Billionaire Unloved

“Have fun,” he said strongly. “I don’t care how much money you spend.”

“Okay,” I said, shooting him a smile that I hoped expressed just how much I appreciated having a man like him in my life.

His sisters urged me out of the house after I’d quickly grabbed my purse and a pair of comfortable shoes I was pretty sure I was going to need to keep up.

Ruby

“I wish I could help you,” Jett said unhappily as he watched me race from one side of the kitchen to the other.

Even though the hummingbird cake that Dani had chosen was something I was familiar with, I’d started the day before with making the layers consisting of bananas, coconut, pecans, pineapple, and cinnamon.

Luckily, Dani was having a relatively small crowd with only family and friends, but that still made up around a hundred guests since Marcus and Dani had both grown up here in Rocky Springs.

So she’d decided on three layers since she and Marcus weren’t into saving the top layer, which was a good thing in my opinion. No matter how hard anybody tried, year-old frozen wedding cake just wasn’t palatable with any type of preservation.

Probably by billionaire standards, the cake was ridiculously simple. The rich and famous generally went overboard to make their cake look spectacular. Fortunately, Dani was all about how it tasted instead of making a statement. And I was determined to make it spectacular with delicious, edible things I could design over the buttercream frosting.

I looked at Jett, who was lounging against one of the cupboards. “I have it under control,” I reassured him.

“Never doubted it,” he shot back. “But I’m feeling a little useless.”

“You’re keeping me company, and getting me fed,” I reminded him.

He’d brought me lunch while I was working, and had insisted that I sit down to eat it.

“It wasn’t really difficult to order from the restaurant and give you the plate,” he said drily. “And it’s not a sacrifice to keep you company. I always want to be wherever you are.”

My heart tripped like it always did when he said something sweet. “It helps,” I told him.

“Then I guess I have to be okay with being a slacker,” he said with a grin.

God, I loved this man who got joy out of the simple things—like just being with me. I felt the same way, but I could never just blurt things out like Jett was capable of doing.

“I think we’re looking good,” I said as I examined the round table on wheels in front of me.

“Are you kidding? It looks fucking amazing,” Jett argued.

The cascade of flowers that I was doing down the front were almost completed, so I really only needed to do the detail work and decorate the table around the cake for presentation.

“Do you want to try it?” I asked as I shot him an impish smile.

“I think Dani would kill me,” he said, sounding disappointed.

“No she won’t,” I disagreed, and then went to the refrigerator to pull out a small layer cake.

Jett’s eyes lit up. “You made a small one?”

“I made some extra batter and frosting.”

“Bring it, woman. I’ve been salivating over this cake all day.”

I snagged two plates, a knife, and a couple of forks on my way over to the counter.

Jett dug in the second his piece hit his plate, and his eyes almost rolled back in his head as he savored it. “Jesus, Ruby! It’s fucking fantastic.”

I ate more slowly. “It’s a Southern favorite, but my mother loved making it. I was glad Dani decided to go with it. It turns out really moist.”

“Everybody will be trying to steal you away from me,” he said grumpily.

I laughed. “Just because of my baking talents?” I teased.

He shook his head. “No. Your skill would be just one huge bonus, but it’s enough to push any guy over the edge.”

I blew off his silliness when I said, “Dani and Marcus look so happy together. All of the Colter couples do.”

“They are,” he agreed. “And Dani and Marcus were always meant to be together. It just never happened. It’s been a long time coming.”

“Were they childhood sweethearts?” I asked curiously.