Chapter 21 Beckham
BECKHAM
My palms were sweating as I dragged the butter knife through the white frosting. Each swipe turned out worse than before, and by the time I was finished, the cake looked like a lumpy mess. But the entire thing was covered, and that was the most important part.
I didn’t have the proper materials for baking a cake, so I’d gone out after finishing up my day at the ranch and bought everything on the list Sage had given me. Everything but some fancy spreading tool that was apparently essential to the entire process.
There wasn’t time to fuss over it as the handle on my front door turned, and in popped Parker. She shoved the door shut against the howling, bitter wind before facing me. She paused midstep, eyeing the cake on the counter.
“What is that?” she asked hesitantly.
“A cake.”
As if deciding it wouldn’t bite, she crossed to it, examining it like some foreign specimen. “Why?”
“Because you never got a gender reveal.”
Her entire body seemed to freeze before she slowly turned to look up at me. “But I already know it’s a boy…”
I handed her the knife full of frosting. “Yeah, and you’re going to find out again.”
Her mouth fell open as she carefully wrapped her fingers around the handle. She seemed…stunned?
“Come on, Park. Cut into it.” I gestured to the round, two-tier cake, eager to see if my concoction would hold together under the mound of frosting.
She gave me another confused look before finally facing the cake. Hovering the knife over the top, she seemed to contemplate where to cut. Seconds passed, and I decided she needed an extra push.
I wrapped my hand around hers holding the knife.
The contact had her darting her gaze up to mine in question.
I nudged my head at the cake before lowering our hands toward it.
She watched as the knife slid past the inch-thick layer of white, making its way all the way to the bottom.
We did the same again, and then used the side of the knife to pull the slice out.
Her lips pressed together at the sight of the baby blue frosting in the middle while we set it on the paper plate in front of us.
I took the knife from her, setting it on a paper towel on the counter.
“It’s a boy,” I murmured, enthusiasm and awe seeping into the words.
When she said nothing, I glanced at the side of her face—and the tear rolling down it.
Instantly, like it was second nature, I wrapped a hand around her arm and turned her to face me. “Park, what’s wrong?”
She shook her head, and I couldn’t tell if she was frowning or smiling. “Nothing.” She waved a hand in front of her face before swiping at a tear. “This was just really sweet.”
The corners of my mouth ticked up. “You deserve this.” I cupped her cheek as she sniffled. “And I made a promise last week. We’re going to make up for everything. You’ll have good memories of this pregnancy, okay? No regrets. I won’t allow it.”
She let out a blubbery laugh, tears still spilling. “Thank you.”
“Anything for you, Parker.” And I meant it. Anything. My heart. My soul. She could have it all. Hell, she already did.
“You want to go change and eat some cake?” I asked.
She nodded. I felt bad that she did this in her work clothes—a gray T-shirt with North State Auto’s logo and a zip-up jacket—but I wanted to surprise her as soon as she got home.
Parker disappeared for five minutes before coming back wearing an ivory tank top paired with little shorts that had teddy bears all over them. While she was gone, I’d dished up another slice of cake.
With both plates in my hands, I asked, “Sit or stand?”
“Stand, please. I need a few minutes off my ass. I’ve been sitting in that office all day.”
I frowned, making a mental note to research how that could affect pregnancy before wiping the look off my face.
I set the plates back on the counter and offered her a fork. She took it, but rather than going for her own piece, she reached for mine. Before I could ask what she was doing, she broke off a bite and held it out to me.
“First bite honor goes to you for actually baking a cake,” she announced with a smile.
“It wasn’t all that hard, really,” I mumbled.
She arched a brow. “Sage gave you the recipe, didn’t she?”
My eyes narrowed. “Maybe.”
She wagged the fork before I reached forward and attempted to take the bite. With her movement, all it succeeded in doing was bumping the cake against my cheek and toppling it to the floor.
Her eyes dipped to my ribs. “Oh shit, I’m sorry.” Despite the apology, she couldn’t seem to contain her giggles as she reached for a paper towel.
I looked down to find a blue streak down the center of my white T-shirt. “It’s alright. I’ve got probably ten of these lying around.”
She began rubbing at the frosting on my shirt, intent on getting it off. “You still buy your shirts in those big bulk packs, huh?”
My eyes narrowed skeptically. “Some. Why? Is there something wrong with that?”
She laughed. A full, belly-aching laugh. “No, it’s just so…you.”
“They’re usually only work shirts,” I defended.
“I know—”
“And sometimes I wear them at home. Like when I’m baking.”
