound defensive. But I can’t help it. For some reason, the idea that Blossom doesn’t want to get serious with someone irritates me.
“Her bakery takes up a lot of her time, and she’s basically been at this for a long time.”
“You said she got her GED, right?”
Knox nods. “She was the youngest person in their class. Abby said it was hard on her, even if she never showed it to anyone. But you know what that’s like, right?”
Yeah, I do, and while I wouldn’t change any of my past because it got me to where I am now, and it helped me lift my mother out of poverty, I know I missed out on a lot. When you’re sixteen and have obligations that could make or break you, it changes you.
“Just make sure she understands where you stand, man,” Gareth says.
“When I figure it out, I guess I will.”
The entire room seems to still at the same time, almost comically.
“What’s that about?” Knox asks.
I shrug. “I’m sick of the road.”
‘We know. That’s why this is your last tour,” Jax says.
“It’s more than that. I need to find a good home base, not LA. I love it, but I need something a little quieter than that.”