Page 41 of Desperate Pucker (Denver Bashers #6)

Ryker

Ipark my car in front of Maddy’s apartment building.

I turn to her. “Have you eaten yet today?”

She shakes her head, her eyes big and glittery. She’s looking at me with the same wonder in her gaze that she did just a few minutes ago, when I told her that it’s fun pretending to be hers.

“Let me cook lunch for you then,” I say.

Her pretty mouth curves up in a small smile. “Okay.”

I wasn’t planning on pretending to be her boyfriend at the boutique. But when Kara Salonga teased us about the wedding dress and getting engaged, it just felt natural to go along with it.

Because honestly? In that moment, I wished that I could be her boyfriend. Sitting there, watching her try on dress after dress, looking so beautiful that it was hard for me to breathe, it felt real. It felt like we were a couple having a romantic day out together.

I didn’t want it to end.

I swallow back the wave of feelings zooming through me. I didn’t expect this to happen, to feel this strongly for Maddy, this quickly.

After my breakup with Alina, I wasn’t interested in ever getting serious with someone again.

But then Maddy came along. And every day I’m with her, I like her more and more.

More than just a friend I hook up with.

But that’s all this will ever be—two friends hooking up. She’s not ready for anything more, remember? Neither are you.

An uneasy feeling drags through me. I shove aside that silent reminder and focus on the moment. We step out of my car and make our way to her apartment.

She unlocks the door, and I follow her inside.

“Hey, darlin’!” I look up when I hear an unfamiliar Southern accent.

“Mom. Hi.” Maddy looks surprised as she walks and hugs her mom, who’s just a couple of inches shorter than her but with the same fiery red hair.

I linger by the front door, feeling awkward.

Her mom looks past Maddy’s shoulder and beams at me. “Well, hello there. Who’s this handsome fella?”

“I’m Ryker.” I set the garment bag over the back of a nearby chair, walk up to her, and hold out my hand, but she pulls me into a hug.

“I’m Celeste, and I’m a hugger.”

I hug her back. “Good to meet you, Celeste.”

“Mom, what are you doing here?” Maddy asks.

“I wanted to surprise you with a batch of my homemade biscuits. You’ve been working so hard at your job, I figured you were skipping meals, like you normally do.” She gestures to the plate on the kitchen island, which is stacked with the biggest biscuits I’ve ever seen in my life.

“Whoa. Those are massive,” I say as I gawk at them.

“I’m a Texas girl. And you know what they say. Everything’s bigger in Texas.” She smiles, and I can’t help but chuckle.

“Ryker, you should try one. My biscuits are perfect for a man your size. It’ll fill you right up.”

She walks into the kitchen and grabs a plate from one of the floating shelves. She hands me a biscuit, and I say thank you. When I take a bite, I moan. It’s so buttery and flaky.

“This is the best biscuit I’ve ever had in my life.”

Celeste grins wide. I notice she has the same eye color as Maddy. Her hair is styled in big waves, and she’s wearing jeans with a gold sweater. Gold earrings, necklace, and bracelet too. She must really like gold.

Her smile and overall demeanor radiate warmth. She’s not at all what I thought Maddy’s mom would be like. I thought she’d be more standoffish and reserved, like Maddy was when I first met her.

But she’s acting like an old friend, hugging me and feeding me biscuits. I like it.

“Why, thank you, Ryker,” Celeste says. “It was my nana’s recipe. I have a small catering business, and those biscuits are my most popular item.”

“I can see why.” I take another big bite and moan at the flavor.

“They’re a hit every single time I’ve made them. When I was pregnant with Madeline, I worked as a line cook to support myself, and customers went crazy for my biscuits. I always sold out.”

I silently wonder why she had to work when she was pregnant. The father of her child was a billionaire. She shouldn’t have had to work.

She turns to Maddy. “Sorry, I interrupted your date, darlin’. If I had known, I wouldn’t have stopped by.”

Maddy and I look at each other. I take another bite of the biscuit.

“We’re not on a date, Mom. We’re just friends.”

A disappointed feeling pangs in the center of my chest, even though it shouldn’t. She’s right. This isn’t a date, and we are just friends.

“We work together. Ryker plays for the Bashers. He’s one of the players I train.”

“Oh my, that’s wonderful,” Celeste says.

“Maddy’s an amazing skating coach. She’s really helped me a lot.”

Celeste beams, her eyes glistening with pride as she looks at her daughter. She steps over to her and pulls her into another hug.

“All of the guys she’s training are playing at their best,” I say. “The team’s doing really well right now because of her.”

Celeste cups her daughter’s face. “I am just so proud of you, darlin’.” She turns to me. “You know, when I call her and ask how she’s doing at work, she’s always so modest. She’s always like things are fine, just busy. I didn’t know she was such a star.”

“She’s absolutely a star,” I say. Maddy flashes a bashful smile at me.

“It’s a team effort,” Maddy says. “The players work hard too. Especially Ryker.”

“You two go shopping?” Celeste glances at the garment bag.

Maddy clears her throat. “Yeah, there’s a big fundraiser happening for the team next weekend, and it’s black tie dress code. Ryker helped me pick out a dress.”

Celeste’s brow raises, like she’s intrigued. “Really?” She laughs. “Ryker, you are a lovely friend. Most men I know would rather take a punch to the gut than go shopping for dresses.”

I smile. “I grew up with a little sister who’s really into clothes, so I’m used to it.”

“Aww you sound like a sweetie,” Celeste says. “Hey, why don’t I whip up some gravy so we can have biscuits and gravy for lunch?”

“You don’t have to do that, Mom.”

“I like biscuits and gravy,” I say. Maddy frowns at me. I shrug. “I do.”

Celeste claps her hands. “Wonderful! I’ll get started on it. Why don’t you kids set the table? This won’t take more than ten minutes.”