Chapter 19: Coming Out
"So good," Edward moaned over a bite of my triple chocolate cupcake. I giggled and squirmed under his arms, holding his hand as he chowed down. True to his word, he showed up to my bakery on his break and sampled a multitude of pastries. The girls sure didn't mind serving him.
"You're gonna be sick," I warned him. He just rolled his eyes.
"I'm an endless pit. Trust me, I can handle it."
"That's a lot of sugar, Edward. No one can handle that much sugar."
"Bet," he challenged, his eyes on mine as he shoved the last of his cupcake into his mouth, moaning around the bite and sitting back against the brick wall of my bakery with his free hand on his stomach.
"It's your funeral," I said in a sing-song voice.
He chuckled and pulled me closer to him. The summer sun shone down brightly on us, making the red and blond in his hair more prominent. I lifted my hand up and ran it through his disarrayed locks. He hummed contentedly.
"Have you gotten ahold of Riley," he asked after a minute of comfortable silence.
I sighed. "No," I groaned. "He won't answer me. I just need him to sign these damn papers so we can call it a day."
"So there's been no sign of him? He hasn't even reached out to Mickey?"
Shaking my head, I laid it on his chest. "Nope. Bastard is M.I.A. again."
"I don't trust it," Edward retorted bitterly.
I just nodded and curled further into him.
"Do you think he'll show up again?" he asked with barely concealed disdain.
Moving my head side to side I groaned, rubbing my good hand down my face. "I don't know what he's going to do. He's not exactly predictable. Whatever I thought I knew before, I have no clue now."
Edward bounced his head up and down, a contemplative look on his face. "Are you afraid he'll go after custody?"
I shook my head. "No," I said, sure of myself. "And no judge would grant him custody. He abandoned her for a year. Besides, Mickey is fifteen. She gets a say."
He nodded. "So you're not worried at all?"
"I wouldn't say I'm not worried. I'm very wary about his influence in Mickey's life. She's at a crucial age right now and very emotional. Her dad coming back into her life has to have had some adverse effects. I'm just not too worried about losing her. She knows where I stand, she knows I love her and I'm not going anywhere. I put it on faith that she and I will be okay and together through this."
"She's a great kid," Edward smiled down at me. I smiled back and nodded.
"She has her moments. She seems to like you, so I'm happy."
"I like her, too."
I grinned into his chest. That made me happier than I could even begin to describe. If he and Mickey didn't along, then there was no way I could make this work. Mickey came first. Always. But Edward had wormed his way up into my priority list.
He heaved a sigh, pulling me close and squeezing. "I need to head back to work," he said regretfully.
I nodded against him and made a move to stand but playful Edward was out and he tugged me down and I fell gracelessly onto his lap.
"Edward!" I squealed.
He only laughed and pinched my side. I slapped his hand away and turned to a more comfortable position, wrapping my arms around his neck. He looked into my eyes and jut his chin out. I mirrored his face and he smiled indulgently.
"Call me tonight?"
"I will," I agreed.
He placed a soft kiss to my lips and allowed me to stand up. He followed suit, brushing his hands off on his grease-stained jeans. He held my hand firmly between both of his for a moment before walking backward to his bike, winking at me before putting on the helmet I urged him to use.
I sighed, fully and completely content for the time being. When I walked into the bakery, all eyes were on me, smiles lighting up faces. I rolled my eyes at them and put my hands on my hips in my best 'I'm your boss' stance. "Back to work, ladies," I commanded, but I couldn't keep the smile off my face for long.
"That is one hot hunk of man meat you have there," Angie gushed when I made my way to the back.
"I'm going to pretend you didn't say that," I retorted as I pulled out eggs from the fridge and went about making the batter for a young girl's birthday cake.
Angela laughed and hip-checked me. "Seriously though, he is one fine specimen. If I didn't have Ben, I'd be jealous."
My cheeks flamed. "He is gorgeous, isn't he?" I sighed, missing him already. I was beginning to crave him. Need his presence. That both scared and electrified me from the inside out.
"Is it serious between you two or are you like... friends with benefits?"
I looked at her in horror, my eyes wide and mouth open. "There are no benefits," I muttered in my shock and immediately slapped my hand over my mouth.
Her eyes bugged nearly out of her head. "None?" she whispered, stunned.
"Well, I mean we did... uh... I mean, there are some benefits, but just once." I scratched the back of my neck, my whole body hot and flaming in my embarrassment. I couldn't believe I was talking about this. I wasn't a prude or anything, but I wasn't wholly experienced either. And never had I talked about it with anyone.
