Chapter 22 #2
“I get that. Wanting to be like everyone else. I don’t know if I told you, but I was planning this big wedding for the longest time.
And then in the end, I had to call it off.
I’ve never known anyone who called off their wedding.
It’s kind of embarrassing that I had to tell everyone it wasn’t going to happen, but guess what, Beefcake?
” I took the pan and moved it onto the top rack of the oven before setting the timer.
“What?” he asked, as he bent down, hands on his knees, as he peered into the oven.
“I’m doing just fine. It’s the reason that I came here and met you, right?” I closed the oven door and smiled at him. “And just because I’m different doesn’t mean it’s bad.”
“Why’d you call off the wedding?” he asked, his little eyebrows cinched with concern.
“Well, the groom that I picked found himself another lady.” It was my lame attempt at telling the truth to soothe his pain, but it seemed to be working.
“I’ve got a lot of girls, Sunny. But I can’t believe someone wouldn’t want to marry you.
You’re my special girl. You know how to take care of sick kids, and you bake the best Krispies and cupcakes, and you ride horses, and you’re a real good swimmer, too.
You’ve got the best dog, and you’re very pretty.
” He reached for my hand. “But you’re also the nicest girl I know.
You want me to have my uncles go beat that guy up for you?
My uncle Ro is the champion, and they’re all real strong.
My pops could beat just about anyone in a fight, except for maybe Uncle Ro. ”
“No,” I said over my laughter. “I’m happy about it now. I just meant that sometimes being different from everyone around you isn’t a bad thing. Maybe it just means we’re special.”
“Pops always says that I’m special. And he’s like me.
He didn’t have a mama either, and he’s the best pops.
” He beamed up at me as I moved to get another bowl so we could start the icing.
Nash had told me that he lost his mother in childbirth, and I couldn’t even imagine how hard that had to be on both him and his father.
“Did your mama bring cupcakes when you were the star student at school?”
I pulled the step stool back up to the counter for him since we were going to make the icing next.
I measured out the butter and dropped it into the bowl.
“My parents are really great. But,” I said, holding up my phone to show him a photo of all of us together.
“They’ve got five kids, and then I told you I’ve got my cousins who grew up right next door to me.
So my mom couldn’t always bake cupcakes for all of us for every occasion.
We got special treats on our birthday, and that was great. ”
He studied the photo, and his head fell back in laughter. “Man, Sunny. You’ve got so many brothers and cousins, and they’re all boys. Did you wish for a girl sometimes?”
“Nope. I had a best friend named Farah, and she was more like a sister to me back then.” I cleared my throat. The pain always hit hard when I talked about Farah. “And now that we’re talking about this, I just remembered something.”
“What?” he asked.
“Farah’s mama always brought all the treats on the first day of school and on her birthday and her half birthday. She didn’t have any siblings, so her parents really spoiled her.”
“And did you ever feel bad about that?”
“Nope. Because I had such a good family, just like you do. Farah was always really lonely because her parents were very busy. But they’d always throw her fancy parties and bring her special treats, but they didn’t spend a lot of time with her.
And sometimes, things look good on the outside, but it’s more about feeling good on the inside. ”
“I always feel good on the inside. My girl, Ruby, taught me about that.” He took the measuring cup that I’d filled with powdered sugar and carefully poured it into the mixing bowl. “Do you think Farah was sad on the inside because she was wishing she could spend more time with her family?”
My chest was heavy. That girl practically lived at our house when we were growing up. “I think she might have been. So always remember, being loved is most important. It’s not about how something looks, Beefcake. It’s about how it feels.”
“I feel happy when I’m with you, Sunny. I’ll bet this is how Jolie feels when she bakes with her mama.” The words left his mouth so casually, I sat there gaping at him with surprise. I loved how honest he was. How he just said how he felt.
The door sprung open, and Winnie came running in before I could respond to Cutler.
“It smells like cupcakes, and I’m getting hungry,” Nash said, with a big grin on his face. “I’m done being kicked out of the cool kids’ baking club.”
I shook my head and chuckled as Cutler charged at him, and his father scooped him up effortlessly.
“Sunny is the bestest baker and the bestest girl, Pops. We better hope she stays a long time, because she makes me feel real good on the inside.”
Nash barked out a laugh, and so did I. “Yep. She makes me feel good on the inside, too.”
With that, he winked at me, and I could feel the heat climbing my neck.
This man had such an effect on me, and I didn’t know what to make of it.
But I’d decided not to overthink it, and I was just going to enjoy myself.
Because I couldn’t get enough of Nash or his little boy.