This only made her laugh harder, her face turning red. “You bake often?”
“Well, no. But on the off chance that I do”—she arched a brow at me—“they come in handy.”
Her giggles slowly ceased before she dropped her hand to her side with a huff. “Well, it’s stained. Do you have stain remover?”
“Probably?”
She frowned, then gestured to my shirt. “Off.”
I cocked my head to the side. “If you wanted me naked, all you had to do was ask. You didn’t have to ruin one of my perfectly good, one-of-a-kind T-shirts.”
Her eyes turned to slits before she grabbed the hem of my shirt and tugged it upward. Once it hit my pecs, she had a harder time, as I didn’t lift my arms.
“Beckham,” she groaned.
“Yes, Parker?” The playful lilt to my voice had her rolling her eyes.
“Lift.”
I set my hands on her waist, lifting her and plopping her ass on the counter. Right in the slice of cake.
Her mouth popped open with a gasp. “Beckham!”
I shrugged, not even bothering to hide my smile. “You said lift. You didn’t specify what.”
Her hands fell to her thighs in defeat. “Well, now we’re both covered in cake.”
“No. You’re covered in cake. I”—I gestured to the circle of blue on the fabric—“have a stain.”
Her glare turned downright murderous before she dug her hand into the cake beside her and grabbed a fistful. I backpedaled, but my efforts were futile as she chucked it at my face.
I scooped chunks of cake and icing off my eyelids before opening my eyes and pointing at her. “That wasn’t nice.”
She pasted the most innocent look on her face before plopping a frosting-covered finger in her mouth. “Oops.”
I quickly crossed back to the counter, her squeal filling the room as I picked up the cake and plopped it right on her head. Her sharp intake of breath echoed through the house. “Beckham Bronson!”
I dug a finger into the mess, scooping a chunk off and slipping it past my lips. “Hmm?”
With revenge clear in her gaze, she reached up and grabbed another handful of cake. She immediately chucked it at my chest, but I caught it before most of it could make contact. I moved closer to her, and she shook her head frantically, hands held up in defense.
“That’s not fair!”
I smeared it down her cheek, trailing the remnants down her neck. “You started it.”
“On accident!”
My smile was gleaming now, my cheeks starting to hurt from the sheer size of it, and when we paused to take in the mess we’d created, we both burst out laughing. Blue and white decorated not only us, but the counter and the floor, too.
My gaze fell to her ass, where cake was splattered out the side and onto the counter. My eyes slowly moved back to her face, assessing the chaos as they went.
“We should get cleaned up,” she said, her voice a bit breathless now.
I nodded, placing my hands on her hips and sliding her off the counter. Her bare feet squelched on the bits of cake littering the floor, so instead of letting her walk, I scooped her into my arms, carrying her bridal style.
“What’re you doing?” she asked.
“Carrying you to the bathroom. What else?”
“I can walk.”
“Yeah, and then we’d have to mop the whole hallway.” I glanced down to find her staring up at me. “Plus, this is way better than walking.”
She crossed her arms like she was annoyed by it, but I could tell she secretly loved it. “You sure it’s not just an excuse to hold me?”
I stepped into the bathroom, turning the light on with my elbow. “I don’t need an excuse for that.”
Setting her down on her feet, I glimpsed the blush on her cheeks. I moved past her to turn on the shower, then made my way back to the door. “If you need anything, just let me know. I’m gonna go shower in my bathroom.”
She gnawed on her bottom lip, offering no response, so I grabbed the handle and began shutting the door.
“Wait,” she started.
I paused, opening it slightly to look at her.
Her teeth seemed to increase pressure before she met my eyes. “Shower with me?”
I blinked, making sure I’d heard her right. Once the realization hit that I wasn’t hallucinating, I stepped inside the bathroom and shut the door. “I thought you’d never ask.”
She rolled her eyes as I shucked my shirt off. My gray sweats were next, leaving me completely naked.
Her eyes were saucers as she watched me undress with speed. But when her hands didn’t move to do the same to herself, I closed the distance and pulled her tank top off for her.
“I can take my clothes off, Beck.”
I tugged at the hem of her pants, sliding them down her thighs. “I know. I just do it better.”
Her teeth dug into her bottom lip again, and once she was fully naked, I brought my thumb to her mouth, pulling on the abused flesh.
Her lips were puffy as she tilted her head back and stared up at me. I walked her backward until we were both under the spray of the water, eyes never leaving each other, and closed the shower door behind us.