“I like that,” Adrian said slowly, thinking about what ingredients he had available. “What if we flipped it, though? I think I have some leftover cherry filling I made this morning for the mini cheesecakes we’re selling. And then we could just do the chocolate cupcakes and a quick cream cheese frosting but add a dash of amaretto for interest. Some chocolate shavings and a cherry on top should make it fancy enough for Instagram.”

  “I like it.” Jay grinned at him. “Come on, let’s get to work.”

  They worked together quickly and when the timer on the final batch of chocolate cupcakes beeped, Adrian let out a relieved sigh. “Thank God. Let’s get these stupid things frosted and get them out front.”

  “After today, I don’t think I’ll be able to stand looking at another cupcake. Ever,” Jay muttered.

  “I’m in total agreement. And I have to sell the damn things.”

  When the cupcakes were done and in Sasha’s hands at the front of the bakery, Adrian returned to the kitchen, feeling completely wrung out.

  Jay had collapsed onto a stool and was slumped on it like he’d never get up again. “And I thought working in a restaurant kitchen was bad. Jesus, what kind of masochist are you?”

  Adrian chuckled as he fell heavily into the chair next to him. “It’s not always this bad.”

  “It might be if you keep this up.”

  “I think I’m going to need to hire some additional people if I do,” Adrian said wearily. He let his head loll to the side so he could look at Jay. “You still looking for a job?”

  Yes.” Jay grinned. “I’m not quite that desperate though, thanks.”

  Which reminded Adrian, he still had no idea what Jay was doing here. “So why are you here in Pittsburgh anyway?”

  “I’m ...” Jay leaned forward and braced his forearms on his thighs. “Shit, this wasn’t how I’d planned to tell you, Adrian.”

  “Tell me what?”

  “Tell you I’m sorry about the way I left things between us in Philly.”

  “Oh.” Adrian blinked at him. “You could have just called or texted or something. Unless you deleted my number?”

  “No, I still have it. I figured what I had to say needed to be said face-to-face, though.”

  “Okay.” Adrian wet his lips. “So, here I am. Talk to me.”

  “When you left Philly, I really thought I was doing the right thing. It all made sense in my head to just end things then and go our separate ways.”

  “I fucking hated it,” Adrian admitted. “But after I got home and had some time to let the sting of it all fade, I understood where you were coming from.”

  “The funny thing is I started to have doubts. And your brother and I talked for a little while.”

  “He’s a good listener,” Adrian said.

  “It was less listening and more him telling me I’m an idiot.” Jay’s tone was dry.

  “He’s even better at that.”

  Jay shot him a small smile. “He is. Because he wasn’t wrong. I was an idiot for letting you go and maybe too hasty when I made my decision.”

  “You were right that I’m tied to living in Pittsburgh, though,” Adrian said. “I mean, I can’t leave my kids or the bakery so ...” He lifted his shoulders in a helpless shrug. “A long-distance relationship would be really fucking hard on both of us, especially because you’d be the one traveling most of the time. Even if you’re in Philly rather than New York, that’s not a quick drive. It’s five hours. And by the time you figure in dealing with security at an airport ... flying isn’t much faster. That’s a lot to put on you. And it’s not like you have an easy job, and you couldn’t just take off time at a new place and—”

  “Whoa, Adrian, slow down. I don’t need you to talk me out of a long-distance relationship. You already did that once.”

  Adrian pressed his lips tightly together. Was that what he’d been doing? God, he was an idiot too. Although that was hardly news. “Sorry,” he muttered.

  “In the end, it wasn’t really about all of the obstacles we’d have to overcome. It was about me. I was just scared, I guess. It felt so natural to be with you again, but I was fucking terrified you were going to pull the plug on things again once we were apart, and I just ...” Jay sighed. “I guess I figured you couldn’t hurt me if I hurt you first.”

  “Oh, Jay.” Adrian felt stricken.

  “So, you were partially right. It was sort of payback. I wasn’t trying to do it but ...”

  “It’s not like anyone can blame you for being a little gun-shy, least of all me.”

  “I know. But it’s pretty stupid to ruin something good just because I’m scared.”

