“You’ve always liked feeding me, haven’t you? Taking care of me?”
“I thought that’s what we do for each other.” It came out a rasp.
A breath.
Air that stirred and danced.
An entrancing vapor that I’d gotten sucked into.
I screeched when another voice came from out of nowhere.
“Hey.”
Caught off guard, I fumbled and gasped, flustered as I tried to push out from under Ryder while angling far enough around him to find my brother standing in the doorway to my office.
Ryder peeled himself back, totally unaffected, so cool as he shifted to face my brother while I fidgeted as if I’d been caught doing something salacious.
But I was pretty sure mine and Ryder’s versions of salacious were entirely different.
Cody had both hands pressed to either side of the doorway and was leaning in. My brother was 6’2”， wide and thick, wearing worn jeans and work boots and a thin button-up flannel. His hair was short and the same color as mine, a full beard on his face.
“Hey, man. What’s up?” Ryder asked him, crossing his arms over his chest while I clung to the edge of my desk, worried my knees might not be strong enough to keep me upright if I let go.
Especially when my brother’s gaze jumped between us, narrowed and full of speculation.
I didn’t know what he thought he needed to be worried about.
Just because my mind kept dreaming it up didn’t mean there’d ever been anything going on between us.
Cody must have realized it, too, because he grinned at Ryder. “Was just grabbing a to-go order and wanted to say hi to my sister. Didn’t know you were here.”
“Yeah, had lunch with the cousins,” Ryder said. “I was telling Dakota goodbye before I head out.”
I finally gathered myself enough that I could pry myself from the desk. “Hey, Cody. How’s it going?”
A full smile climbed to his mouth. “You know how it’s going. Got word it was Monte Cristo Day, which we all know really means Best Day Ever, and I came running.”
I couldn’t stop the affection-filled giggle. “It means that much to you, huh?”
He shrugged, the man nothing but a burly brute. “Sure does. Because my baby sister loves me and knows her Monte Cristos are literally the sustenance of life. I was about to die, it’s been so long since I’ve had one.”
So yeah, I had a thing about making my family’s favorites.
It was the way I expressed how I truly felt about them.
The way I showed them my love.
I eased around Ryder, ignoring the buzz in the air, the vestiges of his close proximity still flickering across my flesh as I moved to my brother.
I popped up on my toes and pressed a kiss to his cheek. “You know I only bring them back around for you.”
“That’s right.”
“Excuse me, I like me a good Monte Cristo, too.” Ryder’s playful voice hit me from behind.
Cody’s grin turned smug. “That’s because you don’t count, my friend. Hell, this place wouldn’t even exist if it weren’t for me. Who was it that Dakota continually baked for when she was a little girl, testing her recipes out on? Who encouraged her to step out and take the chance and make it happen when she got older? Who tells her every damned day she’s the best baker who ever lived?”
I bit down on my lip.
Ryder, Cody. It had always been Ryder.
Because Cody might have always supported me, but it was Ryder who’d given me the courage to chase my dreams.
EIGHT
DAKOTA
SIX YEARS OLD
Dakota stood on a stool at the kitchen counter next to her momma. A big silver mixing bowl was in front of them, and Dakota’s momma helped her hold up the big bag of flour so she could pour it into the measuring cup.
Her arms strained from the weight, but Dakota knew she was big and strong, and she totally could do it. Her tongue poked out the side of her mouth as she concentrated. “All the way to the two, right?”
“That’s right.”
When it hit the line, Dakota grinned and let go of the bag. “There.”
Soft laughter rippled from her momma.
Dakota loved that sound.
It was warm and made her feel as squishy and comfortable as it did when she snuggled up in her bed.
Her momma said since she was six, she was finally old enough to cook, even though she was constantly telling her to be careful so she didn’t burn herself.
Dakota had only done it once, and she thought she’d learned her lesson and she wasn’t ever gonna do it again.