Page 17
CHLOE
“ S o you’re telling me Jessie isn’t baking the wedding cake or making the food for the reception?”
Hunter turned to face me from the passenger seat. The lovely man decided to keep me company, which turned out to be the best thing, since he’d kept my thoughts light the entire drive to town. A dull ache had settled in my chest when I realized Matt wasn’t going to show.
I laughed, “She’ll be too focused on helping Alex. She’s part of the wedding in a whole different way, being a bridesmaid. Plus, Jessie isn’t a pastry chef. That’s what Kelly does, and she’s amazing.”
“I hope you’re right,” Hunter grumbled, making me laugh again. He was trying his hardest to keep my mind off Matt.
“I promise her baking is fantastic. She owns the most successful bakery in town and learned from her grandmother.”
Her grandmother had won county fair blue ribbons and proudly displayed them around the bakery when we were growing up. Hunter had no idea what a treat he was in for. I was pretty sure that, along with the samples, Kelly would give us a few too. She was always trying something new and loved feedback.
“The Kingstons deserve the best. They’re good people.” He peeked inside the container on his lap. The final cake samples were precious cargo, and I’d made him hold them while we drove home.
“Trust me. It will be perfect. Alex grew up with Kelly. She trusts her.” I smacked his hand, and he closed the lid.
“If you say so.” Hunter’s tone was playful.
My heart gave a painful lurch when we got to the end of the driveway and I noticed Matt’s truck was parked in his spot.
I was so afraid to talk to Matt. Once I did, it would change everything. I wasn’t sure I was ready for that change, especially if I had to let him go.
Hunter jumped from the truck when I parked, and Kyle jogged from the bunkhouse to meet us.
“You ready for some cake?” Hunter waved the box at Kyle and threw me a playful wink.
“That’s not for you.” I lunged at Hunter, but he was too quick. “That is for the wedding.”
Kyle threw his arm around my shoulders and pulled me into his side, chuckling. “Did you have a good morning?”
“Yes, I did.” I wrapped my arm around Kyle’s waist. “Did you have a good session?”
“It was productive. And before you ask, no, I haven’t seen Matt this morning.”
My shoulders slumped. Likely sensing my mood, Kyle gave me a squeeze, and I forced myself to remember I had two very good men with me right now. I couldn’t push Matt to want the same things I did. When I glanced at Kyle, he pressed his lips to mine.
“Okay, let’s get this inside before they melt.” Hunter continued to the dining hall, where I was meeting the bride and grooms for the cake tasting. We’d opted for this location instead of their house. They wanted Jessie there, but she had to get lunch ready for the staff.
“Yay, they’re here.” Alex clapped her hands as we walked into the room. Declan, Alex, Thomas, and Jessie were already here waiting for us. We weren’t late, but this part was usually the most fun out of wedding planning. The menu tasting and the cake tasting.
“You can set it on the island, Hunter.” I pointed to the kitchen.
“Wow, she gave us a half dozen of each flavor. Seriously, what are we going to do with all of these?” Alex said, peering into the box Hunter had set down.
“I promise they won’t go to waste.” Kyle raised his hand and made a scout’s honor gesture.
We all laughed, and I nudged his shoulder. Jessie grabbed Hunter and Kyle by the shirts and put them to work in the kitchen prepping easy lunch tasks before she joined us at the table. She came back with multiple plates, and we unloaded three of each flavor onto them before bringing everything to the table.
“Here is the card describing each type of cake and the flavors.” I handed Jessie the notecard. “Your job is to voice any and all opinions on the cakes as you try them. Jessie will tell you about the cake, and then you taste it. I’ll take notes, and we can see which one you all like.”
They nodded eagerly.
Jessie read the first description and pointed at the vanilla cupcakes. There was a round of, “Mmms.”
Alex responded first. “It’s delicious. Light and fluffy. Even though it’s vanilla, the flavor isn’t boring, but I’m not sold on the raspberry filling. It tastes good, but it doesn’t make me want more.”
Declan agreed with Alex. Thomas was the only one who loved it but was willing to wait and see how everything tasted before forming a decision. I asked a few follow up questions and jotted down everything as quickly as I could.
The next one—a brown sugar cake with a caramel filling—smelled delicious. Part of me hoped there would be some left, because I’d love to try it. This one got higher praise than the first, but I could tell that they weren’t completely sold. Alex’s eyes didn’t light up like they had when she’d tried on her rehearsal dress. The third and fourth flavors didn’t receive high marks, but the next one seemed to be in the lead—a pistachio cake with buttercream and caramelized pistachios. Although, when they tried the apple spice cake with salted caramel frosting, they couldn’t agree which one was better.
“It reminds me of when we got together,” Alex sighed as she took another bite. “The wintertime with hot apple cider. Us snuggling by the fire.”
Thomas took his last bite and savored it, chewing slowly. He turned to Declan, who had nearly eaten his in one go. “It does give me the feeling of the season, but the wedding is in spring.”
“Don’t think about it as being seasonal. Think of what it reminds you of and how you feel,” I prodded. Jessie was too busy watching and suppressing her laugh as Kyle and Hunter tried their hardest to bring supplies for lunch.
The bride and grooms each took another bite of all the cupcakes and picked their favorite.
“I don’t care that this one’s seasonal. I love us, and I love that the taste reminds me of when we met.” Alex gave a happy little sigh. “I want this one. It feels right to me. Like it honors our beginning.”
