Page 42 of Bake You Mine (Port Fortune #1)

thirty

Well, maybe her gut wasn’t a sure thing after all.

Despite all eyes on them, she didn’t shy away from Liam’s kiss. He half-dipped her forward. Of course, he always knew the perfect shot for the camera. He pulled her back onto her feet as he broke the kiss. He cupped her face with both hands.

“Congratulations, Aubs. You deserve the world.”

Before she could respond, the crowd swept up around the two of them. The Sunrise Washington cameraman edged in to capture the perfect shot.

Panic rose in her throat as people surrounded her, edging Liam out of the way. His eyes stayed on her as the crowd carried her off.

“Liam!” The cacophony of noise drowned out her voice.

Maybe it was for the best. She needed a moment to gather herself. After muttering a few thank-yous, she stumbled away from the pressing crowd. The reporter cornered her, and she put on her best happy face during the interview.

Once she was free, she pulled her phone from her pocket. She had to tell her father the good news. Before she could, she saw a text from Chris, saying he’d taken Daphne to urgent care with a high fever.

Liam appeared behind her, all smiles. “Congratulations, Aubs. I hope we can celebrate later at my place?”

Aubrey wanted nothing more than that. But a nagging, anxious feeling tugged at the back of her brain. She looked past Liam at Jason Morse, who was chatting with Damon. Plan B would swiftly fall into place now.

In the end, she deserved to win and was damn proud of the achievement. She just wondered where it left things with Liam.

“Can’t,” Aubrey said. “Chris is taking Daphne to urgent care with a high fever, and I need to meet them there.” She gestured over his shoulder.

“Besides, Jason wants to meet with you. Doesn’t seem much like losing to me, huh?

” She tried for brightness in her tone. It was tricky when she felt like her head was being held underwater, but whatever.

Liam didn’t need to know that. She may have won, but he’d lost. She didn’t want to be a sore winner, of all things.

That bright smile faltered. “Oh no, poor thing. I’m happy to come along to help if you need anything. Jason will understand.”

“No, I’ve got it under control. You should meet with him; he made a special trip to see you.”

She rose onto her tiptoes and wrapped her arms around him. A brave face would have to do for now.

Aubrey hardly registered the short drive to the urgent care. Her mind was a roller coaster, her thoughts swiftly changing from excitement to anxiety.

She appeared so small on that exam table. Chris stood behind her, his arms wrapped around Daphne’s shoulders.

“Mom, did you win?”

“I did, little bug. ”

Daphne’s smile was tired. “I knew you would. Where’s Liam?”

“Oh, he had to stay downtown for a meeting.”

“I’m sorry to pull you away,” Chris said.

Aubrey swept her hand over her daughter’s forehead. “Thank you for telling me.”

His face shifted into a smile. “And congrats. How’d Liam take it?”

Before she could answer, the doctor entered, saving her a reply.

One hour and a stop at the twenty-four-hour pharmacy later, Daphne was safely tucked into her bed at Chris’s. Once Daphne was asleep, Aubrey made for the door.

“Hey, can we talk for a second?’ Chris stood at the foot of the stairs.

“What’s up?”

“I wanted to clarify there’s no making up for lost time, but I’m here to help however I can with Daphne.”

She stood there, big-eyed, leaving him to continue.

“I know you’ll be busy during the renovations, so consider me on call for whatever you need: pickups, field trips, or whatever. I can’t take back the years I screwed up. The longer I’m away from Kayla, the more I realize what an epic fuckup I’d been. That relationship was toxic.”

Aubrey exhaled. “I’m glad you’re seeing it. And that it’s not a mistake you’ll make a second time.”

“I’m taking some me time. Not dating at all and not introducing anyone to Daphne unless they’re going to stick around.”

“Okay, we’ll see. Have you been single longer than a weekend since you hit puberty?”

It was odd, seeing her ex-husband in this new light. He’d once been her everything, then her enemy. Now, a completely new relationship was open for them. If only he stuck to his word. For their kid’s sake, she hoped he would.

He waved his hands. “No, I’m serious. Daphne is the only woman in my life now. I need to earn your trust as much as I do hers.”

She wasn’t entirely convinced, but wouldn’t rain on his parade. “I appreciate that.” She slipped on her coat. “I mean it. I want to move forward.”

“I’m glad to hear it.”

“We should talk about our plans for the holidays. Halloween’s next week, and November always goes by in a blur.”

Chris had no family, so they’d always spent it with hers and later Kayla’s. Getting her father to accept Chris back into the fold would be a stretch, but her father would as long as her ex meant what he said.

“You mean coming to your dad’s house? Won’t Liam mind?”

“You’re Daphne’s father. If he wants to be with me, he needs to accept you’re around, for her sake.” She rubbed her hands together. “Besides, we all know where we stand now, right?”

He nodded. “Right.”

She left Chris’s place feeling hopeful, but she couldn’t shake her dread about her future with Liam. Hopefully, after a good night’s rest, she’d feel better.

It’d been an hour since Aubrey won, and the reality still hadn’t dawned on Liam. Adding to the evening’s mindfuckery was his current reality. Jason Morse sat across from him inside an empty Elevation, a bottle of the bar’s best scotch between them.

“I think this competition has worked out just as it was meant to, my friend.” Jason held up his glass, and Liam clinked his against it.

Jason took a swig and set his glass down. “Ah, you look glum. Maybe it was presumptuous of me to come here tonight. Of course, you’re upset you lost.”

“I’m fine. It’s just been a crazy few weeks.” He drummed his fingertips on the edge of the table. “Now I kinda don’t know what to do with myself.”

Jason’s grin was Cheshire. “I may have a solution.”

He pulled out his phone, tapped it a few times, and turned it around to face Liam. “I know I mentioned that our timing here might end up being fortuitous for both of us. This is Devour’s Wharf complex near DC’s waterfront. Are you familiar with the area?”

Liam started to swipe through the photos. “Of course. I’ve been to a ton of shows at The Anthem, and that’s kind of the heart of that neighborhood.”

“Well, luckily for you, we’ve just finished construction on a fifth-story space located steps from their front door. Yes, that one right there.” Jason gestured toward the photo.

Liam made the photo bigger. The space had empty white walls, a bar that extended across the back wall, and roughed-in light fixtures, making it hard to imagine what it could be. The views were killer, overlooking the Potomac. There was the potential for a rooftop bar, to boot.

“How did this become available?”

“We had to cut ties with one of our chefs.” Jason reached for his glass and took another swig.

Liam set the phone down. Hell, this could be why he’d lost. His star was set for brighter things. This was bigger than anything he could come up with on his own. “I’d love to see it.”

Jason grinned. “Does Wednesday work? Fair warning: If we go forward, things will move fast. We’d been hoping to get this project open in quarter one of next year.”

“My lease here isn’t up until the spring.”

“All things can be negotiated. Gary is a friend, but that’s probably not surprising since he seems to be a friend to everyone.

Hey, you should bring Aubrey along. Even if she doesn’t want to be part of Devour, I still value her opinion.

” Jason gestured around the empty restaurant.

“Perhaps Aubrey could even take over this space, too. That way, she wouldn’t need to move for years. ”

Liam’s head was full of plans that might never come to fruition. This one may work out. “Perhaps.” He picked up his glass and drained the rest of it, liking the way the scotch burned on the way down.

“We’re on for Tuesday. No time like the present to see what the future might hold.”