  “Okay,” Adrian said slowly as he tried to understand what Jay was getting at. “But what does that mean for us exactly?”

  “Well, I was thinking ...” Jay cleared his throat. “I was wondering if you were still willing to hook me up with that guy you know here in Pittsburgh.”

  “Here in Pittsburgh ...” Adrian frowned, then realization dawned, and he sat up straight. “Wait, you mean you’re thinking of moving here?”

  “If the offer still stands?” Jay gave him a tentative smile. “It was a good suggestion. I was just too overwhelmed to consider it when you brought it up last week.”

  “It was pretty out of the blue,” Adrian agreed. “I can understand why you didn’t want to just agree to uproot your entire life for some guy.”

  “But you’re not some guy.” Jay reached out and took his hand. “You’re a pretty great guy. One I really care about. Not perfect but neither am I. We’ve both got our baggage I guess, but I’d like to fix things between us if I can. What do you say?”

  “I ... Yeah, of course, I want that, Jay. But I want you to know that no matter what happens between us, I’ll help you find a job, okay?”

  “That’s probably more than I deserve after how hot and cold I was last week.”

  “Yeah, well, I fucked up even worse last year so ...” Adrian shook his head. “Look, I’m not trying to keep score here. I care about you, Jay. We have some real potential together. If we’re both on the same page about giving it a try, I want to go for it,” he said firmly.

  “I do too.” Jay gave him a small smile.

  Adrian smiled back, but it dipped when he remembered something. “What about trusting me? Because I don’t blame you for being worried about that. I haven’t been very trustworthy.”

  “Honestly, I think maybe I’ve been looking at this all wrong. No, I don’t fully trust you. Yet. But trust isn’t something that happens overnight. It’s something that takes time. After I thought about it, I realized it wouldn’t happen at all unless I make a leap of faith. I’ve been looking for a fresh start. There’s no reason I can’t do that in Pittsburgh, assuming I can find a job here. Even if things don’t work out between us, I’d still have my career. I can still make friends and establish a life here either way.”

  “Hey, before you start breaking us up, let’s try dating first,” Adrian said, trying to inject a little humor in the conversation.

  “I like the sound of that.”

  “Me too.” Adrian stood and walked over to Jay, tugging him to his feet. He wrapped his arms around Jay’s waist and pulled him close. Adrian studied his face, looking into his dark brown eyes, then tracing his stubbled jaw with his gaze.

  Jay gave him a sweet smile. “You look like you’re trying to memorize me.”

  “Maybe I am,” Adrian admitted. “I can barely believe this is happening right now. I really thought I’d lost you for good.”

  “I’m not going anywhere.” Jay smoothed a hand across the back of Adrian’s head before sliding it down so his palm rested against the back of his neck. It sent a pleasant shiver through Adrian’s body. “In fact, now that I’ve seen how crazy busy you are here at the bakery, I think maybe I should help you out here for a short while. Just until I find something more permanent and you hire someone new.”

  “You don’t want to work for me full-time?” Adrian teased. He didn’t mean it, though. Although they both enjoyed baking desserts, their interests and talents were different. Besides, it wasn’t fair to expect him to step aside and take orders from Adrian when he was used to running the show in his own kitchen. Or at least, the baking side of things. Deferring to Adrian was too likely to put a strain on their relationship, and Adrian very much wanted to give it the best possible shot to work.

  “I don’t.” There was humor in Jay’s voice too. “But I’m happy to help you out for a little bit. Just until things settle down.”

  “I’d appreciate that.” Adrian leaned in a little closer. “And I don’t mind the thought of working side by side with you.”

  “Mmm, good.” Jay brushed their lips together. “Because I can think of all sorts of things I’d like to work on very, very closely together with you.”

  “I like the sound of that even more.” Adrian pressed his lips to Jay’s, but before he could deepen the kiss, the sound of his employee’s voice made him start.

  “Hey, boss, it looks like we’re finally—Oh! Shit. Sorry, didn’t mean to interrupt.”

  Adrian tried to remember it was a bad idea to kill his best employee. He lifted his head and stepped back from Jay but not too far. He didn’t let go of his waist because he definitely wanted to keep touching Jay. And his staff already knew he was bi. “What were you saying, Henry?”

