Page 45 of Bake You Mine (Port Fortune #1)

thirty-three

“Am I too old to be here?”

Aubrey and Sasha were pressed together on the second balcony of The Anthem. She was the oldest person in the venue by at least five years, if not more.

“Last time I checked, there isn’t an age limit to concerts. Jonesy, the Overnight Stripes’ drummer, is at least forty. This is like his sixth band and his first to take off.”

“Well, that makes me feel a little less like somebody’s mom and more like a cool…” she trailed off. “Okay, I’ll just stop there. You’re not cool if you have to tell everyone you are.”

Sasha laughed. “You are cool, Aubs. I don’t know why you’re so hard on yourself.”

Aubrey didn’t want to admit to Sasha that the present company made her feel slightly uncool—Sasha, with her winged liner, tight jean shorts, and thigh-high leather boots. Liam was thick in conversation with someone he’d just met, who turned out to be a journalist.

He was a magnet for cool people…and then there was her.

“I just feel like two suburban moms in a trench coat or something. Like everyone can tell I’m a fraud. ”

Sasha leaned over the railing. “To be fair, you’re barely one suburban mom at five feet two, let alone two.”

Aubrey laughed. “Sorry, I’m being a downer. I feel out of place.”

“So does everyone, sometimes. Even me, even that doufus back there.” She jerked her head in Liam’s direction.

“Luckily, one thing someone told me has always stuck with me, which is that most people are too busy paying attention to themselves ever to notice you. So, you might as well do what you want, huh?”

The lights dimmed, and the crowd roared to life. Liam stepped next to her, his arm coming around her shoulders.

He kissed her on the forehead before the band started to play. She closed her eyes and allowed herself to enjoy the sensation of being surrounded by Liam.

She wasn’t super familiar with The Overnight Stripes, but she would’ve found it challenging to pay attention even if she was. After the afternoon’s events, a hollow pit had taken over her stomach—and she hated herself for letting her anxious thoughts win.

Liam would have a life like this if Elevation moved to DC. The microscope he lived under would be magnified. Parties, concerts, all that big city shit he’d romanticized. Why would he ever want to return to Port Fortune when he’d always talked about how much he’d loved his past life?

She struggled to develop a scenario where this fledgling relationship could work without one of them making significant concessions.

During a ballad, Liam brought her in close. It was too loud to hear anything he said, but the steady beat of his heart against her chest helped calm her, if only for a moment.

They’d been invited to the band’s after-party. Sasha begged them to tag along, but Liam didn’t want to push Aubrey into it. Eventually, his sister ran into some old friends outside the venue, and they headed off to the bar.

He felt a little wistful, watching them trot off—the follies of youth.

“Are you sure you wouldn’t rather go to the party? I’m sorry, but I have to get back to work. Construction starts, and I’ve got to finish up the menu for the farmer’s market…”

Liam grabbed Aubrey’s face. “There’s nowhere I’d rather be than by your side, Aubs. I promise.”

Her smile didn’t quite reach her eyes. They fell into companionable silence as they made their way to his car. Getting out of DC was stressful enough, even on a good day. He stayed focused on the task until they were back on the interstate toward home.

Liam flicked on the radio and the car’s cruise control. “Hey, I know our conversation earlier got interrupted. Are you up to talking?”

Her shoes dropped to the floor as she tucked her legs under her. “I don’t want to end the night on a down note.”

His stomach rolled over. “Why would it?”

She kept her gaze out the window. “I had a great time today, Liam. Seeing the potential space for Elevation, dinner, the concert…it was great.”

He switched lanes, getting away from a tractor-trailer. “Why do I feel there’s a big old but coming?”

“It’s not a but. It’s a…pause.” She sighed. “You belong here, Liam. And this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for you. ”

What was going on here?

“I know what I said, but I can be happy in lots of places, Aubs. And remember what we said about the distance being further but not impossible?”

“It’s not the distance, not really. It’s the difference in lifestyle.”

What was happening right now? He reached out to put a hand on her knee. “You’re starting to freak me out a little bit.”

“I’d always assumed you’d win the competition. I guess I’m still processing. When you’ve convinced yourself things will go one way, then they don’t, your brain has to play catch-up. At least if you have an anxious brain like I do.”

“I love your beautiful, anxious brain. But you deserved to win, you know that, right?”

“I do, I promise.” She reached forward to turn off the radio. The roar of the Challenger’s engine was the only sound while she processed her thoughts.

“All of this is so new between us. I think your decision should only factor in what’s best for Elevation and the future of your business.”

He cut her a glance. “Aubrey, please speak to me.”

She turned toward him. “I want—” She exhaled.

“I think I need a little time away, Liam. Winning the contest, all the attention, and now you’re leaving, it’s been a lot.

