10. Aubree
TEN
“Hey, you!” I wrap my arms around Brody’s neck for a hug. It’s Saturday morning, and I’m excited about our date. It will be the first time in a while I’m not at the bakery, but Lacey promised she had it all under control. Since I didn’t have any plans last night, I baked everything for today and tomorrow so I won’t have to bake any more until tomorrow night or Monday morning.
Lacey mentioned that since my social life has picked up, I should consider hiring another part-time baker, but I’m not ready to go there yet. Sure, we’re steadily busy, but in a few months, we’ll be evicted, and I’ll have to find us somewhere to live. Somewhere way more expensive than what I’m paying now, which means I need to save every extra cent I have.
“Mmm, you smell like cupcakes,” Brody murmurs, making me laugh.
“That’s because I baked last night and went in early this morning to get things situated. I swear, no matter how much I shower and scrub myself, the scent lingers.”
“I like that you smell like cupcakes.” He leans in and glides his nose across my neck, sending a rush of desire through my body. “You know what I’m wondering, though…” He places a soft kiss on the sensitive area just below my ear. “If you taste like cupcakes.”
“You’ve already tasted me,” I breathe, remembering our kiss at the end of our date.
“Yeah, your lips, but I want to know if all of you tastes sweet.”
His words cause the area between my legs to clench and my skin to heat as I imagine him exploring every inch of my body to find out. “We better go,” I say, my voice coming out raspy. It’s messy enough that I’m dating two guys. The last thing I need is to add sex to the mix.
Brody chuckles but doesn’t argue, and we head out on foot. He pulls his phone out to check something and then guides us to wherever we’re going. While we walk, we talk, and I enjoy our conversation as we get to know each other. We keep it light, focusing on our favorites, like our favorite food and drink and song. And I find that we have a lot in common.
When we end up at Shell’s Bakery, I give Brody a confused look.
“You mentioned you like to check out bakeries. This one sells products from outside distributors. I was thinking we could check a few out today and see if maybe you can picture your products being sold at any of them…or all of them.”
His admission causes me to choke up. He thought about our conversation, looked into the bakeries that outsource, and planned a day so we could check them out together.
“Hey, if this isn’t something you’re interested in,” he begins, mistaking my tears as sad.
“No, it is. The tears are because…” I laugh a watery laugh. “I keep trying to keep it light with you, but it always ends up going deep.”
“I’m okay with deep,” he says. “Talk to me.”
“For the past few years, even though I have my kids and Lacey and my in-laws, I’ve still felt alone in a lot of ways. Like I’m trying to do it all on my own, and most days, I feel like I’m doing okay, but other days, it feels like I’m failing. And then all this stuff came up with the building being sold.” I sigh, closing my eyes for a moment to get myself together before opening them back up and looking at him. “It just feels really good to have someone in my corner. To think about me. It makes me feel a little less lonely.”
Brody grips the curves of my hips and pulls me toward him. “You’re not alone, Bree. If you let me in, I’d love to be here.”
He presses a soft kiss to my lips that ignites a fire in my belly. “Now, how about we go check out the bakery? See if she needs those addictive brownies of yours?”
“Are we almost there yet?” I ask for the millionth time, cringing when I realize I sound like my kids. But in my defense, Hayden won’t tell me anything, not even a single clue, and we’ve been driving for well over an hour.
“Soon,” he says with a lighthearted laugh, squeezing the top of my thigh. We’re in his Porsche SUV, which isn’t quite as luxurious as Brody’s Lambo but just as techie and pretty.
“Did you have a good day yesterday?” he asks, making conversation. My thoughts go to Brody and our day together. We hit up a dozen bakeries, taking notes on each one and gathering info so I’d have it all to make a decision. It was fun checking out each place and comparing it to mine. I even got a few ideas I’d like to implement at Heart’s.
Afterward, when we were both full and wired from all the coffee and treats we ate, we went for a walk through the park and stopped at the lake in the middle to sit and chat. After a fun and relaxing day, I didn’t want the date to end when Brody walked me to the door. I considered calling Hayden and canceling because that’s how into Brody I am, but when I tried to dial the number, I couldn’t do it. When he showed up this morning, I was relieved that I didn’t because even though I like Brody, I also like Hayden.
