Knead: Contemporary Romance (Creamy's Bakery Book 1) (7 page)

“Yeah, that would be…” She sighs heavily. “Actually, can I get back to you? I've got some stuff going on at home right now, and it might be a little bit before I make it back to the peninsula.”

“Oh. No problem. I can come to you. I love Santa Cruz and there're some great seafood restaurants up off the wharf if you like seafood. And if Isla likes the boardwalk, we can make an afternoon of it.”

“That sounds really great, Mason. Honestly, I want to. I just… Well, I need a little bit more time to figure out this stuff.”

“Is everything okay?” I ask, hearing the discomfort in her voice. “You having a problem with your roommate?”

“No, Isla’s dad showed up last weekend, and he's been a little assertive about his parental rights for the first time since she was born. It's probably not the best time to introduce her to another guy. I think she's already a little bit confused about this “daddy” that she never knew existed popping up out of the blue.”

“Is he gonna be a problem for you?”

“I hope not,” she says quietly.

“Beth, if you're in trouble or you need help, just say the word. I can be there in forty minutes.”

“Thank you, Mason. That's very sweet, and I really appreciate it. I think he’ll be okay. Hopefully, he'll get bored of this parenting thing sooner rather than later and disappear again.” She groans and sighs heavily into her phone. “I know that's awful, and it's not fair to wish that for my daughter. Isla already loves having a daddy in her life and I hate to take that away from her, but there was a reason I left in the first time. Unfortunately, I don't think enough of those reasons have changed for me to want him anywhere near her.”

“Well tell that fucker he can't see her. You have full custody, right? So it's up to you if and when he spends time with her.”

“Yeah… Well, it's not that easy. Look I appreciate the call, and I wish the timing was a little bit better, but right now I just have to figure out what to do with him and then I can start thinking about myself again.”

“Yeah, all right.”

“I mean it, Mason. I'm really glad you called, and I hope we get a chance to do that dinner soon…if the offer still stands.”

“Beth, whenever you're ready, just let me know. And, seriously, you have my number now, so call if you need anything. Like really…anything at all.”

“I will,” she says, disconnecting and leaving me wondering about our conversation.

Chapter Twelve

Beth

I hated saying no to Mason yesterday, but now that JR is on his way, I’m confident I made the right decision. It would be too dangerous if Isla mentioned Mason to JR. He’s not just jealous, he’s psycho possessive. I’ve seen him start bar fights with broken bottles because a guy was looking at me from across the room.

I hear the bass pumping from his car before I see him rolling to a stop in front of my house. The way he pulls right up is almost like he knew where he was going. A cold chill rolls down my spine at the realization that he probably did.

“Daddy’s here!” Isla yanks open the door and runs out to greet him.

“Isla!” My low shout of her name stops her a half second before she’s about to step off the curb. “Get back here right this instant.”

“But Dadd—”

“Now!”

She looks back at JR then slowly shuffles back to me.

“Do you know what you just did?”

She shrugs but doesn’t make eye contact.

“Isla Amelia Collins, look at me when I’m speaking to you.”

JR closes the door to his car and slowly walks up behind our daughter. I don’t even spare him an acknowledging glance. My focus is wholly on my little girl.

“What’s wrong?” JR is about a foot behind her but he doesn’t step in to save her. At least he has some common sense. Stepping in front of a mama bear trying to discipline her cub would be less dangerous at this moment.

“I dunno.” Isla glances up at me, and I know she knows exactly what she did.

“Yes, you do know, young lady. You broke two of the most important rules of this house. Do you want to tell your father what they are?”

Isla shakes her head.

“So you want me to explain what you just did?”

She shakes her head again.

“Sweetheart, what just happened?”

“I was almost going to go in the street.” The quiver in her voice reassures me that she knows how serious that offense is.

But she’s not done. “And?”

Her little eyebrows furrow as she looks up at me. “That’s it. That’s all I did bad.”

“How did you get outside? I certainly didn’t open the door.”

“Oh.” Her head drops to her chest again. “I opened it by myself.”

“Are you allowed to open the door by yourself?”

“No.”

“What does that mean?”

“Am I going to be on restriction?”

She looks up at me with big eyes, pleading for leniency as they fill with tears.

“Yup.” I finally look back to see JR watching our conversation. His face is unreadable. I have no idea what he thinks, but I’m glad he’s here to witness this. If he’s going to spend any time with Isla, he needs to understand that she lives by rules that she can’t break. And if she does, there are consequences. “No sweets tonight.”

“But—”

“No. Sweets. And if you whine or ask for any, you’ll go straight to bed, even if the movie isn’t finished. Do you understand?”

She nods her head and the tears finally spill down her cheeks.

“I brought ice cream.” JR holds up a bag from the grocery store. “Just a few bites will be okay.”