I know I’ve shielded you from it, but anxiety isn’t a personality quirk of mine.

It’s something I’ve struggled with since childhood. I feel like I’m drowning here.”

Why couldn’t she see he could be her life vest if she’d let him?

She carried on speaking. “You need to have time to decide about DC without worrying about me.”

He didn’t like how that sounded—her nerves were showing, but this time, she couldn’t be disarmed by a kiss or a clever quip.

He eased up on the gas as they approached a traffic jam. Roadwork at one a.m. wasn’t rare in DC.

“I never said I was leaving for sure. That’s why I wanted you here. Your opinion is valuable to me.”

She leaned forward to grab his arm. “Can you give me just a few days to get my head right? I don’t want to make any drastic decisions right now. But my anxiety is on eleven. I have a track record of doing stupid shit when I’m overwhelmed.”

“Stupid shit like…”

“Stupid shit like pushing you away because I’m overwhelmed and don’t want to burden you. I promise I’ll deal with it. But that doesn’t solve how I’m feeling right now. Something has to give.”

Why did it have to be him? “This sounds an awful lot like you pushing me away, Aubs. I can help.”

“I’m not, I promise. I just…” There were those stubborn tears again. “I’ve never felt like this before, Liam. I’m freaking out over here.” She wiped her face.

The lanes were shifting to make room for the construction. The bright-orange arrow on the electric sign illuminated her face.

“And being around me makes things worse?”

Her hand trailed to his wrist. “No. Yes. I… I need to talk to my therapist about this. This is a unique situation. It’s one thing if you’d won, but you didn’t. Now you have this amazing opportunity, I have my own shit…” She gazed out the window.

She was pushing him away, but he had to make sure it wasn’t a permanent thing.

He exhaled. “Promise me you won’t vanish in the meantime?”

“I’m still two doors down. I’ll feel better after a day or two, once I’ve had time to process all this, I promise. I think it’ll be good for you, too.”

He highly doubted that. She was already distressed, and he didn’t want to argue. She wasn’t asking for much—just a few days to figure things out.

“Whatever you need, Aubs.”

She crossed the space between them and kissed him on the cheek. “Thank you.”

“No matter what happens, I love you, Aubrey. I mean it.” With Aubrey, those three little words came as easily as breathing.

Tears rolled down her cheeks. She exhaled a shaky breath. “I love you, too, I promise.”

She dropped the passenger seat back and rolled away from him.

Discussion over.

Liam lay in bed, tracking the sun’s movement across his ceiling. When he’d dropped Aubrey off, she’d given him a quick kiss but hadn’t said much. He couldn’t shake his uncertainty. All he wanted was her insight into this next phase of his life.

Usually, when he couldn’t sleep, he’d sneak down to Elevation’s kitchen and let his creativity take over. He came up with some of his best recipes that way. Considering it was now early morning, that wouldn’t work.

Should he move to DC? Toss . Was the space Aubrey needed measured in miles or feet?

Turn. Could he even change her mind at this point?

Toss . Did he want to give up autonomy in his business?

Because he would have a lot of freedom in the day-to-day, but when push came to shove, the Devour team would run the show. Toss, turn, repeat.

He threw off the covers and sat up. Teddy shot to his feet and swished to the edge of the bed .

Fuuuck, how was he supposed to get through a full day’s work with his mind as muddled as a bowl of Alphabet soup?

He reached for his phone and checked the time—four minutes after the last time he’d checked. A text came in when he set the phone down, and his heart raced.

You’re going to be on TV in five minutes!

He was not in the mood for his mother’s perkiness, and he was not about to inform her about the source of his bad mood.

Was he ready to settle for how life had been before the competition?

Borderline friendly acquaintances, smiling and waving as they moved on with their days?

Or the reality that they’d probably only see each other in passing?

The thought gutted him. He wanted her by his side as he sorted all this out. They could be a team.

He tried to keep his energy focused. If he turned up on Aubrey’s doorstep now, it’d just be another dumbass move, proof he didn’t listen to her.

And hell, what had happened to staying in town? He’d been rightfully charmed by Jason, but there were other options. And one answered to the name of Mom.

Even though she had an opinion on everything, she would give him level-headed advice on love and business.

He flicked on the TV and half-listened to the segment. He knew his mother was probably recording it on her phone, so he’d have the option to watch it later.

He picked up his phone, ignoring the notifications pouring through. He scrolled through Aubrey’s social media. On the post announcing the win, several less-than-savory comments stood out like a sore thumb in a sea of congratulations.

“Fuck.”

No matter what happened, the competition was over. He couldn’t go back to how life was before, no matter how things turned out with Aubrey. He’d never felt like #hotchef, and now he had no reason to keep up the act. It was time to put that persona to rest.

He picked up his phone and began to type.