Cupcakes at Midnight

Chapter 16

I roll to my side and open the bedside table. A few moments of fumbling around and I've gotten ahold of the right device -- one that I know will be both silent and quick. It takes no time at all until I'm thinking about Ava and coming. It's exactly what I need, and I'm asleep in no time.

When I wake up, Mom has a full breakfast made. She's just finishing boxing everything into to go containers as I walk into the kitchen.

"Here's a coffee. There's food for you and Ivy. I know you have the gym. I'm so proud of you."

"Kiss the pups and Dad for me."

We hug each other and before I can get too sentimental, she shoos me away.

Ivy shows up at the gym a few minutes after I've started my cardio, but I'm just happy to see her. I leave the surprise of breakfast for after our workouts and we make small talk while sweating.

Well, mostly Ivy talks and tells me every detail of the decisions made over the weekend about the wedding. We get inside the office and just as she's complaining about how starving she is, I offer to go make smoothies.

"You're the best," she says, powering her computer up.

"I know, I know." She doesn't even realize I'm about to reheat the breakfasts Mom sent.

I catch my thoughts drifting to cupcakes and soft, smooth skin as I'm watching the trays spin around in the microwave. I shake my head like a cartoon character trying to reset their brain, and grab everything I need.

"What is this?" Ivy says as I approach, holding her hands out.

"Homemade breakfast from Carol. I added the toast, though."

We eat on either side of the cube walls in relative silence until Dwayne shows up.

"My, my, something over here smells... delicious."

The way he says it and the look on his face makes me actually gag a little. Or it could be his cologne.

Neither of us acknowledge him, in what I know is a shared hope he will just slink away. Instead, he leans into Ivy's cube.

"Now, you realize, Ms. Duncan that if things aren't running smoothly, I'm going to have to cancel your time off in a few months."

I shoot up and out of my chair just in time to see Ivy's face. She's doing a good job of masking what I'm sure is righteous fury, and instead looks like she just ate something sour.

"It won't be a problem, Mr. Thompson."

Ivy sends me a message through our internal communication software.

If he even thinks about cancelling my honeymoon time off, I'm out of here.

She's typing so furiously, I'm surprised her keyboard doesn't break.

Don't blame you one bit. Let's strategize over cupcakes later?

Yeah, it's a shameless ploy to go see Ava.

Perfect.

The time passes slowly, so when Ivy grabs her bag and appears at my doorway, I'm more than ready.

"Thank god."

"Do you really think he'd cancel my PTO?" Ivy asks as we walk out the front doors.

"I don't know. I would hope not, but ..." I leave the sentence without an end, because who the fuck even knows. Dwayne could be unpredictable and an asshole, but that would truly be over the top.

Ivy holds the door to the shop open for me, and I stop for one brief second and inhale the yummy toasted sugar and chocolate smells. It's a scent that I've come to associate with pure Ava, and my mouth waters.