Chapter 5
Jamie straightened out the chairs in the front of the bakery and ensured the counter area was clean and tidy. Iris was due to arrive any minute. To ensure she and Aiden could focus on the treat making, he would handle the customer service part. Anything to help his new family. His own family had disowned him years ago. Aiden and Iris were as close to family as he’d ever have. He owed them everything.
“Jamie?” Aiden called from behind the swinging door that led back to the commercial grade kitchen.
“Yes?” Jamie pushed the door open just enough to see Aiden rolling out dough on the countertop. He’d removed the flannel he’d worn in the truck on the way over and now just wore a plain white T-shirt, covered by a dark blue apron with Tessa’s Treats emblazoned on the front. Jamie’s eyes zeroed in on the muscles of Aiden’s forearms and his mouth watered. Stop it!
“Stop what. You can stare at mate. He’s handsome,” Jamie’s wolf chided.
“Not now, you,” Jamie silently replied to his beast. “He’s our best friend, nothing more. Besides, he’s not into men. He dates women.”
“Right, when’s the last time either of you dated anyone?” the wolf asked.
Jamie froze. He had no idea. He hadn’t dated anyone since college. He remembered Aiden taking women to some of their company galas after graduation, but he’d never seen Aiden date any of the women afterwards.
“The first couple of trays are ready. Can you bring them out front for me?” Aiden asked.
“Sure thing, boss,” Jamie quipped. He walked in and picked up the two trays of donuts. Ooh, they smelled so good. He carried them toward the door.
Aiden huffed a laugh as he continued to work the dough.
“Besides,” Jamie’s wolf mused, “mate stares at you plenty, too.”
“What?!” Jamie exclaimed.
“What what?” Aiden asked.
“Oh, nothing. Nothing, nothing.” Jamie shook the thoughts from his head. “Just arguing with my wolf, that’s all.”
“Did you catch what he said before? When he was ranting about that cougar who helped you, he said, “why didn’t he bring you back to me.” The man loves you,” Jamie’s wolf said.
Jamie stilled. His beast couldn’t be right. Could he?
Aiden laughed. “From the look on your face, I’m guessing I don’t want to know what he’s saying.”
Jamie pushed through the swinging door. “No, no you wouldn’t,” he muttered.
Jamie had just finished arranging the trays in the glass display case when he heard the jingle of keys in the front door. He spun around to see black bear shifter Iris coming through the front door with a couple of large bags in her arms. He strode toward her.
“Good morning,” he said, taking both bags from her. He placed a kiss on her cheek.
Iris giggled and flushed a pretty pink. “Morning. You don’t have to take those. I’m pregnant, not an invalid.”
“I’d take these even if you weren’t carrying my future godchild, don’t you worry,” Jamie joked. Man, he loved Iris. At the time Iris found Jamie in his wolf form near death more than a year ago she didn’t know he was a shifter or that she was either. Hell, she didn’t know shifters even existed. She didn’t recognize him as her brother’s best friend. She simply thought he was a dog that had been beaten and left for dead. She took him in and nursed him back to health. He’d been so traumatized at the time that he hadn’t even realized who he was for a long time. Once, he did, his telepathic powers hadn’t returned for a while after that. Iris just cared for him and treated him like he was her best friend in the world because she was that good of a person.
Iris laughed. “Your godchild, huh?”
“But of course. I thought that was decided,” he teased. “You know I’ve always wanted to be a godfather. Just like Marlon Brando.”
She laughed. “How’s he this morning?” She nodded toward the kitchen.
“Aiden is doing well. How’re you doing?”
“Feeling a lot better. No nausea. I’m actually not exhausted either for the first time in a while. I feel like I’m finally over the first trimester yuckies.”
“Is that Iris?” Aiden called from the kitchen.
“Yes, boss!” Jamie yelled back. He turned to Iris and lowered his voice. “I think he likes when I call him that.” He winked at her.
Iris grinned and shook her head. She walked into the kitchen with Jamie on her heels.
Aiden was drying his hands on a towel by the sink. He walked over and placed a kiss on Iris’s cheek.
Iris surveyed the kitchen. “Looks like you two have things under control here,” Iris said.
Aiden grunted. “We’re getting there. How’s the front look? You know this one”, he hooked a thumb at Jamie, “is pretty insubordinate. I’m not sure I should have left him alone out there,” Aiden teased.
“Very funny,” Jamie scoffed. “You know I have to stay out there and be the face of the bakery. You’re too grumpy.”
“Am not,” Aiden said.
“What’s in the bags?” Jamie asked.
“Just some old pictures I found. I thought maybe they could help Aiden with his shifting,” she said.
“What? How?” Jamie asked.
“Well, they’re pictures of the two of you when you were kids. I have no idea how they ended up with my old pictures, but they were there in one of my old photo boxes.”
“Well, I’m not sure they can help me shift, but it’ll be fun to take a look at them,” Aiden said.
The sides of Aiden’s mouth were tipped in the smallest of grins. His poor Aiden was so serious. Wait, no! Not his poor Aiden. He needed to cut this out.
“You need to stop with that. He is your Aiden, and you’re his, too,” Jamie’s wolf insisted.
“Wait until later, though. I don’t want to get them covered in powdered sugar,” Iris warned.
“I’ll bring them into the office to keep them safe,” Jamie said. He needed to calm down a bit. He didn’t know why his wolf was so obstinate this morning. He carried the bags into the office and carefully placed them on the desk.
“You should tell Iris about your dream,” Aiden called out to him.
“What dream?” Iris asked.