Page 58 of Salty, Spiced, and a Little Bit Nice

I closed my mouth and opened it again to say something.

Only my brain wasn’t capable enough of forming a lucid, thoughtful sentence. Instead, what came out was, “What about that pizza you really wanted?”

He shrugged. “That can wait. I’ve also got some wine. Plus, I remembered how your mom used to freak out whenever there was a birthday. So,” he opened the freezer with a flourish, “I present to you, a low-carb ice-cream cake. You can probably make your own, but birthday girls shouldn’t be making their own cakes.”

I croaked out, “You did all this for me?”

“Well, it’s not my birthday.”

Peering at him, I touched his forehead with the back of my hand. “You don’t feel feverish. Are you okay? You’re not dying or anything, right?”

“I’m perfectly fine. This ismythank-you for being such a good sport and for charming Jacqui last weekend.” A satisfied grin lit up his face as he closed the freezer. “How did I do? Your mother would be proud of me for choosing the low-carb cake.”

“She’d be so proud, she’d probably adopt you into the family in a heartbeat.”

Alec snorted. “She wouldn’t.”

“You’re right, she wouldn’t.” We both laughed at that, although a twinge of sadness filled me at the realization: that it would take a divine miracle for my mother to like and accept Alec and his family in this lifetime. “By the way, just so you know, I don’t have to totally cut off cakes and cookies and other sugary stuff.”

“You don’t?”

“Yep. I’m not limited in what I can or can’t have, as long as I take the correct amount of insulin to balance the carb intake. Although of course, healthier options are always better.”

Alec gave me a puzzled look. “Then how come your mother used to go berserk whenever you got invited to a birthday party?”

“Because she was being a control freak, even though she knew that if my level was high, I can give myself a correction dose to bring it down to an acceptable range.”

“Right. Looks like I still have a lot to learn.”

Ignoring the way that made me warm all over, I gave him another hug. “This is so thoughtful of you. You’re not so bad, Sir Grouchiness.”

His arms wrapped tightly around me. “I know. I’m the best.”

“Your potential girlfriend doesn’t mind that you’re hanging out with me tonight?”

“No.” This time, he was the first to pull away.

Immediately missing his closeness, I cleared my throat. “So, she knows about us? About our agreement, I mean.”

“She does.” He started opening the takeaway containers.

“And she’s okay with her boyfriend pretending to date another woman?”

“I’m not her boyfriend yet. And yeah, she’s totally fine with it.”

“Sounds like a keeper.” I squashed the jealousy nibbling at the edges of my heart and helped him plate the food. “When are you going to introduce us?”

“One day. You two have a lot of things in common. I think you’re going to like her.”

Don’t be so sure about that. “I’m sure I will.”

Right then, my pump beeped urgently, needing my attention. “The insulin in my pump is running low. Give me a few minutes while I change my pump site.”

Alec stopped plating the gado-gado. “Is it okay if I… observe how to?”

I gaped at him. “Why?”

“So I can learn.” He looked dead serious. “Just in case you needed help.”

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