Page 10 of Bad Boy Bakers, Vol. 2

Feeling two steps away from unraveling, Hadley parked in front of the little house where Cayla ran her event planning business.

Wiping clammy palms on her jeans, she stepped out of the car and made the gallows walk onto the porch.

The door was unlocked. Sucking in a bracing breath, she opened it and went inside.

The door opened into what was basically a small, open-concept living room, with a kitchenette tucked off to one side.

A sideboard with business cards and wedding magazines sat against the wall of the entryway, and there were shelves displaying a variety of containers, probably as options for centerpieces.

A large dining table with chairs occupied much of the space beside the front window.

Half of one wall was covered with a marker board.

Scrawled lists and post-it notes filled much of the smooth surface.

It was a warm, cozy space, just like the woman who’d designed it.

“Cayla?”

“Back here!” She emerged from a short hallway that dog-legged off the main room, taking Hadley in at a glance. “You look terrible.”

Hadley grimaced. “Thanks.”

“I’ve got something that will help.” Crossing to the kitchenette, she tugged open the fridge and pulled out a pitcher. “I lived on this stuff for the first three or four months I was pregnant with Maddie. It’ll help with the morning sickness.”

The words hit Hadley like a brick. She’d said it out loud. Pregnant. Morning sickness.

Wheezing a little, she sank down into a chair at the table and dropped her head between her knees. “I kept hoping I’d wake up and it would all be a bad dream.”

The pitcher thunked on the table and the next chair dragged out. Cayla’s gentle hand fell to her shoulder. “I’m guessing this was not planned.”

The hysteria she’d been holding back since last night bubbled up in the form of a hyena’s laugh. “Planned? To get knocked up when my business has only barely stayed consistently in the black for eight months? When we’re still so damned new? No, this was definitely not planned.”

She could just imagine how Cash would approach planning a pregnancy.

He’d research the hell out of it, have reams of data, and write some kind of computer program that would spit out the optimal time and position for impregnation.

He’d have every detail figured out, down to the minute, because he was that thorough.

Okay, that was unfair. It made him sound robotic and clinical, and he was anything but as a lover.

But all those characteristics were why he was good at his job, why he was one of the most sought after assets in his field.

And she’d so loved shaking him out of that rigidity, knowing she could make him forget it all.

But she’d never wanted to do it like this.

All the fear and anger and frustration spilled out as she straightened. “This is going to ruin everything. I’m not ready for this. I don’t even know if I want kids.”

Cayla squeezed her shoulder and poured a glass of whatever was in the pitcher. “I can assure you, nobody’s ever ready, even when you do want kids and are actively trying. Nine months seems like forever and no time at all. But we’ll be here for you every step of the way, no matter what.”

Hadley sat back, stunned at the jump. Then it occurred to her that Tennessee was one of the states where women had no options or rights to bodily autonomy.

Thank God she lived in Maryland and had choices.

Not that choice made this any easier. “It was never supposed to get serious between us, and we sure as hell never talked about the possibility of kids.”

“Are you afraid he won’t stand by you?”

“No.” The denial was instant and absolutely certain. “I know he will. But I don’t want to trap him. I don’t want him to resent me. And I sure as fuck don’t want to end up in some kind of toxic replay of what my mother lived.”

Short of ending up out on the streets, Hadley couldn’t imagine a fate worse than that.

Cayla’s empathetic expression shifted to no-nonsense. “First off, calm down. That’s never going to happen. You aren’t your mama. Holt raised you better than that. Second, does Cash know?”

All the blood drained out of her head. “Is it that obvious?”

A faint hint of amusement lit her brown eyes. “I’ve suspected for a while.”

A fresh spate of panic shot through her. “Does Holt know?”

“No. I figured that was best coming from y’all, even before this.”

On a slow breath, she picked up the glass Cayla had poured and began to sip. The smooth lemon-lime flavor slid down her throat, almost immediately soothing her stomach. “What is this, anyway?”

“It’s kind of like a lemon-limeade. Tons of fresh lemon and lime juice, mixed with a simple syrup.”

“It’s good. And I think it’s already helping.”

“Getting some food in there will probably help, too. Have you had breakfast?”

“I couldn’t tolerate the thought of it.”

Her sister-in-law retrieved some saltine crackers. “I don’t have a ton here, but give these a try.”

Hadley opened a sleeve and began to nibble. “I’m the reason we didn’t tell Holt we were involved to begin with. I figured he’d freak out, and I didn’t think it was any of his business if we decided to scratch each other’s itch.”

“Mmm. And how long has said itch-scratching been going on?”

“Six months. Even before… well… this, things were getting more serious than we planned. Cash had a crisis of conscience about the whole thing. It’s why we both came down, planning to tell Holt in our own way. But this changes everything.”

“Does it?” Cayla challenged.

“How can it not? Now it’s not just a matter of explaining to my brother, ‘Oh, hey, we’re hot for each other.

By the way, we epically fucked up.’ I don’t know if he would’ve lost his shit over us seeing each other, but he will absolutely lose his shit over this.

” She grabbed Cayla’s hand. “You can’t tell him. ”

Cayla offered a reassuring squeeze. “I swear, I won’t.

I covered for you last night, and I’ll keep covering for you as long as you need.

But you have to talk to Cash. He needs to be in on this whole decision.

Whatever that decision ends up being. Then you both need to talk to Holt about the two of you.

Together. I get why you waited, but he’s going to be hurt that you didn’t trust him. ”

“Yeah, well, he’s the least of my worries right now.” Hadley ate another cracker and poured another glass of the magic anti-nausea drink. “I need to get my head on straight before I talk to Cash. Can I hang out here for a while?”

“Of course. You stay as long as you need. I meant what I said. We’re here for you, no matter what. That’s what family does.”

It wasn’t what all families did, but it was clear Cayla meant it.

Hadley leaned forward and wrapped her in a hug. “I’m really glad my brother married you.”

Cayla squeezed her back. “Me, too, honey. Me, too.”