"Well, girl, I just gotta say, if you don't jump on that then I may have to reconsider our friendship," she nagged playfully, throwing a rag at my face.
"Ha-ha," I rolled my eyes.
But now I was thinking about Edward and sex and sex with Edward. I couldn't get it out of my mind for the rest of the day, making my job way harder and more disastrous than it had to be.
When it was finally time to clock out and close up, I was relieved. I just wanted to be home and left alone with my thoughts that just kept getting pervier by the second. I pulled into the driveway and was surprised to see Mickey sitting on the porch, her phone in her hands and her head down. She looked so upset. I quickly jumped out of my car and rushed over to her, expecting the worst.
"Mickey, you okay?" I asked when I was in front of her.
She didn't look up but she shook her head dropping it lower to her knees.
"Is it... your dad?" I asked reluctantly. I swear if he did anything to hurt her again...
Mickey scoffed. "Haven't heard from the fucker," she spat. "No, that's not it."
"Then what is it?" I sat down next to her, placing my hand on her back, letting her slip of the tongue slide just this once. She sat up straight and my hand fell. I put it on my lap and looked at her.
"Tanya," she whispered, a mirthless smile on her face. "She wants something I'm not ready for."
My brow scrunched as I studied her solemn face. "And that would be?"
Mickey sniffed and turned to look into my eyes. She searched them for an insurmountable amount of time before finally nodding to herself, obviously finding whatever it was she was looking for.
"She wants us to go public."
My eyes widened and I could feel my heart begin to race. Was this finally it? Was this the moment I had been waiting for? I schooled my features into a blank mask and laid my hand on her knee as she continued.
"Tanya and I... we're not just friends. I mean, she's my best friend, but she's so much more than that. She's my...," she trailed off, her throat convulsing as she looked away from me. Finally, she sighed and looked back at me, all the color drained from her face. "Mom, Tanya is my girlfriend."
She stared at me, her eyes searching my face, but I kept it blank. I didn't want to make her feel uncomfortable. I reached out and tucked a stray hair behind her ear. "Honey, I know."
Her eyes widened and she looked away. "How?"
"I've always known about you. I just knew. And with Tanya, you're not as discreet at you think." I couldn't help but to chuckle and Mickey turned back to me, a small unsure smile on her face.
"And you're okay with it?"
"Of course," I breathed. "Have I ever given you any reason to believe I would have a problem with it?"
"No, but...," she sighed long and hard, her eyes filling with tears. "Dad would always comment about people in same-sex relationships if he saw them when we went out. He would say it was disgusting and wrong and that they should keep it to themselves."
I felt the anger boiling inside of me. I knew about his distaste and intolerance and I never spoke up. I didn't know who I was angrier with. Him or myself for not saying anything?
I grabbed my daughter's hand and squeezed. "I am not your father. Love is love, baby, and you can love whomever you please. You don't need to hide it. Especially not from me." When she looked down I ducked my head to catch her eyes. "You don't have to hide anything from me. I will never judge you, I will never stop loving you. Don't hide this part of yourself from me, or anyone else. If anyone has a problem with it, you tell them to go screw themselves, because you are perfect as you are."
The tears fell freely from her eyes then and her shoulders relaxed as if a weight had finally been lifted from them. She opened her mouth to speak, but when nothing came out she threw her arms around my neck and buried her face in my shoulder, her sobs shaking us both.
I just held onto her and let her get it all out.
"Thank you," she finally whispered into my shirt.
"She really told you," Edward asked, astonished.
I smiled into the phone and rolled over onto my stomach. "She really did. It was... intense. And I don't know where she stands or what she'll do now, but she told me. She trusted me enough to let me in."
"That's so great." I could hear the smile in his voice. "Really fucked up about Riley though."
I scowled, my mood shifting at the mention of his name. "She thought that because he wasn't okay with it that I shared the same views."
"Really fucked up," he repeated with a sigh. "He needs a reality check,"
I snorted. "No kidding. He needs his ass beat, too."
"Just say the word," he laughed but I could hear the sincerity in his words. I think if given the opportunity Edward would do just that. So I had to keep them separated. Because that's the last thing I needed.
"I can't wait to see you again," I said changing the subject.
"How about tomorrow?" he asked eagerly. "We could go for lunch together. Or I could bring lunch to you?"
I smiled. "We can go out for lunch, absolutely."
I guessed seeing Edward every day was becoming a thing. Not one part of me minded.
Making progress with Edward and making progress with Mickey. Now gotta deal with Riley. Thank you all SO much for your kind words and helpful criticisms. I really appreciate it. and a reminder to social distance, wash your hand, don't touch your face and please stay safe!