  Henry shuffled awkwardly. “Oh, uh, we finally locked up behind the last customer.”

  “Oh, thank God.” Adrian looked skyward. “I’m sure you’re at least as exhausted as I am, if not more so.”

  “It’s been a long day,” Henry agreed. “But, hey, that was—without question—a record sales day. By a huge margin. The drawers are stuffed full of cash, and the pile of credit card slips is unreal. I haven’t had a chance to tally it but ...”

  “It’s going to be great,” Adrian said with a grin. “And let me tell you, everyone who worked today is getting a bonus as a thank you for all their hard work.”

  “Awesome. I won’t argue with that.” Henry grinned back. It was the happiest Adrian had ever seen him.

  Adrian sighed as reality hit. “But now we need to clean up, and I need to call the supplier about what we need to re-stock. Thank God, we’re closed tomorrow, but the day after is likely to be nuts.”

  “I’ve got it. Why don’t you get out of here, boss?” Henry’s gaze flicked between him and Jay. “It looks like you have Valentine’s Day plans after all.”

  “Are you sure you don’t mind?”

  “Nope. I took care of all of it while you were in Philly, and you seemed happy with the job I did.”

  “I was,” Adrian agreed. “I know you can handle it. I just don’t want to take advantage of you.”

  “It’s all good,” Henry said. “My girlfriend works late tonight, so we planned to celebrate tomorrow anyway.”

  “If you’re sure ...”

  “Absolutely. As soon as I have all of the info for the supplier, you should head out.”

  “I can do that,” Adrian said, feeling relieved. “Thanks.”

  Twelve

  February 2019 - Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

  Twenty minutes later, Adrian led Jay out through the back of the bakery to where his truck was parked. He paused beside it, considering what they should do next. “Well, I don’t know about you, but I’m hungry.”

  “Starved.”

  “What are you in the mood for?”

  “Anything that isn’t covered in frosting.”

  Adrian chuckled. “Sounds good to me too. I’d offer to make you something, but I’m wrecked. Take you out to dinner instead?” he offered.

  “I’d like that, but it’s Valentine’s Day. It’s going to be a nightmare to get in anywhere.”

  Adrian groaned. “Damn it, you’re right.”

  “How do you feel about frozen pizza?” Jay asked, wrapping his arms around Adrian to pull him close.

  Adrian let out a little sigh of contentment. “If it’s with you, it sounds perfect to me.” Adrian slid a hand through Jay’s hair and teased his tongue at the seam of Jay’s lips. Jay groaned and let him in, kissing Adrian back with a ferocity that made his head spin. Food? Who needed food when he could have Jay?

  A small giggle pierced through the fog he was in. “I think Daddy has a boyfriend.”

  Adrian stilled. Welp, that’s one way to officially introduce my kids to Jay. Adrian lifted his head and met Jay’s horrified expression. He gave him a reassuring smile, then stepped away. He kept his hand on Jay’s back, though.

  “Well, I didn’t expect to see any of you here,” Adrian said with another smile, this one wider as he looked at his kids and his mom. “What are you all doing here?”

  “We thought you’d probably be hungry and would have to work late so we brought you dinner,” his mother said. Her gaze flicked over to Jay. “We didn’t realize you had a date tonight, though.”

  “It was a little unexpected,” Adrian said. “Jay came in from out of town.”

  “Would you like to introduce us?” she prompted.

  Molly giggled again.

  “Jay, this is my mom, Miranda Cobb, my daughter Molly, and my son Josh. Mom, Molly, Josh, this is Ajay Sunagar.”

  “Hi, Jay! Are you Daddy’s boyfriend?” Molly asked.

  “I—” Jay cleared his throat. “I think so?” He glanced over at Adrian, as if for confirmation.

  “He is,” Adrian said firmly. “Or, at least, I’d like him to be. We’re going to start dating and see how it goes.” He squeezed Jay’s hand in reassurance. “It’s all kinda new.”

  “Where did you meet?” Mrs. Cobb asked.

  “At the baking expo in New York last year,” Adrian said.

