Page 52 of Lemon Cake

“I hope I just hugged the right twin,” she laughed, turning to Gina.

“You did,” Gemma confirmed. “This is my sister, Gina,and her son, Dan.”

“It’s so nice to meet you two. I left my two troublemakers at home with their grandparents. They seem to be coming down with something.”

“Dan stayed home from school too this week,” Gina said, running her fingers through his hair. Dan, however, was far too busy looking for Rider to pay Sarah any attention.

“There’s always a bug floating around when it comes to kids, isn’t there?” Sarah laughed. “I was going to grab a snack and a drink, but I might wait until after kick off—the lines usually go down then.”

They chatted along while Dan hyper focused on the field. As always, Rider lookeddelicious,and Gemma snuck a few pictures again. Gina and Sarah didn’t seem to stop talking, and it made Gemma’s heart swell. Gina had trouble making friends, but she and Sarah seemed to click like two pieces of a puzzle.

Though Gemma could practically see the exhaustion worming its way onto Dan’s face, he didn’t fuss, behaving perfectly all the way to the last play.

“Are we going to see Rider today?” he finally asked, rubbing his eyes.

“Not today sweetheart, but if you want to meet up with him again, maybe we can invite him over for dinner some time,” Gina offered, trying to soften the blow.

“We love having barbecues so maybe we can all get together soon,” Sarah suggested, then turned to Gemma. “But only if you bake for us again.”

“We would love to. I’ll be sure to bring the cake.”

Sarah walked with them as far as she could, only parting because her car was in a different lot. The Bullriders had won so the stadium was vibrating with excitement. It was a good omen to have won all three pre-season games, setting a tone for the season to come.

Dan fell asleep within minutes, a contented smile on his face. After dropping them off, Gemma drove home, pleasantly surprised to get a call from Rider. “Hi there.”

“You sound cheery. I assume you got along with Sarah well?”

“I think Gina’s finally made her first mom friend.”

“They should join us for the next barbecue.”

Gemma laughed. “Sarah’s already invited us.”

“Are you heading home?”

“Yes.”

“Mind if I join?”

“Please do.”

“I might pass out, though,” he chuckled. “I won’t be good company.”

“Then neither will I. Are you hungry?”

“No, just need you in my arms and sleep—in that order.”

It wasn’t long after Gemma got home that Rider knocked on the door. The second he saw her, he had his arms wrapped around her and held her close. She slipped her arms around him and under his shirt, a pleased hum coming from his chest and vibrating against her cheek.

Rider held her for a moment, inhaling deeply as he nuzzled into her hair. Then, he picked her up and carried her to the bedroom, even taking care to make sure the doorwas locked.

“Fuck, I missed you,” he growled, setting her on the bed and taking a step back. Hungry eyes raked over her, heating her from head to toe. “And you get prettier each time I see you.”

“Well, thank you. I do think your ass looked cuter this time around too.”

“Ah, all those hours in the gym are paying off.” He kissed her forehead, then turned to the hallway again. “Do you mind if I grab some water?”

“What’s mine is yours.”

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