Page 41 of Babydaddy To Go

“Shall we go back to my place? I have some salmon steaks we can prepare.”

Her expression eager.

“I haven’t had good salmon since I left Maine.”

“Well, we have to change that,” I tell her. “Let’s go.”

Alyssa looks completely at home in my mansion. She immediately opens the fridge and gathers ingredients for our dinner like she’s been living here for years.

I love the familiarity.

“Can you get the asparagus ready for grilling?” I ask her, handing over the produce bag.

She grabs the vegetable chopping board and trims the asparagus. After, she tosses them with oil and seasoning and places them on the in-laid grill top near the stove.

“Don’t burn yourself,” I joke.

“Don’t cut off a finger!” she retaliates. We both laugh and continue joking with each other until the vegetables are done. It’s refreshing to have Alyssa treat me like a regular person, even when we’re in the kitchen. She makes it easy to forget about my celebrity chef status.

As soon as she pulls her asparagus from the grill, I bring over the tray of salmon steaks I seasoned. “We need to make the mustard sauce.”

Alyssa dumps ingredients into the bowl while I whisk. I separate half of the sauce into another container to save for after the steaks cook. The rest will be basted over the meat while it grills.

She dips a pinky into the bowl and tastes it, groaning when the sauce touches her tongue.

“You have to try this,” she says. She double dips her pinky, only because it’s just the two of us here, and holds it up for me to taste.

I gently suck her pinky to take in the mustard dressing.

“Perfect,” I say, licking my lips. Our eyes remain locked. If we’re not careful, we won’t be eating dinner tonight. I would happily take Alyssa right here on the kitchen counter.

Her rumbling stomach breaks the moment. I guess we should probably eat before we get carried away.

“Let’s get these babies going,” I say.

Salmon steaks don’t take long to cook, so Alyssa busies herself with plating the asparagus and pouring glasses of wine.

My phone chimes on the table. David is texting me about a property I’ve been looking into. The price just dropped, and I need to act fast.

Small arms wrap around my waist. Alyssa lays her head on my shoulder. “Who are you texting?”

“No one,” I say quickly. “The steaks are done.”

She eyes me warily. About a week after we started dating, Alyssa asked me about Jasmine, the girl she’d seen me with that night at my restaurant. I explained to her that Jasmine was a hired model, and Alyssa accepted it then. Every once in a while, I see doubt creep onto her face like she’s wondering if I pulled something over on her. I wish I could reassure her, but what I’m working on with David is a secret that she can’t know about just yet.

“Come on, let’s eat in the living room. We can put on a movie.”

Sighing, Alyssa takes her plate and wine and sits in front of the TV. She flips through the channels until she finds a superhero action movie that just started. We settle in to watch.

Throughout the movie, I keep texting David for updates on the building. In exchange, I let him know how my relationship with Alyssa is progressing.

We’ve only been together for a month, but Alyssa is different than any woman I’ve ever been with. She’s funny, sweet, beautiful, and talented in the kitchen. If I were to settle down, it would be with Alyssa.

That’s why David is buying this new building for me in the city. I’m going to open a restaurant and name it after Alyssa. Once she graduates from my class, I’ll turn it over to her. She can design the restaurant, change the décor, and make it her own.

Every time my phone dings, Alyssa looks over. I should tell her I’m talking to my financial advisor, not some woman, but then she might ask what David wants and I won’t be able to keep the secret. It’s important that she not find out before everything is settled. What if I got her hopes up and lost the building? She would be so disappointed.

“How are you liking class so far?” I ask.