“Absolutely not!” Now my anger is directed at him. “She is not to have any sweets tonight. She could have been killed. This is not up for discussion.”

Isla finally lets out a wail then throws her arms around JR’s waist, seeking comfort from this man she barely knows. This
monster
she barely knows.

Holding a cupped palm over one of her ears, JR presses her head gently against his hip. “Don’t you ever speak to me that way, Beth.” His voice is more of a growl and I wonder what he would have done if we were in the privacy of my home. Fortunately, we’re still out in the middle of the yard with cars and people passing us. “If you ever raise your voice to me again, so help me, you won’t be around to know what the consequences of that will be.”

FUCK YOU!
I want to scream in his face, punch his chest, and shove him into traffic. But I can’t. I couldn’t do it then, and I can’t do it now. I’m weak and he knows it. I’ve always had a weakness when it comes to standing up to JR. Even worse than weakness is terror. And I’m fucking terrified of this bastard.

I just shake my head without breaking eye contact. More than being pissed, he seems surprised that I’m actually disagreeing with him at all.

His wicked smile causes a knot to form in my throat as he releases his grip on Isla and drops to his knees in front of her.

“I’m your daddy, and I say you can have a few bites. But only if you promise not to run in the street or open the door by yourself. Do you promise?”

Her loud sniffle and bouncing head is agreement enough, but she punctuates the gesture by climbing into his arms and burying her wet face in his neck. “I do promise, Daddy. Thank you. I knew you were the best daddy ever.”

One corner of his mouth goes up and he winks at me. I want to fucking kill him.

“Best ever, huh?” JR stands up with her tucked in one arm and walks right past me. “Well, let’s get this in the freezer before it melts into ice cream soup.”

~**~

As predicted, JR railroads his way into my house and takes over the role of primary authority. And not just of Isla. No, he thinks he owns me too. But he’s crazy if he thinks I’m going to let this happen. Now that I know for sure he can’t be trusted, I’ll have to go back into hiding. I don’t want to and it’ll be rough on Isla, but there isn’t any other choice.

The emotional and potential physical damage he’ll eventually do to her is exponentially worse than the trauma she’ll suffer from starting a new school or having to move to a new town.

But tonight, I just have to survive. Instead of challenging him, I acquiesce to his dominance and try to stay out of his way. Isla and I serve the lasagna we made with salad and garlic bread. After dinner, we settle on the sofa with Isla between us, mostly curled up under JR’s arm, to watch a movie.

He brought Pixel, and I rented Minions. Isla picks my movie, and I’m only a little ashamed to admit it gives me a great deal of satisfaction to “win” something over JR.

Of course, I’ve been beside Isla since the day she was born, and he’s spent less than ten hours with her since she could roll over. But I don’t let that detract from my small victory. After that scene with the ice cream, I’m gonna take the few good moments I get tonight and count down the seconds until he drives away.

Isla falls asleep against JR halfway through the movie, and before we bring out the ice cream. He lifts her up effortlessly and looks toward the hall.

“Where’s her room?”

“First door on the right.” I try to unclench my jaw but I can’t. I don’t want him in my house. I don’t want him in my daughter’s room.

I follow behind and turn on her nightlight then pull back her covers. “Just lay her here.”

“Doesn’t she need her PJs?”

Yes
. “No, she’ll be fine tonight. We’ll change her sheets in the morning.”

“Daddy?” Isla’s eyes barely flutter as her head hits the pillow.

“Yes, sweetheart. I’m right here.”

“Stay with me.”

“Of course, Isla. I’m not going anywhere.” His eyes never leave mine as he declares his intention. I know him well enough to know he’s not talking about just tonight.

He’s not planning to leave at all.

Chapter Thirteen

Mason

Just after closing, I see Aaron sitting in the back room with his head drooping.

“Hey, kid. What’s up?” Aaron’s nineteen but has the presence of a much younger teenager. He was pretty well insulated from the world in this little town.

“Oh.” He straightens up in the chair and scrubs his hands up and down his face. “Just getting ready to take off.”

“Everything okay?” I pull out the chair next to him and slide into it backwards.

Aaron shrugs. “I can’t believe that lady today.”

“Yeah, she was a piece of work.” That’s not the word in my head, but since he’s obviously upset, I don’t want to come off as harsh or angry.

“Does that happen often? I’ve never seen anything like that in my life.”

“No, not too often, but I’ve had a few drunks and obnoxious people in here in the past.”

Aaron keeps his head down. “It was a little scary. I didn’t know if the guys were going to say something back or if she was going to freak out on them.”

“Yeah, well, if that ever happens again, you have the right to ask anyone to leave if they’re being hateful or disrespectful to you or any of our customers.”

“Thanks, but I’m not sure I could have done that.”