  “Oh, you’ve been seeing each other that long?” She shot Adrian a pointed look. “Why on earth didn’t you tell us?”

  “Oh, no.” Adrian floundered, unsure how to explain the situation.

  “We met then and hit it off,” Jay explained smoothly. “But the timing wasn’t right because of the distance. We ran into each other again recently. Seth was my roommate in New York until he moved in with Erik. Adrian and I reconnected then. Adrian told me about some job opportunities here in Pittsburgh that I came to explore, and ... well, we’re going to see how it goes.”

  “And just in time for Valentine’s Day! How lovely.” Miranda beamed at them both.

  “It was quite a romantic surprise,” Adrian agreed. “Especially because Jay is a pastry chef, and he pitched in today to help with the craziness.”

  “Oh, yes, I’m not surprised you were swamped. I heard about your cupcakes on the local news earlier, sweetie.”

  “The bakery was on the news?” Adrian felt a little dumbfounded.

  Miranda laughed. “It was all over it. I think you’d better brace yourself for some more busy days. Your brother seems to have started something.”

  “Oh, shit,” Adrian muttered. “Uh, Jay, I am definitely going to need your help until I can get some new people in here.”

  “Yeah, of course. I already told you I would.”

  “Would you like me to keep the kids tonight?” Miranda asked. “So you and Jay can have a little time to enjoy your evening and reconnect?”

  “Uh, that would be nice.” Adrian looked at Molly and Josh. “Are you guys okay with staying over at Grandma’s?”

  “Duh,” Molly said. “She lets us have hot cocoa and as much popcorn as we want.”

  Adrian snorted. “Well, I see where I stand. Can I have a hug first, though?”

  He knelt down and a minute later, and two small bodies thudded against him. He squeezed them tight. “Hey, can I talk to you guys seriously for a quick second? I know we’d discussed that at some point I might date someone other than your mom. If I’d known Jay was going to come visit and that you guys would be here, I would have told you he was coming. I didn’t mean to surprise you with this.”

  “It’s okay.” Molly patted his cheek. “Mom’s had a boyfriend for ages. You’re just really behind.”

  “Thanks, kiddo.” Adrian chuckled and squeezed her tighter. “You okay with it, Josh?”

  He snuck a glance at Jay as if assessing him, then nodded.

  “Good. Now I will see you tomorrow. Have a good night and be good for Grandma, okay?”

  “Okay,” they chorused.

  Adrian gave them each one last squeeze and a kiss on the top of the head before he let go.

  “Here’s the food I made for you. A tray of manicotti, homemade breadsticks, and a salad.”

  “Oh, yum.” Adrian’s mouth watered as he took the canvas bag of food. “It’s been forever since Dad’s made manicotti.”

  “He thought you’d appreciate it after a day like today.” She kissed Adrian’s cheek, then turned to Jay. “It’s nice to meet you. When things have settled down a little, I’d love to have you both over for dinner.”

  “That would be great,” Jay said. “And it was very nice to meet you too.”

  Mrs. Cobb put her hands on Molly and Josh’s backs and steered them toward her vehicle. “Come on, kids. Why don’t we let your dad and Jay enjoy their date night now?”

  “Okay. Goodnight!” Molly scampered off before she abruptly stopped and turned around.

  “Wait! Would you like a candy heart?” Molly asked earnestly as she produced a bag from her coat pocket. She held it out to Jay. “I got so many today.”

  “I would love one,” Jay said. He sounded just as earnest.

  Molly beamed. “Let me pick a special one for you.”

  An hour or so later, Jay and Adrian sat on Adrian’s couch, scraping their plates clean. The food had hit the spot. And if Adrian was too tired to move, well, that was okay. Jay was next to him and their sides were pressed together from their shoulders to their ankles. There was nowhere else Adrian wanted to be.

  “So, your kids clearly know you’re bi,” Jay said.

  “Yep.” Adrian licked his fingers. Mmm, garlic butter. “They knew their Uncle Seth was gay, so from very early on, I explained that Daddy liked both boys and girls. It never phased them. I want my kids to know what’s out there, you know? So they never have to question it or wonder if I’m okay with who they are.”

 

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