Chapter 23

The older I get, the more I realize that my mama was right about everything. I just didn’t like her tone.

— Auden’s secret thoughts

AUDEN

Her alarm was going off for a solid minute and a half before I groaned and rolled over, my eye blinking open blearily.

“ Wake up, sunshine,” I grumbled grumpily.

She didn’t answer, so I poked her, and repeated my earlier statement.

“ Wake up, baby,” I urged.

She blinked one eye open and glared at me. “ Don’t tell me what to do.”

My lips twitched. “ You have to get up. It’s already past three.”

She jerkily threw herself to her back and said, “ Why did I think it was the best thing in the world to open a bakery?”

“ Because you love sharing your creations with the world.” I paused. “ Though , just sayin’, nobody said you had to open so fuckin’ early. You could do more of a noon thing.”

She reluctantly rolled out of bed, caught her phone, and walked out of the room with it still blaring.

My lips turned up into a smile as I laughed inwardly. Last night, I’d told her to go to bed, and she wouldn’t listen.

Maybe she would now…

I closed my eyes and immediately fell back asleep.

When next I woke, sunlight was streaming through my curtains, and there was a knocking at my door.

I got up, snagging a pair of sweatpants off the floor, and checked the clock beside the bed to make sure I wasn’t late for work.

I wasn’t.

It was barely past six in the morning.

I tried to clear the sleep from my eyes as I made my way to the front door and peeked out the peep hole.

I gritted my teeth when I saw who was standing on the other side.

Fuck .

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