The thought causes my stomach to roil. I’ve never dated more than one guy at a time, and I hate that I’m doing it now. At some point, I’ll need to pick one, but I can’t imagine pushing either one away.
“Bree?” Hayden says, knocking me out of my thoughts.
“Huh?”
He chuckles. “I asked how your day was yesterday.”
“Oh, right.” I swallow thickly. “It was good. Productive.” There… not the complete truth, but not exactly a lie either.
“How about yours?” I ask, focusing the attention back on him.
“It was all right. Spent the day getting caught up on work.”
I spot a large wooden sign that reads Brookstone Vineyard and Winery and gasp.
“A winery?” I shriek. “Are we going to a wine tasting?”
“Not just a tasting,” he says as we drive along a dirt road surrounded by hundreds, if not thousands of acres of vineyards. “We’re going to tour the vineyard, learn about how it’s all made, then make some of our own. Then we’ll do a wine tasting with lunch.”
“Stahhhhpp!” I throw my arms around his neck and smack a kiss on his cheek. “This is amazing!” I pull back and glance at Hayden, who’s smiling softly. I told him while we were at dinner that I loved going to wine tastings and would love to go on a tour one day, and he listened. Just like Brody listens. I shake my head to dispel the thought of Brody while I’m on a date with Hayden.
“Thank you,” I tell him, after clearing my throat—and trying and failing to push the guilt away.
When we arrive, we’re greeted and then taken on a tour through the vineyards. Afterward, we get to pick out our grapes, then, with bare feet, we stomp them! It’s so much fun, and I’m shocked when Hayden willingly joins in without me having to ask—or beg. Once our grapes are crushed, we rinse off our feet, where Hayden lifts me against the side of the barn wall and kisses the hell out of me until I’m a panting mess. We’re forced to separate so we can finish drying off and head to lunch. Since Hayden is driving, he only has a sip of each wine, leaving the expert testing to me.
“How are your kids doing?” he asks while we eat.
“They’re good. Miles caught a fish, and Stephen, my father-in-law, told him they could cook it. Of course, my kids have never had fish before…” I roll my eyes, and Hayden chuckles.
“How’d that go?”
“Miles said the next fish he catches, he’s letting it go because it’s a waste to kill something that tastes that gross.” I pull out my phone and show him the pictures Beatrice sent, watching to see if he’s bored, but with every picture, he comments and asks questions.
“Evie looks just like you,” he says when I swipe to a picture of my daughter dressed in cute pink pajamas holding a doll that looks identical to her. Apparently, there’s a store where you can buy a doll with similar features, and Evie’s looks like her twin.
“She has her dad’s eyes,” I say without thinking.
Hayden glances up at me. “Do you mind if I ask what happened?”
I’m about to say I already told him when I remember I didn’t talk to him about Pete—it was Brody. Dammit, I’m such a shitty person. I seriously need to choose one of them, but it’s so hard when they’re both so freaking amazing.
“He had an issue with his heart and passed away on Christmas morning. It will be five years this Christmas.”
Hayden frowns and nods. “How long were you together?”
“Not long enough,” I say, hating that I’m getting emotional. “Almost ten years. He was my first real boyfriend, my first…everything. I thought he’d be my last, but life doesn’t always work out according to plan.” I clear the emotion out of my throat and take a sip of my wine. “That’s actually why I turned you down when you asked me out. I haven’t really dated since he passed away.”
“What made you change your mind?”
“My best friend, Lacey. She reminded me that Pete wanted me to move forward and find love again. And I can’t exactly do that if I don’t ever put myself out there.”
“Makes sense.” He takes my hand in his. “I’m glad you changed your mind, Bree. I really enjoy spending time with you and getting to know you.”
“I am too,” I admit truthfully.
The rest of the meal is delicious, and after I mention which wines are my favorites, Hayden surprises me with a bottle of each one.
