The cupcake conundrum, p.19
The Cupcake Conundrum, page 19
part #2 of Williamsville Inn Series
Kisses became panting breaths against each other’s lips as Jay used his hands to urge Adrian to move faster. And when Jay cried out in orgasm, Adrian muffled the sound with his lips and kissed him again.
Epilogue
August, 2019 – Buffalo, New York
Unmitigated chaos was the best way to describe the scene in front of Adrian. The Cobb family along with the rest of Seth and Erik’s families and friends had taken over the Williamsville Inn, and it was complete and utter madness. As best man, Adrian should probably be doing something to organize it, but there was supposed to be a wedding planner around here somewhere, and wasn’t that her job?
A moment later, Adrian spotted her as she barked orders at a roadie. Which was a super weird thing to see at a wedding, but that’s what happened when someone like REX GARDLAND was singing at it. Adrian still couldn’t get over it. As crazy and improbable as it seemed, Rex, Will, Seth, and Erik had become fast friends. Who’d have thought a celebrity that big would see Seth’s posts about the inn, meet the love of his life there, and send him a private message? While the plan had started out as a cordial offer to perform and do double-duty as the kick-off to the social media marketing campaign for the inn’s newly revamped event space, it was clearly deeper than that now.
Rex had made a touching speech at the rehearsal dinner last night, and Adrian had felt a little star-struck when he introduced himself.
Of course, someone of Rex’s fame couldn’t just perform without an entourage of people to help set up the equipment and secure the building to keep fans from storming the wedding. So what might have been a quiet, intimate wedding had become something much, much larger.
It was going to be amazing, but Adrian vowed that when and Jay tied the knot, they’d do it in a much more sedate fashion. Then he remembered that his boyfriend’s family would probably never allow that. They might be able to manage a small courthouse ceremony for the actual wedding, but there would probably be a large Hindu ceremony as well. The thought made Adrian feel a little overwhelmed, but as he glanced over to see Jay helping Josh straighten his bow tie, he felt a smile creep over his face.
In the past six months, their relationship had moved steadily toward where they were now. The kids adored Jay, and he’d moved in last week.
A fantastic personal life wasn’t the only thing he had to feel good about either. King of Tarts was thriving. After six months, Adrian was cautiously optimistic that the Valentine’s Day cupcake promotion hadn’t been a flash-in-the-pan moment of success. Thankfully, regular business wasn’t quite as intense as it had been on Valentine’s Day, but there was no question that sales were up at least forty percent over the previous year. Adrian was overjoyed. He’d rolled some of the profits back into the business by making a few badly needed updates to the kitchen and hiring a professional food photographer to update the photos on his website.
He’d also given his previous employees raises and hired two new full-time people along with two more who were seasonal help. It was enough that he'd been able to take time off for Seth's wedding and plan a vacation with Jay and the kids for a couple of weeks after.
Jay’s position as head pastry chef at a restaurant was going exceptionally well too. The executive chef there was enthusiastic about his work, and when Jay had broached the idea of using a few traditional Indian mithai recipes as flavor inspiration for his desserts, she’d embraced the idea, and the dishes had proved to be very popular.
Maaheshvari had emailed Adrian some family recipes, which had opened up a line of communication between them. Adrian occasionally sent her questions about cooking techniques and attached numerous photos of the kids. Adrian had yet to meet Jay’s sisters but he’d be doing that in a couple of weeks, and while things weren’t perfect between Jay and his parents, now that they knew Jay was settling down and his career was thriving once again, they were all a lot happier.
Now, Adrian and Jay stood in the middle of the courtyard as people scurried around them getting things prepped for the wedding. The cake had been baked, assembled, and decorated over the past few days, and it was now waiting inside in the room where the food was set up for the reception. It was much too hot in the courtyard for the tiered Swiss meringue buttercream frosted cake, but the air conditioning of the hotel would keep it looking perfect until the grooms cut into it. They’d also made a variety of cupcakes and tortes as well, and Adrian had really enjoyed working with Jay on the project. While there were probably more desserts than the guests could eat tonight, there were small boxes for everyone to take home as a favor.
“Adrian?” Jay prompted. “You okay? What’s got you thinking so hard?”
“Oh, sorry. Just thinking about how far we’ve come. How did I get so damn lucky?” Adrian murmured with a smile, tightening his grip around Jay. He looked very handsome in a gray suit with a peacock blue button-down.
“I don't know. But I think somebody should probably bottle the water from the hotels in New York because, at this rate, they’ll make millions off its matchmaking capabilities.”
Adrian laughed. “So you think that's the cause of all this pairing up?”
“I don't know, but it worked for Seth and Eric.” Jay nodded toward the happy couple. “Plus Rex and Will. Certainly worked for us too.”
“Certainly did,” Adrian agreed.
Adrian had spent a lot of time in the past few years wondering where his marriage had gone wrong. He could list a few things: getting together too young, not being able to grow and change together, a lack of communication. They were all true. And he was mindful of the latter two with Jay.
