Page 38 of Bad Boy Bakers, Vol. 2

Rachel’s family had arrived in town last night.

Rebecca had done her best to put on a good face for them and everyone else in the wedding party.

God knew, she had plenty of practice. But it was so damn hard.

Harder than it had ever been. She’d really thought that, no matter what happened between the two of them, Grey would be back for Jonah’s wedding.

And maybe he would be. He could still show up tomorrow. For her son’s sake, she hoped so.

For herself, she only wished for the night to be over, so she could go home, drop the mask, ditch the heels, and fall into her next round of crying with enough time to repair the damage before tomorrow’s pictures.

The door to The Misfit Kitchen opened. Rebecca prayed it was more serving staff come to clear away the dishes. Her mind was on the cleanup when she realized the room had gone dead silent.

And she knew, without even turning her head.

“Dad. You made it.”

At Jonah’s words, her heart all but stopped. But she was still afraid to look.

“I didn’t think you’d be here until tomorrow.”

“I wrapped up the business I had going and wanted to come on this way.”

At the sound of his voice, her traitorous heart began to beat again with a manic, hummingbird flutter. Looks were being exchanged all around, but Rebecca kept her focus on the half-eaten crème br?lée.

“Are you hungry? We could probably still scare up some dessert for you.”

“That’s not necessary.”

Jonah shoved back from the table. “Let me introduce you to Rachel’s family.”

As they moved down the line, Rebecca chanced a glance in their direction.

Grey was still dressed for the cold, in a black peacoat and plaid scarf.

Everyone’s face reflected the questions they were far too polite to ask.

Her own questions burned in her throat, but she held them back.

Now certainly wasn’t the time and place.

Well-bred Southern women did not make scenes, and she sure as hell wasn’t going to do anything else to detract from Jonah and Rachel’s special day.

“I need to steal your mother.”

At the easy statement, Rebecca looked up in time to see some kind of silent communication going on between Grey and Jonah.

Jonah nodded. “We’ll take care of your car, Mom.”

“What?”

As Rachel appeared with her coat, it became clear that there’d been some sort of communication between them. “Don’t worry about all this. We’ve got cleanup covered.”

She’d been twisting in the breeze for the entire week, and he’d been talking with Jonah and Rachel?

Resentment flared, then died again. She needed answers.

She wanted absolution. Or, at the very least, resolution of some kind.

With no idea if she’d get it, she took the coat and slipped it on.

At least she’d get to see him one last time. That was more than she’d expected.

Grey held the door opened for her. She strode out into the night, hunching her shoulders against the chill.

He said nothing as he led her around to his Jeep in the parking lot, opening the car door so she could slide inside.

Those questions that had haunted her all week pulsed inside her, but she still didn’t voice them.

He was steering the ship at this point. He’d say what he wanted to say when he was ready to say it, and not before.

It was maddening. A trait he shared with his son.

Not until they’d driven well past the city limits did she break and ask, “Where the hell are we going?”

“You'll see.”

More miles rolled past until she couldn’t hold her silence anymore. “Where did you go?”

“I had meetings in D.C., with a variety of folks, related to getting my program up and running. Everything’s a go. We’ve bought some property.”

“Where?” Had he bought the one he’d shown her?

As if reading her mind, he said, “We didn’t end up going with the one where you and I spent the night.”

Her heart twisted. Had she driven him away after all with her silence and secrets? If so, why was he taking her so far out of town?

“Seriously, Grey, where are we going?”

“Patience.”

Tired, frustrated, and beyond emotionally wrung out, she snapped, “As you know, that’s not one of my strong suits, and it hasn’t gotten better with age.”

His laugh rumbled in the SUV. The ease of the sound startled her. “I’m aware. We’re nearly there.”

He turned onto a gravel road she didn’t recognize.

She hadn’t been paying a tremendous amount of attention to where they were going, and in the dark, she’d gotten a little turned around.

She didn’t recognize the gate he drove through.

A tall, chain-link sort of deal, it was bigger than the one at the other place. Unlike that one, it was open.