“Then that’s the flavor you will have, sweetness.” Thomas picked up her hand and kissed along her knuckles.
“But do you guys like it? We all should agree. It’s not just my wedding.” Alex must have noticed the silent exchange Thomas and Declan seemed to share. “And if you say we want whatever you want, I swear I’m going to smack you both.”
Declan chuckled and whispered something in her ear that clearly wasn’t meant for anyone else based on the shade of red spreading through her cheeks. Alex cleared her throat. “Okay, Chloe… you have the final decision.” She tapped her two fingers on the table next to their chosen cupcake.
Light flooded the side of the room as the door opened. My heart leapt in my chest when I noticed Matt enter the dining hall. Hope floated through me. He stopped short when he saw me sitting at the table he was headed for.
“Sorry I’m late, Dec. The horses are a little rowdier today than usual.” He made his way to the table and stood behind Declan.
“No worries. We were just finishing, but you can help with cleanup. All these cupcakes need to be eaten.” Declan lightly patted Matt’s stomach, who proceeded to swat his hand away.
The remaining cupcakes were laid out on the island with some of the lunch preparations. It was the obvious way to get rid of them quickly. My heart stuttered in disappointment when Matt went to the opposite side of the counter from Hunter and Kyle.
I remembered when we had dinner together, how turned on Matt got from watching the guys feed me. I couldn’t lose Matt; I needed to remind him how much he liked it.
“Who wants to try one first?” I joined them, leaving Alex, Thomas, and Declan to themselves.
“I think you should be the first, kitten. You deserve a treat after all the work you’ve been doing.” Hunter came around the kitchen island, grabbing a mini cupcake and resting his hip against the counter.
He held it out for me, but when I reached for it, he drew back, swiping his finger through the frosting. I grabbed his hand as he lifted it to my lips and drew the frosting covered finger into my mouth. His eyes grew wide as I sucked the sugary cream from him.
I moaned. The salted caramel frosting was divine, and I knew the guys liked it when I expressed my opinion with nothing but sounds.
Kyle and Matt choked on the other side of the island. Hunter’s eyes were locked on mine as he drew his hand back and extended the cupcake once more. This time, I opened my mouth and let him feed the mini treat to me. I bit the dessert in half, the remaining frosting smearing along my lip. Before I could lick it off, I felt a warm presence behind me.
A hand grabbed my cheek and turned my face just enough for Kyle to kiss me, licking the frosting from my mouth. I let out another moan, and a hand slapped the counter. Matt was one hundred percent affected by this.
“How come you didn’t do that to me?” Declan pouted at Alex.
“Because we still have work to do, and I know what would have happened if I’d done that. I promise to make it up to you.” Alex bopped him on the nose.
“I’ll make sure to steal an extra can of squirty cream from Jessie’s kitchen tonight.” Thomas kissed along Alex’s neck.
“I heard that,” Jessie called from the other side of the room where she was setting out the last of the food.
The scraping of a barstool ripped my attention from Kyle. Matt was headed for the door.
“Matt?” I called after him, but he disappeared without a backward glance. The ache inside my chest grew. I’d thought this would have gotten his attention, but it hadn’t. I could feel the tears burning in the backs of my eyes, just waiting to break free.
The sun was blinding as I left the dining hall, needing some air. The crunching of footsteps followed as I approached one of the paddocks. It had to be either Hunter or Kyle. I needed to clear my thoughts, and the quiet beauty of the scenery would help calm me.
I stopped in front of the fence, resting my hands along the top railing. The splintering wood beneath my palms demanded my attention, making me focus on not getting a piece of wood under my skin. Soon, Kyle stood beside me, and I let my hands fall to my sides.
We stood there in silence. I loved that Kyle gave me the space to gather my thoughts.
“I don’t know what to do.” I let out a choked breath.
He turned to me. “Is there any way you would want to be with just us and forget about Matt?”
“No,” I said without hesitation. I couldn’t choose them over him. And in this moment, I realized the certainty of that statement. “Kyle, it’s not that I?—”
“You don’t need to explain. I understand.”
I leaned my head against his shoulder, loving when his arm went around my waist.
“We have to figure out a way to win Matt over. I don’t want to lose you.” Kyle cupped my cheek. His eyes were so full of emotion, and I knew in my heart I wasn’t the only one who had fallen. I wasn’t going to be the only one who was heartbroken if this didn’t work out. I just didn’t see any way to move forward. The four of us were meant to be together. “I watched Hunter search for you for months. And now that he has finally found you, he’s not going to let you go either.”
“How can we convince Matt? He doesn’t want to share. I asked him to keep an open mind, hoping he would come around, but maybe it was just wishful thinking on my part. I hate that I might have ruined anything I had with him.”
“Do you regret me and Hunter?” he asked, a stricken look entering his eyes, and I realized how I must have sounded.
“Absolutely not.” I reached for him. “I can’t imagine this relationship without any one of you.”
My heart felt like it was being torn in three. With the wedding approaching, I didn’t have time to focus on myself. I needed to execute the best wedding ever and get my degree. But how could I figure this out when my attention was being torn? My degree was important to me and so were the guys. If I couldn’t figure this out, would I have to walk away?
When life was complicated, it was easier to focus on work, and I felt myself slipping into that distraction. “I have to take care of a few things.”
Kyle frowned but allowed me space.
“I’ll find you guys later.” I kissed Kyle on the cheek and went to the dining hall for my things.