Page 85 of The Alpha and the Baker
“See that you do.”
With a wink, he and his crew headed out. That had certainly been unexpected, but despite the rocky start, I had the feeling I’d just been adopted again.
Things really were getting interesting.
Felicia
Family Feud
“I dunno,I’m not sure I’m comfortable with this. You don’t know the Ramirezes like I do.”
“But I also don’t have the same generations of tension that you have with them.”
Cas paced back and forth in front of me. I hated that I’d had to dump such a surprise on him soon after he arrived, but I wanted to be transparent with him. I didn’t believe in keeping secrets in relationships outside of birthday presents and holiday surprises.
“You have a point, but this feels bad, Felicia.”
I was touched that he was so concerned for me and pleased that he wasn’t trying to lay down the law or tell me what to do. We were having a real discussion where we both had agency. I’d witnessed plenty of relationships in my life where that just didn’t happen.
“I know, babe, and I understand why you feel that way.” Tentatively, I put my hand on his arm, just to let him feel that I was there. “But I’m asking you to trust me. I’ve got the same feeling about this as I did about making things for your family.”
That gave Cas pause, and he sat down on the one stool I had in the back of my shop. We probably should have had the conversation upstairs, but I really hadn’t wanted to give myself time to procrastinate or chicken out. That felt too much like lying.
Even sitting down, he was basically my height. I’d never been with anyone quite so much larger than me. I wasn’t a tiny woman. At around five-six, I was actually taller than the average woman, let alone the average Asian woman. But Cas was just sobig.Striking, really. I’d noticed that from the first moment he’d walked into my shop.
He had to be six-three, or six-four, and that shock of chestnut hair perfectly shaded those bright green eyes. Sometimes when I met attractive people, they slowly dimmed over time, growing less and less appealing. But not Cas. No. The more I got to know him, the more I was drawn to him. The two of us were like opposite ends of a magnet, irrevocably drawn to each other.
“You really feel that way about it?” he asked softly, looking at me with those soulful eyes of his. God, he could stare at me like that forever, and I would be happy.
“I really do. Besides, I’m really excited by these cake flavors. I haven’t done them before, and I honestly think they’re going to be a great combo.”
Cas took a deep breath as he digested all the information I’d given him. The fact that he was so calm even though we seriously disagreed, was enough to knock my feet out from under me. Also, he’dlistenedto me. I’d gotten so used to being dismissed in culinary school or at my apprenticeships and having to prove myself that I forgot what it was like to be trusted.
“You want to tell me about them?”
Now it was my turn to look shocked. “Are you sure you wanna hear about it?”
He leaned forward and kissed the tip of my nose. I loved how often he gave me affection. I hadn’t really realized it, but I’d been touch-starved since my mother’s death—likely before that, too. I couldn’t recall the last time I’d held someone other than my mother’s or Cas’s hand.
“Felicia, if it’s something you’re excited about,of courseI want to hear about it. Tell me everything.”
So I did. Cas wasn’t being patronizing or pretending to listen. He was genuinely excited for me, and asked me great questions, like how I would stop the weight of the heavily layered cake from squishing out all the filling.
“If the Ramirezes have any taste, they’ll have no choice but to love this,” Cas said, slinging his arm over my shoulders and pulling me to his side for a hug. “Although, I can’t guarantee that they do.”
“Hey, whatiswith the rivalry between y’all?” I asked cautiously. “How far back does it go?”
Cas heaved a sigh and was quiet for so long that I was sure he’d change the topic, but he didn’t. “It pretty much goes back to all American people. All the land around here used to be the territory of the Sauk, Shawanaga, and even the Chikashaw shifters. But then settlers came in, and they brought the fairies with them.”
“Fairies! You mentioned those before.” And so had Gammy McCallister, if I remembered correctly. “They’re kind of like your governing body, right?”
“No, that implies people voted for them. They kind of just… took over. They’re tricky, ya know? They offer amazing things, but their contracts are tricky.”
“Ah, yeah, I’ve heard about needing to be careful what you say to the fae folk,” I mused, thinking back to various tales and myths I’d read. Wild to think that so many of them were based in truth.
“That’s putting it mildly. But yeah, the tribes ran afoul of the fairies, got tricked with some bad contracts, and that’s when my pack and the Brouchard pack came in.”
“The Brouchard pack? I don’t think any of you have ever mentioned them.”