But now he felt like maybe life had led him exactly where he needed to be. Michelle was happy with Shane. Adrian was deliriously happy with Jay. Together, he and Michelle had made two beautiful kids, and now they were co-parenting them, albeit in a far different way than either of them had originally anticipated. And with a little extra help these days.
“Did Michelle really give Seth and Erik a piece of stained-glass art for their wedding gift?”
“She did,” Jay said with a smile. “Turns out she’s really damn good at it.”
Adrian snorted. “It still makes me laugh to think about you two taking classes together. You’re both so weird.”
“You love us.”
“I do,” Adrian agreed. And frankly, he was damn grateful Jay and Michelle got along so well. With as busy as they all were, it made shuffling kids around so much easier when they were all comfortable with Jay taking a big role in that. He leaned in. “But there’s only one of you whose clothes I want to rip off after this wedding.”
“It better be me.” Jay grinned widely. “Or we’re going to have to have a conversation.”
“It is most definitely you,” Adrian assured him. “In fact, there is a tub of frosting in the refrigerator in our room as we speak.”
“Oh, is there?”
“There is,” Adrian said. “And I think as long as we remember to lock the connecting door to the kids’ room tonight ...”
Jay laughed. They’d nearly gotten caught with their pants down last night when Josh had come in because he’d spotted a bee in his room. It had been a very stressful few moments while Adrian had faked a sense of calm as he asked Josh to go back to his room and close the door. Adrian assured him he’d be there in just a minute, as he desperately hoped his son didn’t drag him naked from the bed to vanquish the stinging beast. Jay looked even more horrified than Adrian had felt, and after they’d both put on pants, Adrian had needed to reassure him it wouldn’t have been the end of the world even if they did accidentally flash the kid. It was all part of being a parent. Life very rarely went according to plan.
“Yeah, no more repeats of last night,” Jay agreed. “We check the door three times before the pants come off.”
“Deal.”
“Adrian, we need to get some pictures of the wedding party now,” the wedding planner said. “Can you go over by the white rose arch?”
“Oh. Sure, one sec.” Adrian let go of Jay with a quick kiss to the temple. “Guess it’s time for me to do my job. I’ll see you after the ceremony?”
“Yes,” Jay said. “You better save me a dance too.”
“You get all the dances,” Adrian said.
Jay laugh. “I’m quite sure Molly will have something to say about that. Not to mention your mom and sister.”
“Oh, good point,” Adrian said. “Well, you’ll get most of them. Love you.”
Jay’s smile was brilliant. “I love you too.”
Several hours later, Adrian wrapped his arms around Jay and rested their temples together as they swayed to Rex Garland’s voice. The ceremony had gone off without a hitch, the dinner and cake cutting had been perfect, and Adrian had even made the crowd laugh with his best man speech. As happy as Adrian was for the grooms, he was looking forward to no longer thinking about them and enjoying the rest of the evening with the man he loved.
“Are you happy?” Adrian asked quietly.
Jay sighed contently and tightened his grip on Adrian’s torso. “Never been happier.”
“Me neither.” Adrian licked his lips. In fact, there was a ring box tucked in his luggage that he desperately hoped Jay wouldn’t stumble across. They were going to visit Niagara Falls next week with the kids, and if everything went according to plan, he’d ask Jay to marry him there.
They’d had to work hard at this. Burying old hurts. Building trust between them again. That had all taken time and patience. Thank God, Jay had meshed seamlessly with the Cobb family because it hadn’t been easy navigating Jay’s relationship with his parents and introducing Adrian and the kids to them. But it had been worth it.
“I have an idea,” Adrian blurted out. Fuck his plan. He suddenly couldn’t wait another second to ask Jay.
“Yeah? What’s that?” Jay gave him a puzzled smile.
“I think we should get married next year. On Valentine’s Day.”
Jay stilled, then drew back to look Adrian in the eye. “Are you proposing to me?”
“I mean, not officially. I was going to propose at the falls, and I don’t want to take away from Seth and Erik’s big day. But if you say yes, we can announce it after they get back from their honeymoon in Tahiti.”
“And if I don’t say yes?”
Adrian didn’t even flinch. “We’ll talk about it and figure out what works for both of us.”
A slow smile bloomed across Jay’s face. “The answer is yes.”
“Oh, thank God,” Adrian said. He leaned in and kissed Jay. “Because I very much want to spend the rest of my life with you, Ajay Sunagar.”
“I want that too. You and the kids,” Jay said. “Why Valentine’s Day, though? Isn’t that one of your biggest sales days at the bakery?”
“It is,” Adrian said. “But I trust Henry to handle it, if need be. It doesn’t have to be on Valentine’s Day, anyway, but I kind of think of that as our anniversary.”
“Not a year and a half ago in January when we met in New York for the first time? Or this past February when we met again?”
“No,” Adrian said thoughtfully. “That was a botched trial.”
Jay laughed. “Like when you try a new cake recipe that flops.”
“Exactly. It doesn’t count.” Adrian smiled at Jay as they continued to sway to the music. “Valentine’s Day is when it all came together.”
More Williamsville Inn gay romance
Snowstorms and Second Chances
by Brigham Vaughn
What happens when you suddenly realize you’re a whole lot less straight than you thought?
