Total pages in book: 90
Estimated words: 84266 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 421(@200wpm)___ 337(@250wpm)___ 281(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 84266 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 421(@200wpm)___ 337(@250wpm)___ 281(@300wpm)
The wedding invitations for his dad and Camilla. Just what the day needed. And alongside them was a cheery postcard from Curt, the fucker, wishing Maddox a speedy recovery and telling him to save the date for an October wedding.
Someday that’s going to be Maddox’s mail in your hand. He dropped the whole stack on that thought. But it was true. Someday Maddox was going to meet the one—or at least one who might do, because Ben was way too cynical to believe there was a perfect person out there for anyone. And Maddox was going to want a summer wedding, colors all coordinated, menu obsessed over. And Ben would get an invite, asking for his plus one.
Fuck. His hand crumpled up an advertisement for pizza. That couldn’t happen. He’d...he’d what? How the fuck was he supposed to prevent that from happening? Was there any damn way for that to not be his life?
Maybe... A possibility opened in front of him, a scary, glorious possibility. The LT would laugh at Ben confronted with the ultimate no-win situation, quaking in his boots at the only way out. Every ounce of his training said that you took a chance, did what it took to avoid the unacceptable outcome, and didn’t settle for a loss. That wasn’t who Ben was. He was a man of action, and now...well, now he was a man with a plan. A terrifying, potentially awful plan, but a plan nonetheless.
* * *
“Ready to go?” Pike asked as he met Maddox as he came out of his cupcake seminar at the community extension center on the college campus where Pike taught. “Cupcake seminar” sounded ridiculous but had actually been the most fun afternoon Maddox had spent in ages—learning new piping techniques and interesting flavor combos and working with fondant for the first time to make little decorative touches.
“Yup.” Maddox handed him a box of the fruits of his labors and moved the scooter to keep up with Pike. He’d gotten better at navigating the scooter with its leg rest for longer distances like the walk across the parking lot to Pike’s car.
“Was it fun?” Pike unlocked the door for Maddox and popped the trunk for the scooter.
“So much fun.” Maddox sat with the box of cupcakes on his lap. “Got some treats for you and Zack tonight.”
“Zack’s the only treat I need.” Pike laughed at himself.
Must be nice. Maddox suppressed a sigh. Things were so strained at home with Ben that no amount of coconut lime cupcakes was going to patch things up.
“Feel free to give them to those neighbor kids if you don’t want them, but they won’t get eaten at our place.” For all that Maddox loved to bake, his own sweet tooth had been plenty satisfied just from sampling. What brought him real joy was knowing that others would enjoy his efforts.
And Ben, for all his good points, wasn’t going to appreciate the flower decorations or the perfectly piped swirls. Ben was more of a savory guy. Or pie... Stop thinking about Ben.
They stopped for a red light at the busy street in front of the campus. Small shops and restaurants lined the street, hip and eclectic establishments catering to the university crowd. He hadn’t been in this neighborhood in a while, and it seemed to be going through a revival of sorts, new awnings on the shops and lots of foot traffic. And there on the far corner was a lonely looking shuttered storefront, big sign advertising that it was for rent.
That would be the perfect bakery. Maddox smiled at the thought. The university students would appreciate the unusual flavor combinations he loved, and muffins and coffee were the perfect study break accompaniments. He could get someone who knew their way around an espresso machine...
“Earth to Maddox.” Pike pulled into traffic. “I just asked how the dating mission was going. Any prospects in your class?”
“Ha. I was the only guy.” Maddox shrugged. “Haven’t really looked too much. Went to choir practice last night, but there’s no single guys in our music program at the church right now. And I’m not going to the bar scene.”
“I’ll show you how to download the dating app all my students are raving about,” Pike offered. “That’s what you need. A profile. And don’t skimp on the pictures.”
“Pictures?” Oh, Maddox was so not up for this challenge.
“Dude. You’re a jacked-up giant SEAL. Just show your biceps and you’ll have a long line of panting twinks.”
Twinks weren’t what Maddox wanted, but he wasn’t about to share that. He wanted...Ben. No. No, no he didn’t. But he liked men. Big bodies, big muscles, hairy chests...Like Ben. No, not like Ben. Something completely different. Maybe—
Pike was laughing at him again. “It’s okay. You don’t have to tell me if what you really want is a leather daddy. Just put up a profile of who you’d like to snuggle up with, and I guarantee you’ll get a taker or twelve.”