Page 45 of Blueberry Cake
Naturally, Boyd insisted on grabbing her bags. The moment Queenie stepped into the apartment, Beatrice leapt off the couch and wrapped her in a tight hug. Luka glanced her way, but opted for nothing more than an awkward smile.
“Mom, at least give her a warning!” Boyd scolded.
“It’s okay,” Queenie defended, returning the embrace. “I’m so glad I finally get to meet you.”
“Welcome to our little family.” Only then did Beatrice step back and give her space.
It was odd seeing the three of them together. Her parents had her in their thirties and were significantly older than her. Both Boyd and Beatrice were teen parents, so the age gap was much smaller.
Boyd kissed her hair and guided her towards the kitchen. “We didn’t want to start without you.”
“If someone hadn’t moved to downtown in the midst of the horrible traffic…” Beatrice teased.
Boyd rolled his eyes and pulled out the cutting board, while Queenie headed to the fridge. “Oh, cake!”
“Mom made it.”
“It’s his favourite.”
“All this time you’ve said blueberry cake, I never imagined one with jelly topping.”
“When I was pregnant, the only thing I could keep down was blueberry jelly. I guess I must have passed it along.”
Queenie pulled out the vegetables and Boyd prepped the meat while Luka and Beatrice set the table.
“Do you have siblings, Queenie?” Beatrice asked.
“No, I’m actually a miracle baby. My parents tried for years and once they’d come to terms with never having children, I came along.”
“Oh, that’s wonderful.”
“My mom does come from a large family, so I have lots of cousins. It always felt like having siblings.”
Having conversations with Beatrice was easy, with Boyd handling most of the interactions with his son. Neither Beatrice or Boyd forced her to talk to Luka or made herinteract with him any more than necessary. As they started cleaning the table, Boyd’s phone rang and he let out a frustrated groan.
“I have to take this. I’ll make it short,” he promised with a kiss to her forehead.
He’d spent the entire evening sharing casual touches with her. It melted her heart that he felt comfortable to do so in front of his family. She was busying herself with loading the dishwasher, when Luka came closer with more dishes.
“I’m sorry,” he blurted. Judging by his sincere tone and the pain in his eyes, he meant it. “I treated you wrongly. I shouldn’t have done any of it.”
She let out a long sigh and straightened, truly taking him in for the first time all evening. “I’ve always wondered what I would do if you ever apologised. Honestly, I never did figure it out.”
Luka leaned against the counter and stuffed his hands in his pockets, unable to meet her gaze.
“I’m not ready to forgive or forget, but I will promise to get to know the grown-up version of you before writing you off.”
He swallowed hard and with a rather raspy voice whispered, “Thank you.”
Unsure of what to do with herself after that revelation, she tidied up the kitchen. That was, until Boyd abruptly stopped her by hauling her back with his arms around her waist. “Drop the cloth,” he demanded.
“I was just—”
“Relaxing, right? Making yourself a warm drink to enjoy the evening with us. Maybe even pour yourself a glass of wine.”
She twisted in his grip and locked her arms behind his neck. “Fine. I’ll take a hot cocoa.”
With a kiss, so soft and sweet that it left her insides a gooey mess, Boyd sat her on the counter and started the coffee machine. “I have a business lunch tomorrow, and I was hoping you’d join me.”