“Aaron.” I wait few seconds for him to lift his head and meet my gaze. “You
can
do that, and I know you will. You’re stronger than you think, and I know you’ll stand up for the rights of our customers. And if you feel physically threatened or you think things might become violent, you have to call 9-1-1 immediately.”

“Okay.”

“Aaron.” He glances at me from the side, hiding most of his face behind his bangs. “What else is wrong?”

“I guess I just didn’t know people were still like that. I thought that kind of thinking was just in old movies. God, is that really what the world is like outside of California?”

“No.” I shake my head. “I don’t think so. But, that kind of bigotry does exist everywhere. Whether it’s about race, religion, sexual orientation, or just financial status. You’re gonna run into assholes in life. But you have to stay true to what you believe in and remind yourself that they’re the ones with a problem. Not you.”

“My grandparents are from Oklahoma. I’m afraid of what they’ll stay to me when I see them next.”

“Have you seen them since you’ve come out?”

Aaron shakes his head. “I’m sure my mom has told her family. But I know my dad hasn’t told anyone. They’re really religious.”

I scoot closer and put an arm around his shoulder, pulling him into my chest. “It doesn’t matter what they say or think, kid. You’re a good man with a kind heart. You deserve happiness in whatever form that takes. As long as you aren’t hurting anyone, it doesn’t matter what people think.”

He inhales slowly. “Yeah, I just don’t know how I’ll react if someone says that stuff to me. I was ready to have a panic attack and she wasn’t even talking to me.”

I pulled him into a full embrace. I hate that people could be so fucked up at times. “What are you doing tonight?”

“My usual.” He pulls back and offers a small smile. “Nothing.”

“Wanna go grab dinner? I’m stag tonight too, and I’m starving.” I pat his back. “Let’s go find us some happy.”

~**~

The gastro pub down the street is already filling up when Aaron and I walk in. I know the manager of Refuge, and he always has a few tables reserved for friends so I look for him first. He sees me as we’re walking in, and his gaze hones in on my pink box of cream sticks. Gordon waves us over.

“Mason, it's great to see you. It’s been too long since you've been in here.”

“I know. That’s why I come bearing gifts.” I hand him the box.

Gordon lifts the corner of the lid and takes a whiff. “All is forgiven. You guys want a table?”

“If you can spare one.” I take a look around the crowded room.

“Of course, of course.” He ushers us to an empty table with a reserved card on top. “It was waiting for you, my friend.”

“Thanks, Gordon.”

“Wow!” Aaron whispers as soon as Gordon is out of earshot. “You must be really important.”

I laugh out loud. “No, his wife just has a sweet tooth.”

“So what's good here?” Aaron opens the menu and starts going through it.

“Pastrami,” the server and I say at the same time.

He’s standing beside us with a notepad in his hand. “We have the best Reuben in the state.”

“I second that.” I nod and flip the menu closed. “I'll take a Reuben.”

“That sounds good. I'll have that too,” Aaron says.

“And bring me a glass of Lucifer, please.”

“Sure thing.” The man turns to Aaron and bites his lip.
“What about you, boss?”

Aaron’s eyes go wide and his ears turn pink at the tips. “Just a Coke, please.”

“Coke it is.” The man winks and walks away with Aaron's eyes glued to his ass.

“Looks like the happy times are already starting.” I hold back a laugh at Aaron’s embarrassment.

He quickly averts his gaze but not before a half smile adorns his face. “What? He has to wink like that. It’s his job.”

“He didn't wink at me.” I give Aaron a pointed look.

“Whatever.” The grin covering his face is no longer in disguise. “So what about you? You're supposed to be looking for your happy too. See anything interesting in here?”

I resist rolling my eyes as I glance around the room. There are plenty of beautiful women, there’s never a shortage of them in this town, but I find myself comparing them to Beth. It’s not so much that she's more beautiful or taller or thinner or more refined than anyone in here. But these women seem to be missing something. I can't quite put my finger on it, but none of them stand out to me as someone I want to get to know. No one here compares to Beth.

“Not in here.” The server flirts more openly with Aaron when he delivers our drinks and food. We make small talk while we eat and after my second beer, I make a decision.

Even though she basically shut me down yesterday, I want Beth to know I'm thinking about her. I pull out my phone and thumb out a quick text.

Happy
 Friday. 
Hope you're having a good one.

-Mason

I would like to think she saved my contact information in her phone, but I don't want to risk getting the “who is this?” text back if she didn't. Saving myself the risk of humiliation, I signed my name.

Just like my grandma does.

Almost a minute goes by before I get a response that makes my stomach drop.

I can't talk. Please don't reply back. He'll be pissed if he sees this.

What the fuck?

Did I just get her in trouble?

“What's wrong?” Aaron asks.

I shake my head as I stare at my phone. “I don't know. I sent a text to say hi to a friend, and I think she's mad at me.”