Erik Josef is a forty-three-year-old, recently divorced businessman with one goal: wrap up his last project of the year so he can spend the holidays in Tahiti. While waiting at an airport bar for his business partner to fly into Buffalo, New York, he encounters Seth Cobb, a chatty travel writer waiting for a flight to Pittsburgh to visit his family.
After a huge snowstorm grounds all flights, a mix-up at the Williamsville Inn leads to Erik and Seth sharing a room. Seth’s love of Christmas gets on Erik’s last nerve, but a mugful of Seth’s hot chocolate slowly melts Erik’s icy exterior. When Erik realizes he’s attracted to Seth, he must choose between the life he’s always known, or a new adventure with a man a decade younger.
Snowstorms and Second Chances is a wintertime treat about forced proximity, self-discovery, and a second chance at happiness that takes place in the Williamsville Inn series world. It features characters from Brigham Vaughn’s The Cupcake Conundrum, along with Snowflakes and Song Lyrics and The Cupid Crawl by Hank Edwards.
Check out Brigham Vaughn’s Snowstorms and Second Chances.
https://books2read.com/SnowstormsandSecondChances
More Williamsville Inn gay romance
Snowflakes and Song Lyrics
by Hank Edwards
When a shy and unsure guy jumps at the chance to anonymously help his favorite out singer write an original Christmas song, love can’t be far behind.
Will Johnson is traveling for work the weeks before Christmas and staying in a small hotel in upstate New York. It’s all pretty routine, until he discovers his window overlooks the courtyard patio of one of his favorite up and coming gay singers, Rex Garland. Even more amazing, Will overhears Rex’s creative process as the singer struggles to write an original Christmas song.
When Will receives a flash of lyrical inspiration, he decides to share the lyrics with his idol in a secret note left on Rex’s patio table. This sets off a chain of events that include coincidental meetings, more inspired lyrics, and a tiny snowman that just might capture Rex’s heart and make this Christmas one neither of them will ever forget.
Snowflakes and Song Lyrics takes place in the Williamsville Inn series world, and is a funny, sweet tale which includes secret admirer notes and a classic love story.
Curl up with Hank Edwards’s Snowflakes and Song Lyrics today!
https://books2read.com/snowflakes
More Williamsville Inn gay romance
The Cupid Crawl
by Hank Edwards
What happens when a confirmed hook up app user falls for a man who is his polar opposite?
Carter Walsh will be alone on Valentine’s Day, and his plans include a candy sampler of hook ups.
But after learning about the Cupid Crawl—a bar crawl covering a half dozen bars, gay and straight—he changes his plans.
During the crawl, he runs into:
An ex-co-worker nemesis who resurrects—loudly—an unfortunate nickname she bestowed upon him years before.
Several hot men eager for a quick hook up.
And one man absolutely not Carter’s type, but who manages to pique his interest and, possibly, steal his heart.
The Cupid Crawl is a funny, sweet, and steamy opposites attract, slight age gap story that takes place in the Williamsville Inn series world, and features characters from Hank Edwards’s Snowflakes and Song Lyrics and Snowstorms and Second Chances by Brigham Vaughn.
Get your copy of The Cupid Crawl today!
https://books2read.com/cupidcrawl
About the Author
Brigham Vaughn is on the adventure of a lifetime as a full-time writer. She devours books at an alarming rate and hasn’t let her short arms and long torso stop her from doing yoga. She makes a killer key lime pie, hates green peppers, and loves wine tasting tours. A collector of vintage Nancy Drew books and green glassware, she enjoys poking around in antique shops and refinishing thrift store furniture. An avid photographer, she dreams of traveling the world and she can’t wait to discover everything else life has to offer her.
Her books range from short stories to novellas to novels. They explore gay, bisexual, lesbian, and polyamorous romance in contemporary settings.
Want to stay up to date and be notified of Brigham Vaughn’s latest releases? Sign up for the Coles & Vaughn Newsletter.
Looking for more of Brigham’s work?
Pride Publishing
(Totally Entwined Group)
Standalone Short Stories
The Soldier Next Door (part of the Right Here Right Now Anthology)
Co-Written with K. Evan Coles
Wake (Tidal - Book 1)
Calm (Tidal - Book 2)
With a Twist (Speakeasy - Book 1)
Extra Dirty (Speakeasy – Book 2)
Behind the Stick (Speakeasy – Book 3)
Straight Up (Speakeasy – Book 4)
Two Peninsulas Press
(Independently Published)
Standalone Short Stories
Baby, It’s Cold Inside
Geeks, Nerds, and Cuddles
Love in the Produce Aisle
Not So Suddenly
Seeking Warmth
Sunburns and Sunsets
The French Toast Emergencies
Standalone Novellas
Between the Studs
Corked (Wine Tasting Series Re-release)
Doc Brodie and the Big, Purple, Cat Toy
Snowstorms and Second Chances (Williamsville Inn Universe)
Three Shots
The Equals Series (Novellas)
Equals
Partners
Family (a holiday novella)
Husbands
Colors Series (Novellas)
A Brighter Palette
The Greenest Isle
The Midwest Series (Novels)
Bully & Exit
