Kiss by Kiss (Riggins Brothers 3)

“Spill it,” Aspen says as soon as we’re home.

“It was… a good day.”

“That smile tells me it was more than a good day. Come on now, you can do better than that.” Her phone rings, and a look that can be described as pure mischief crosses her face. “Hi, Mom.”

“No,” I whisper to her.

“Oh, we’re fine. We just got back from dinner. At Aurora’s new man’s parents’ place.”

“Aspen!” I hiss.

She throws her head back in laughter. “Technically, he’s not her new man, but he wants to be.” She laughs at something our mom says. “Hold on.” She pulls the phone from her ear and taps the screen. “You’re on speaker,” she tells Mom.

“Aurora, tell me more,” Mom says, her voice giving away her excitement. After my ex, I swore off men and dating. Mom was disappointed. She said I was letting him win, but I didn’t care. I was jaded, and I still am, but everything about Grant screams that he’s different.

“He’s a nice guy.”

“How did you meet?”

“He came into the bakery.”

“Nice. Does he have a handsome brother for your sister?”

“He does actually. He has four brothers but two of them are taken.”

“There you go, Aspen. You have two to choose from,” Mom teases her.

“Hey, I thought this was about Aurora.” Aspen pouts.

“I want both of my girls happy.”

“We are,” we say at the same time.

“Fine. I won’t press, but I’d like to see a picture of this young man.”

“I’ve got you,” Aspen tells her.

“Great, now tell me what else has been going on? Don’t leave out a single thing.”

Aspen and I spend the next half hour or so talking to our mother. Dad joins the call too, and it makes me miss them even more. I miss them, but I really am happy with where I’m at in my life right now. I think Aspen is too. We both love Nashville. It was good for both of us to get out of Memphis. We were both just kind of going through the motions. Here, it feels like we’re living.

Really living.

Chapter 9

Grant

Most would say that me coming into her bakery every morning is obsessive. I like to think of it as resourceful. It’s not just the fact that I get to lay eyes on the beautiful Aurora. Her creations are mouthwatering, out-of-this-world delicious.

“Fancy seeing you here.” Aspen smiles. “What can I get for you?”

“Is Aurora here?” I ask her.

“Yep.”

“Can I see her?”

“She’s in the back.” I move to walk around the counter. “Hey, what are you doing?”

“Going to see her.”

“Employees only.”

“I’ll be sure to leave you a big tip,” I say. The bell on the door chimes, telling me she has another customer, and I know she’s not going to try and stop me. Pushing through the swinging door, I find Aurora filling cupcake pans. “Morning,” I say, and she startles, dropping the scoop she’s using.

“Shit. You can’t sneak up on me like that.” She picks up the scoop and tosses it in the sink, before reaching into a drawer and pulling out another one. “What are you doing back here?”

“I wanted to see you. How has your day been?” I ask her, leaning against the wall and crossing my feet at the ankles.

“It’s not even—” She glances at the wall. “—eight in the morning. How bad could it be?”

“I don’t know. You started your day hours ago, so I thought it was worth asking.” I shrug.

“Do you forget anything?” she asks.

“Not when it comes to you.” A ghost of a smile tilts her lips before she can stop herself. “What flavor?” I ask, pointing to the cupcakes.

“Red velvet.”

“They smell like heaven.”

She laughs. “Thank you.”

“So, how about dinner tonight?”

“I don’t know. I have to be in bed early. My day starts at three most days.”

“You name the time, and I’ll make it happen.”

“I usually eat at four.”

“Done.”

“Don’t you have to work?”

“I do, but I can also work from home later this evening. Besides, it’s a perk of owning the company.”

“Don’t tell me you’re one of those spoiled ‘I can leave whenever the hell I want’ guys?”

“No. I work hard. Riggins Enterprises is my family’s legacy. I’m proud of that. However, if my girl needs an early dinner, I can make that happen.”

“You’re not going to let me say no, are you?”

“Nope.”

Another smile, this time, she doesn’t try to hide it. “Pick me up at four.”

“I’ll be here.” I stand to my full height and make my way to where she’s standing. “Have a good day, Aurora,” I say, pressing a kiss to her cheek. “I’m going to go have Aspen ring up a box of these. I think Layla will love them.”

“You really are one of the good ones, huh?” she says. I’m not sure if it’s a question, but I answer her anyway.

“Yes. Later, babe.” I turn and walk back out to the front and wait in line for my own box of cupcakes.