Kiss by Kiss (Riggins Brothers #3) - Kaylee Ryan Page 0,24
you a big tip,” I say. The bell on the door chimes, telling me she has another customer, and I know she’s not going to try and stop me. Pushing through the swinging door, I find Aurora filling cupcake pans. “Morning,” I say, and she startles, dropping the scoop she’s using.
“Shit. You can’t sneak up on me like that.” She picks up the scoop and tosses it in the sink, before reaching into a drawer and pulling out another one. “What are you doing back here?”
“I wanted to see you. How has your day been?” I ask her, leaning against the wall and crossing my feet at the ankles.
“It’s not even—” She glances at the wall. “—eight in the morning. How bad could it be?”
“I don’t know. You started your day hours ago, so I thought it was worth asking.” I shrug.
“Do you forget anything?” she asks.
“Not when it comes to you.” A ghost of a smile tilts her lips before she can stop herself. “What flavor?” I ask, pointing to the cupcakes.
“Red velvet.”
“They smell like heaven.”
She laughs. “Thank you.”
“So, how about dinner tonight?”
“I don’t know. I have to be in bed early. My day starts at three most days.”
“You name the time, and I’ll make it happen.”
“I usually eat at four.”
“Done.”
“Don’t you have to work?”
“I do, but I can also work from home later this evening. Besides, it’s a perk of owning the company.”
“Don’t tell me you’re one of those spoiled ‘I can leave whenever the hell I want’ guys?”
“No. I work hard. Riggins Enterprises is my family’s legacy. I’m proud of that. However, if my girl needs an early dinner, I can make that happen.”
“You’re not going to let me say no, are you?”
“Nope.”
Another smile, this time, she doesn’t try to hide it. “Pick me up at four.”
“I’ll be here.” I stand to my full height and make my way to where she’s standing. “Have a good day, Aurora,” I say, pressing a kiss to her cheek. “I’m going to go have Aspen ring up a box of these. I think Layla will love them.”
“You really are one of the good ones, huh?” she says. I’m not sure if it’s a question, but I answer her anyway.
“Yes. Later, babe.” I turn and walk back out to the front and wait in line for my own box of cupcakes.
“You have to try these,” I tell Royce. I’m standing at the front reception desk where I’ve just set a box of red velvet cupcakes on the corner. Layla didn’t waste any time indulging, and neither did I.
Royce looks at the name on the box before diving in for his own cupcake. “This is the third time this week that you’ve brought in treats,” he says before taking a huge bite of his own cupcake.
“So?” I shrug. It’s no secret in my family that I have a sweet tooth.
“It’s Wednesday,” Royce points out.
“Well,” I say, winking at Layla, making her laugh, “my nephew needs them to make it through the day.”
“Your nephew does not need them, and neither does his mother,” Layla chimes in.
“But yet you’re eating one.”
“I’m pregnant and eating for two. You can’t just put all this sugary goodness in front of me and expect me to be able to resist. I have no willpower, Grant Riggins, and you damn well know it,” she says, giving me what I imagine will be her attempt at the mom look.
“Are you giving my wife a hard time?” Owen asks, joining us. He kisses Layla’s cheek before grabbing his own cupcake.
“Fiancée.” Royce is quick to correct him. Owen might be giving our parents the first grandchild, but Royce is going to hang on to the fact he gave them the first daughter-in-law, twice, but we won’t talk about the first one. She’s better left in the past.
“We really need to fix that,” Owen tells Layla.
She shrugs. “So, let’s fix it.”
Royce, Owen, and I all stop chewing and stare at her. Owen has been asking her for months when they can set a date. Hell, he was asking the minute he proposed.
“What are you saying, Layla?”
“I’m saying this little guy will be here in a few months, and it might be nice for his mom and dad to have the same last name.”
“Tell me when and where and I’ll take care of it.”
“As long as Ronnie and Linda are there, I don’t really care.”