Page 85 of Dessert Flirt Repeat
“This is going to sound outrageous. And desperate.” He huffs out a sigh and runs a hand through his thick gray-blonde hair. “I’m not sure if Gage told you, but he and I had a falling out. It was my fault. I realize now what a mistake I made, and I’ve been trying to get in touch with him to tell him I’m sorry.” His lips tremble. “I-I don’t have a relationship with my son anymore, and it’s killing me.”
His eyes turn glassy with tears. There’s a sting in my chest at watching this broken man in front of me. I don’t even know him, other than what Gage has told me, and yet I feel for him.
“He’s cut me out of his life. I don’t blame him. I really hurt him.” He stops when his voice starts to shake. He clears his throat. “I just want the chance to tell him I’m sorry and to ask if he’ll consider letting me back in his life.”
I’m quiet for a few seconds as I process everything he’s said.
“Why did you come here?” I ask.
He hesitates. “I know he has a big social media presence. That’s how I found out about you and your ice cream shop, when I saw he was doing TikTok videos with you.”
“Oh. Um, yeah. He’s been helping me with my social media.” I pause to clear my throat. “He’s so generous and creative and talented, you know. And an incredible chef,” I say, my tone firm.
Andre’s shoulders slump forward, and his gaze falls to the ground. He looks so guilty, so broken. “He is. I want to tell him how proud I am of him and how sorry I am. I just need him to hear me out. Could you, uh…could you maybe talk to him for me? Ask him if he’ll meet with me so we can talk?”
My stomach churns at the thought. “I don’t know if that’s something I should do.”
“Please? I’ll do anything for you to help me.” He glances at the Sweet Cheeks sign. “You own this ice cream shop, right? I’ll buy your ice cream and start serving it in my restaurants here in Denver. Or anything else you want—you name it, and I’ll do it for you. Anything you want, Becca. Can you please just tell my son to call me?”
My mouth falls open. Part of me is appalled that he’s practically bribing me. But the other part of me feels raw pity for the guy. To feel so desperate that he’d make such an offer to me, a total stranger, is beyond anything I can relate to or understand.
“Are you trying to bribe me?” I ask, still in disbelief.
He stammers. “No. I’m sorry, that’s not how I mean to come off. I’m just desperate to have my son back in my life.”
His lips start to shake again. That churning inside my stomach turns into an ache. I know how much Gage loathes his dad, and he has every right to. But seeing Andre standing in front of me, completely gutted, so desperate to reach out to his son that he’s begging a total stranger for help, I feel for the guy. Yeah, he was a jerk for how he rejected Gage, but it sounds like he’s truly sorry and wants to apologize to his son and try to make things right with him.
“I’ll talk to him,” I say softly.
“You will?” He looks so hopeful in that moment, it’s heartbreaking.
I nod. “I promise I will.”
That sad smile reappears. “Thank you, Becca. I’m so sorry again for coming to you like this. I-I know this isn’t fair of me to ask you this. But…”
I nod. “I get it. He’s your son, and you love him.”
He looks relieved at what I’ve said. “Exactly.”
He turns around, walks back down the street, then hops into a sporty-looking black car and drives off. As I lock up Sweet Cheeks and walk up to my apartment, my head is a mess. I have no doubt Gage will be pissed when I bring up his dad and the idea of reaching out to him. But I made a promise to Andre.
Dread pools in my stomach as I crawl into bed. I barely sleep the whole night, and when I wake up, I still have no idea what I’m going to say to Gage.
Chapter23
Gage
When I knock on Becca’s door, I’m grinning like a maniac. It hasn’t even been one full day since we’ve seen each other, but I’m giddy as hell to see her.
Giddy.I can’t remember the last time I used that word to describe how I feel about someone.
But that’s exactly how I feel. I’m smiling like a goober, and it feels like there are butterflies in my stomach at the thought of seeing her. Damn, that’s different. I’ve never used the word “butterflies” in that way before.
That’s how much I like her.
Love her.
This time when that four-letter word pops into my head, it doesn’t feel as jarring. This time, it feels right.
