Always Room for Cupcakes (Cupcakes 1)

With The Douche, I was the instigator. The only other serious boyfriend I’d had before him was in high school, which pretty much entailed him asking me if I wanted to sit with him at lunch and Bam! We were dating.

I was unsure what to make of Cade, but I realized I’d only been with him for a short amount of time and he definitely lit a fire in my belly … along with other places … so I mentally shrugged and thought, what could it hurt? It’s not like I was going to take him home, introduce him to my kids, and we were all going to move in together.

Maybe a walk on the wild side was just what I needed.

So I replied, “Nope, no man. Just an ex.” Then I mimicked him and looked down at his hand and asked, “What about you? No ring … no woman?”

“Not if I’m with you,” he stated.

I wasn’t sure how I felt about that answer, but right then my phone went off, distracting me from questioning him further.

“I gotta get back,” I said after I read the text.

Cade gave me a brief nod, then righted the bike and kicked the stand back up, scooting forward to give me room to get back on.

I may have hugged him a smidge tighter than necessary, and taken advantage of the closeness to allow my senses to get their fill of him.

The ride was over much quicker than I liked, but I got off when he stopped in front of the bakery and said, “Thanks for saving my ass back there.”

He just lifted his chin slightly then stated, “I want you on my bike tomorrow. We’ll grab dinner.”

My heart leapt in my throat.

“Uh, I can’t tomorrow, I’ve got my kids,” I replied, then quickly added before I could think better of it, “But, they’re with their dad this weekend.”

“Friday, then.”

When he looked like he was about to leave I asked, “Don’t you need to know where I live?”

Cade just shot me a look, then took off, the sounds of his motorcycle growing distant as I watched him get farther and farther away.

“What the hell?” I whispered, then turned my head and laughed when I saw Amy May standing behind the counter, her mouth wide open as she stared out at me.

I kept laughing out loud, like a freak on the street, then gave her a little wave as I walked away.

My phone rang immediately.

“Get your ass back here and tell me who the hell that was,” Amy May screeched in my ear before I could even say hello.

“I’ll call you later,” I managed, still laughing.

“No, you can’t do this to me…” I heard her yell as I ended the call.

And as I walked to my car, smiling and chuckling softly to myself, I realized I felt lighter, and giddier, than I had in years.

“What are you so happy about?”

I looked over my shoulder at my ten-year-old daughter, who was standing behind me in the kitchen, tablet in hand, her headphones down around her neck.

“Just a good day,” I replied, then turned back to the cutting board and resumed singing along with the Top 40 music that was playing in the background.

When I didn’t get a response, or hear any movement, I turned back to see Elena still standing there, watching me curiously.

Shit, had it been that long since I’d been in a good mood?

“Everything okay?”

Elena shrugged and answered, “Yeah, I guess,” then put her headpho