The drive home is filled with conversation, and when he walks me to my door, our kiss turns heated. I’m forced to stop it from going any further, making me realize I can’t keep doing this. It isn’t fair to either guy—or me—to keep everyone at arm’s length. I need to choose. The problem is, I have no idea how to.
“Have sex with them both.”
“Are you out of your mind?” I glare at Lacey. “I am not having sex with both of them.”
“Why not?” She looks at me like I’m the crazy one. “Whichever one is better in bed is the one you choose. Life’s too short to be stuck with a man who’s shit in bed.”
“It’s bad enough I’m dating them both behind their backs. I’m not having sex with them too. That would make me a seriously horrible person.”
“So you’re, what, going to keep dating them both forever?”
“No. I’m going to pick one. It’s just hard. They’re both so damn perfect,” I mutter, feeling like an even worse person for complaining that I have two amazing guys who have both made it clear they really like me.
The problem is, it’s been almost three weeks since I’ve started dating Brody and Hayden, and I’m nowhere closer to figuring out which one to choose. After my date to the vineyards with Hayden, I went home and made a pro/con chart, but for every good thing about Brody, there was one for Hayden. And crazily enough, neither one has done a damn thing that I can put on the con side. I’m sure it’s because I’ve yet to spend the night with either of them, and we’re still in the early stages of dating, but there isn’t a single flaw that I can name that would put one ahead of the other. They’re both pretty damn perfect, which would be great if I didn’t need to find a reason to choose one over the other. And with every date they take me on, they only get that much more amazing.
“Whatever.” Lacey shrugs. “If you want to take the moral high road, that’s up to you. Just seems like it would be a horrible waste not to try them both out.”
“Try what out?”
My eyes go wide in shock, and I spin around to find Brody standing at the counter, dressed sharply in his business suit sans tie.
“I was just telling Bree that it would be a horrible waste not to try out her new chocolate chip cookie recipe with white and milk chocolate chips,” Lacey says, not missing a beat. “I mean, how can she possibly know which one tastes the best if she doesn’t try them both?”
“If I try every variation, I’ll get sick,” I say dryly, asking myself why I’m even arguing with her.
“Not if you just take a small bite of each,” Lacey says with a smirk.
“I agree,” Brody says, “and if you need a taste tester, I’m your man.”
Lacey snorts out a laugh, and I shoot her a quick glare. “On your way to work?” I ask, stepping out from behind the counter and away from my best friend’s nosy behind.
“Yeah, thought I’d grab a coffee and a muffin and…” He pulls me into his arms and leans in to kiss the corner of my mouth. “I was thinking we could do dinner and a movie tonight… at my place.”
My stomach sinks. Shit, at his place? Where there’s privacy and a bed. How the hell am I supposed to keep him at arm’s length if we’re alone behind closed doors?
“Ummm…” I look up into his sexy hazel eyes and want to say yes, but I can’t. “I can’t,” I say. “I have plans.” Technically, it’s not a lie since I plan to spend the night figuring my shit out. It’s gone too far, gotten out of control, and I need to decide before I go out with either of them again.
His gorgeous smile disappears, and my heart clenches in my chest. “All right. Well, what about Sunday?”
“Can I let you know?” I say, not wanting to make any plans until I know what I’m going to do.
“Sure.”
Lacey gets him his coffee and muffin, and then with a soft kiss that makes my knees weak, he heads out. The door has only just closed when it reopens and in walks Hayden.
My gaze swings over to Lacey, and her eyes go wide because, holy shit, that was close.
“There’s my favorite baker,” Hayden says, encircling his arms around my waist and kissing me. “You having a good morning?”
“Uh-huh,” I say, my heart beating a million miles an hour.
“I was thinking we could do dinner and a movie tonight… at my place.”
I hear Lacey laugh and then try to cover it up with a fake cough.
“I actually can’t,” I say. “I have plans tonight.”
When Hayden’s face falls, similar to Brody’s, it solidifies that I have to make a decision tonight. We can’t go on like this for another day. I’m going to decide tonight, and tomorrow, I’ll let them both know. Then I’ll be honest with whoever I pick and tell him about the mess I’ve gotten myself into.