Page 21 of Kylie’s Kakes

"Good, but..." I was already reaching for a cup to make his drink. “Um, my boss, Carter, wants to meet you.”

“He does?” Jordan seemed confused by that, and it was a reasonable response. Maybe I hadn’t given him enough information.

“Yeah, he’s Poppy’s Daddy. Is that okay?"

“Sure.” He looked around. “Is he here?”

“Yep.” I finished his drink and cracked the door to the back. “Carter, can you come out for a minute?”

Carter was out a moment later and went straight to Jordan. After a quick introduction, the men excused themselves and walked outside.

The whole time they were out there talking, my tummy was in knots. What if Jordan felt threatened by Carter? What if Carter was rude and said something inappropriate about me? I didn’t think he would, but I also didn’t think he’d want to talk to my new boyfriend at all, so what did I know?

I tried to focus on my work with my heart in my throat while sneaking glances through the window every few seconds. I couldn't hear what they were saying, but Jordan's posture seemed relaxed the whole time. That had to be a good sign. That helped me relax a bit, but not as much as when I saw them laughing before they walked back inside.

Carter waited until I finished the orders I was working on before giving me his report. "He's a good guy, Ky." His words were surprising, even though I knew they were true. "We've actually crossed paths before at Primal. It was a while back, but I got a good feeling off him."

The relief I felt was almost palpable as my shoulders lowered and I fully exhaled. "Yeah?"

"Yeah." Carter squeezed my shoulder once again and winked. "Don't tell him I said I like him. I've got a reputation to maintain."

"Your secret's safe." I threw my arms around him in a quick hug and then turned back to the line of customers I’d been ignoring.

Jordan was waiting by the pickup counter, and I could tell he was happy to have connected with Carter.

"Good talk?" I asked as I lined up two cappuccinos for a customer.

"It was." He leaned closer to the counter so no one could hear our conversation. "Carter takes his job seriously."

"He takes me seriously." I suddenly felt extra happy, and that made me brave enough to say the next thing on my mind without overthinking it first. "Hey, so, the Little Lovelies do a playdate every Friday night. This week, we’re making ice cream sundaes at Poppy's Place. It’s right across the street. Would you like to come with me so you can meet everyone at once?"

A warm smile crossed his face, and he nodded. "I'd love that, cupcake."

"Me too."

He reached across the counter for my hand and gave me a quick peck. "I can’t wait."

That simple gesture made me float through the rest of my shift on a cloud of happiness.

10

JORDAN

After my conversation with Carter, I had to rush out of the coffee shop to meet up with my contractor. As usual, he was late and apologizing before he'd even gotten out of his truck. "I’m so sorry, but we’re gonna need another two weeks." The look on his face was genuinely guilty, but that didn’t make me feel better about not having a proper place to take Kylie back to. "County's backed up on inspections, so we can’t get the finals signed off until the end of next week."

Six months ago, that would've ruined my whole afternoon, but I had different priorities now. “Fine. Just…get it done.”

He walked me through the punch list, and I approved the last few finish items he'd been waiting on. Once I was alone, I walked through the empty rooms and imagined what it would be like to have Kylie there with me. Not just for date nights but every night.

That was where my mind was after just a few days. Nothing made sense, but she did. Everything about her felt like it was the perfect addition to what I’d been missing.

And even though it was unexpected, I felt oddly reassured after speaking with Carter. Knowing Kylie had such a supportive and protective friend group made me feel better. And knowing we’d actually met at Primal gave me a boost of confidence that I was finally with my people.

It was sweet that he did the whole ‘hurt-her-and-die’ speech, but there was no heat behind his words. He seemed to understand that sometimes love grabbed us when we least expected it and never let go. He had been there himself and was happy that Kylie was so happy with me.

I promised that my intentions were true and that I would never hurt his friend. And I meant that. I hoped to have every day of my life to keep proving to her that I just wanted to take care of her and keep her smiling.

It was a quick conversation, and at the end, he clapped me on the shoulder and went back inside. That was enough for him, and I was grateful to get the seal of approval from at least one of her friends. Now I just had to charm the rest of her crew because I intended to be by her side for all their future playdates. At least the ones that allowed Daddies to join in. According to Carter, sometimes the girls had no-Daddy dates so they could gossip about us.