Cupcake Overload (Cupcakes 2)

“Shut it, Elin,” I retorted.

“Rude,” was his reply.

“I’ll take her outside,” Elena said, her voice getting farther away as she moved toward the back door. “Don’t be mad at her, she can’t help it if she has to go to the bathroom.”

I grumbled to myself, cursing Cade for bringing home an untrained puppy, then sighed once my foot was clean and the mad wore off.

CB was just a puppy, and it wasn’t her fault that she wasn’t trained yet. I just needed to be patient. She wouldn’t have accidents in the house forever.

I cleaned up what was left of the mess on the floor, then went outside to where Elena was sitting on the steps with CB.

“Are you mad at her?” Elena asked as she nuzzled her treasured pet.

“Nah,” I replied, reaching out to pet CB’s fluffy skin. “How could I stay mad at this face?”

Elena giggled as CB licked her chin happily.

“Want to do burgers for dinner?” I asked.

“Is Cade coming over?”

“Yeah, does that work for you?”

Elena nodded.

“He said he was going to help me teach CB some tricks.”

Feeling the need to take her pulse concerning Cade, I asked, “You like Cade, right? You don’t mind having him around?”

“Cade’s the coolest,” Elena replied with a grin, and the tension I hadn’t realized I had wound within me at my question loosened, leaving a warm buzz. “He talks to Elin and I like we matter, like he cares what we have to say. Plus, he’s got a motorcycle, wears cool jewelry, and all my friends think he’s totally dangerous.”

“Is that a good thing?”

“Yup,” my sweet daughter answered, then her voice got soft and she said, “Plus, he makes you really happy, he has Rufus, and gave us CB, and he’s always really nice. He never yells like Alicia’s stepdad does.”

Alicia was one of Elena’s newer friends in school. I hadn’t seen her much, but she always seemed really shy. Almost timid.

Cade and I were planning to tell the kids about the trip to Hawaii tonight, but I suddenly felt the need to let Elena know how serious I was about my relationship with Cade.

“I’m in love with him, honey,” I said softly, taking her hand in mine.

Elena looked up at me and smiled sweetly.

“I know that, Mom, and I know he loves you too. He loves all of us.”

My heart expanded at that, and my eyes burned at her open acceptance of Cade and our relationship.

I leaned down to kiss her on the crown of her head and said, “I love you, Elena.”

“Love you too, Mom.”

I went back inside to start prepping dinner, but first, I dropped fifty cents in the swear jar.

“Cade’s here,” Elin called about fifteen minutes later. “And he brought Rufus!”

I went to the sink to wash my hands, then walked into the living room just as Cade entered, Rufus barreling in behind him. The big black lab bee lined straight for me, his nose going right to my crotch.

“Hello to you too, Rufus,” I said as I tried to push his big head back.