Page 21 of The Cupcake Standard

He growled at me. “No. You’re perfect. Absolutely perfect the way you are. Any guy would be lucky to call you his girlfriend.” He leaned down, pressing his lips to a freckle on the tip of my shoulder. Then he strode out of the room, shutting the door behind him.

Stunned, I stood there for a minute, one thought echoing in my mind.

If fairy tales were real, he’d make a perfect knight in shining armor.

But they aren’t. And he isn’t.

A couple of minutes later, I made it to the kitchen, lining up three glasses for the whiskey. Derek paced in a circle around the island, on the phone with Greg. As Derek drew closer, I yelled, “Thanks again, Greg. Hope you handled the bumpy road okay!”

Derek shot me a dirty look, but I saw the twinkle in his eye.

Liam just stared at me as I slid a glass his way, seeming puzzled. “You’re not anything like I expected.”

My tolerance for bullshit had been surpassed hours ago, and I had no energy left to play games. I met his green eyes with a smirk. “Should have said ‘assumed’.” I took a drink of the whiskey, sighing as the smooth liquid slid down my throat. “Then I could have called you an ass.”

He chuckled as Derek got off the phone.

“What’d I miss?”

“Your girlfriend calling me an ass.” Liam took a sip, glancing down at the glass in surprise. “This is good. Damn.”

I shook my head. “I did not call you an ass.” Both guys looked up at me, confused, so I explained, “Liam said I wasn’t anything like he expected. I said he should have used the word assumed, so I could have called him an ass.” My punchline fell flat. Again. “You know what they say when you assume…makes an ass out of ‘u and me’.” I rolled my eyes when all I got were blank stares.

Liam elbowed Derek. “Fell for her sharp wit, did ya, buddy?”

They both laughed while I crossed my arms and huffed. Deciding they could have the barstools, I made myself at home, because it was, after all, my home, and slid my butt onto the counter.

Derek hopped on the stool closest to me, running a finger over my knuckles. “You going to tell us about it? I see you still have all your limbs.”

So I told them all the gory details, hamming it up a bit to show how well I’d handled myself. “I told Rhonda the reason I was staying here so soon was because my apartment caught on fire.” As soon as the words were out of my mouth, my eyes darted to Liam then to Derek. Shit. I had no idea what Liam knew and what he didn’t.

Derek’s warm, large hand patted my thigh, sending electricity jolting up higher and making me want to squirm. “It’s all right. Liam knows what really happened with your apartment. Though I get why you didn’t want to tell my sister that.”

I ignored the lightning bolts spearing me, responding to his words instead. “Yeah, doesn’t exactly bolster my non-gold-digger status.”

Liam’s brown eyes narrowed over his glass of whiskey. “If your mom is Mabel Milbourne, why exactly were you living in a dump like that?”

Dick. Derek must have told him all the details. I didn’t miss a beat. “What exactly is the balance of your checking account at this precise moment?” Two can play that game.

He reared back, obviously offended, but Derek laid a hand on his arm before saying, “Pretty sure she means you’re getting a bit personal.”

A warm, fuzzy feeling spread through me. Derek gets me already. I took another sip from my glass, the warmth seeping farther. Or maybe it’s just the whiskey.

Liam blinked at me. “Oh. Sorry.”

I nodded. Words bubbled up, tumbling out of my mouth before I could stop them, the alcohol loosening my tongue. “My dad has Alzheimer’s, a very early onset.” I swirled the golden liquid in the bottom of my glass, watching the tiny whirlpool spin.

“It’s been so long since he’s even recognized me. Mother pretends he doesn’t exist anymore, going on with her own life. The money for my schooling, the stuff beyond my scholarship, is hers. I’ll take that. But I’m not taking a dime from her otherwise.” I sniffed, squeezing my eyes shut and willing away the tears.

Liam cleared his throat, setting down his tumbler with a clank. “I’m going to go grab my charger from my apartment.” He disappeared through the door.

I stared after him. “I didn’t mean to make him leave.”

Chuckling, Derek shook his head. “He lives one floor down. Plus, he hates tears, so if you ever want to make him disappear…” His eyes landed on Liam’s glass where he’d left it on the end table near the door. “He hasn’t finished his drink, though, so he’ll be back.” Derek grabbed my knee and pulled me across the counter, right onto his lap. “You were saying?”

I stiffened, then tucked my head under his chin and allowed him to hold me. It felt amazing to lean on someone else, the final chink in my crumbling barriers.

“Mother’s awful. What she did is unforgivable.” Anger surged through me, fresh as that day two years ago. “I’ve always been a daddy’s girl.” I smiled against Derek’s firm chest. “Dad and I were so proud when Mom’s book took off.” I paused, sniffling, remembering the celebratory family dinner we’d all had.

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