Something about the terrain seemed familiar as they drove through the trees.

That can’t possibly be right.

As the road wound out of the trees, the land opened up, and there it was. Stockton Quarry Lake. The water’s surface was so still, it offered a near perfect reflection of the moon and stars above.

Her heart began to thunder, just being here throwing kerosene on a reluctant hope and making it burn bright. “Why did you bring me here?”

Grey still didn’t look at her. “It seemed appropriate.”

“Appropriate for what?”

He followed a winding road at the edge of a lake, toward a cabin. Its windows glowed gold, a welcome warmth against the cold winter night. “A conversation that’s way overdue.”

Parking at an overlook several yards from the cabin, he turned off the Jeep and slid out. She stared at the water, mind full of memories. By the time she brought herself back, he’d opened the door and offered his hand. Trembling, she placed her palm in his and slid out.

The warmth of his fingers wrapped around hers didn’t settle her. Instead, the shaking worsened. Afraid she’d stumble as he led her toward the cabin, she dragged her feet. “What is this place?”

“Do you really want to have this conversation out here where it’s colder than a well digger’s ass in January, or do you want to be inside where it’s warm?”

“I want clear answers, Grey. I need to know what you’re thinking. Where we stand.” Because if he’d brought her out here to break her heart again, she’d rather get it over with quick and clean like the death blow it would truly be.

On a sigh, he turned to face her in the moonlight, stepping close enough to brush the hair back from her face.

“We’re at a crossroads. This is where we started.

There’s a strong possibility it’s where Jonah was started.

And I want it to be where we start new. Start fresh.

To build the family we never had the chance to build.

No more secrets. Everything out in the open.

I want us. I want everything we didn’t have the chance for before. ”

It was everything she wanted and hadn’t dared expect. But after the stress and strain of the last week, she didn’t know how to believe him. “You don’t hate me?”

His expression softened. “No.” Realization seemed to dawn as he searched her face. “You thought I wasn’t coming back.”

Shame washed through her in a boiling wave. How many times did he have to prove himself? And yet, faced with the situation, with his silence, what else could she think? “Not for me. I wouldn’t have blamed you.”

“Seems like you’ve done enough of that for the both of us.

” He slid his arms around her, lacing his hands at the small of her back.

“Do I wish you’d told me the truth when we were eighteen?

Married me instead of Lonnie? Hell, yes.

But I get why you did what you did. You don’t have the market cornered on regret or blame in this situation.

There were plenty of points where I could’ve made a different choice.

But I can’t overlook the fact that the choices I did make brought me back to you.

That they enabled me to have a relationship with my son, despite everything.

That feels like something of a miracle or Fate.

I don’t know. But I’ll take it. We’re still figuring out what our relationship is gonna be going forward, but he and I are good.

So no, I don’t hate you.” He dropped his brow to hers, and that hummingbird in her chest lost its mind.

“I still want you, Rebel. I still love you, and if you’ll have me, have this place, we’re yours. ”

Rebel. Maybe nothing else he could’ve said would’ve let her know he meant it.

That they were headed back toward an even keel.

Was she really this lucky? Was this kind, noble, stubborn man really giving her the second chance she craved?

Did he really still want a life with her?

It seemed he did. As the relief of that slid through her, weakening her knees, she struggled to parse out the rest of what he’d said.

“I don’t understand. What does the lake have to do with it?”

Grey gestured with an expansive hand. “I bought it.”

Rebecca’s head kicked back. “You what?”

“I bought the lake and the three hundred acres surrounding. Everywhere we used to trespass and run wild. It’s going to be the site of my new veterans intervention program.

Well, part goes to that. There are about ten waterfront acres I carved out just for us.

That’s part of what took me so long. It wasn’t technically on the market, and I had to go a fair bit above my original price range to convince the company that owned it to sell.

Then my investors had to be sweet-talked into ponying up some more to cover the difference.

But everything’s been signed, sealed, and done.

This cabin came with the property. It’s not much.

Just a sort of caretaker’s cottage. But it’ll do for now. If you want it. If you still want me.”