Love Novel 83

Hours later, we have the kitchen smelling like cinnamon, melted chocolate, and warm vanilla.
Aiden is concentrating hard as he measures out the ingredients for the chocolate cherry cake I have him making while
Zaid looks absolutely ridiculous with oven mitts over his hands. He is squatting in front of the oven, looking through the
glass pane as the pies we made finish baking.
Flour dusts the countertops, smears across Aiden’s cheek, and somehow, there’s powdered sugar in Zaid’s hair.
I keep my smile tucked between my teeth. They look adorable. For a few blissful hours, I forget everything.
I forget the burning questions circling my mind about what exactly we are. I forget the ache in my chest that lingers from
losing my family. I forget the emptiness that comes with knowing my mother will not be here for Christmas and wondering where our relationship will go now.
Right now, there is only the warmth of the kitchen, the heat of the oven, and the teasing laughter that fills the air.
“Aiden, you don’t have to measure that perfectly,” I say, lifting an eyebrow as he leans over the counter to check that his
measuring cup is level.
He raises an eyebrow at me. “You’re bossy in the kitchen.”
“Yes, because I actually know what I’m doing,” I say before turning to Zaid. “You—”
Zaid’s grin is already mischievous as he stands from his squat. “Yes, ma’am?”
I snicker. “The pies aren’t ready?”
“Well, that’s what I was looking in on before you interrupted.”
I roll my eyes and move to check on the cookie dough that I’ve been working on.
Zaid walks up behind me and presses a soft kiss to my shoulder before sneaking another onto my neck, his hands
ghosting over my waist before he pulls back to continue his oven vigilance
I shiver at the touch.
We work in silence for a few minutes. I roll out the cookie dough into little balls, and Zaid pulls the pies from the oven. He sets them out to cool.
“They smell so good,” Aiden whispers before leaning in and kissing the side of my head.
Zaid nods, practically salivating. If I don’t stop them, they’re going to eat the pies right here and now.
“You two need to focus,” I huff, pointing between them.
Aiden grins. “Yes, chef.”
Zaid snorts. “Happy to obey, my little dictator.”
The teasing doesn’t stop, and when I taste-test Aiden’s batter, I smile. “Perfect.”
Zaid rolls his eyes with a grin on his face. “It better be. If Aiden were in charge of the desserts, we’d all be dead by now.”
Aiden gasps, clutching his chest dramatically. “That was one time, and it wasn’t that bad—”
“I almost died from the food poisoning,” Zaid barks out.
I laugh, but before I can say anything, a handful of flour flies across the kitchen and smacks into Zaid’s chest.
Zaid stares down at himself, then at Aiden, who is grinning, another handful of flour ready.
“You little—” Zaid lunges for him, but Aiden ducks away, laughing. Flour explodes into the air, covering the countertops,
the floor, and me.
“Guys!” I shriek, but before I can protest, Zaid grabs me and throws me over his shoulder, using me as a shield against
Aiden’s attack.
I scream, kicking my legs. “Zaid, put me down!”
“No can do, love. Gotta protect myself.”
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I can’t help the giggle that leaves my lips.
Aiden laughs, too, throwing more flour, making sure Zaid gets hit, anyway. The three of us dissolve into chaos, screaming
and laughing, slipping on the floor as we try to dodge each other’s attacks.
By the time we’re done, we’re a mess, covered head to toe in flour, sugar, and batter.
“We need to finish before we clean,” I pant, wiping at my face.
“You need to clean up the mess you made,” Zaid says pointedly to Aiden, licking chocolate cake batter from my neck.
Aiden grins. “I think we can pin this on all three of us.”
We don’t hear the front door open.
But we do hear when Jake clears his throat.
Silence falls.
I turn sharply, my heart lurching when I see Jake standing in the doorway, his eyes locked on me, on Zaid’s arm still
curled around my waist.
Shit.
His expression is unreadable. Zaid doesn’t move, his grip still firm, his body relaxed like this isn’t anything unusual.
But I panic.
Quickly, I step away, clearing my throat. “
“How was your day?” I ask, desperate to break the tension.
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Jake barely looks at me. Instead, he pulls out his phone. “I’m calling the maid to clean this up. I’m going to have to give
her a big Christmas bonus.”
I swallow hard and step further away from Zaid, ignoring the guilt twisting in my stomach, ignoring the way Jake looked
at me.
I need to breathe.
I make up some excuse, then slip away, heading upstairs. Aiden follows, peeling off his flour-covered shirt.
“Shower with me?” he asks.
I nod.
As the hot water washes away the mess, Aiden leans his head down to look me over. “Is everything okay?”
It’s on the tip of my tongue to spill everything that has happened between Jake and me, but I hold back. “I just, I’m not
sure if I’m ready for this to be public. And your dad… he saw Zaid and I.”
Aiden nods like he finally understands my mood. He cups my face and kisses me gently on the forehead. “We’ll go at
your pace, baby.”
I frown. “Do you think that’s fair? To Zaid?”
Aiden places his hands on my shoulders and spins me around, his hands massaging my head. “Maybe not, but there’s a
lot we will have to learn as we go. I imagine we will all feel that things are unfair at certain times.”
I nod at that. “Maybe.”
We finish washing, Aiden taking advantage to make sure his fingers touch every single inch of my skin. I’m thrumming by
the time we step out, but he doesn’t push me for more and I do not ask him for more.
He kisses me goodnight and then I fi