cover by @JaelynnMoore
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It's so much easier to spread lies about people than it is to spread the truth. That's what Gabriel knows to be true, at least. According to everyone in his town, he's a monster. He doesn't deserve to be walkin...
a/n: thank you for your patience! i am so sorry this has taken forever. i promise i will try to be more consistent with my updates. big shout out to nala_ontheweekends_ for helping me get this chapter together! thank you a thousand times, nala. (if you like this book and want to check out more of my work, i just published a new book titled it's not all roses, and it would mean the world to me if you give it a read as well) thank you thank you thank you for sticking around <3 and thank you always for reading. hope you enjoy
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The bell on the bakery door jingles as I enter, and the sweet smell of cinnamon and apples hits me in the face.
My mouth begins to water as I think about apple turnovers.
"Good morning, Alyna!" Rebecca — Becks — the head baker at Connie's Treats grins brightly at me from behind the counter. "You're up early."
That would be true if I went to bed at all last night. When Gabriel woke up at six to go workout in the woods or whatever the fuck he does at the ass crack of dawn, he told me to go to bed.
I did not. I came to the bakery downtown instead.
I come here every day because I have nothing else to do, the bakery smells nice, and the people who work here are nice. Rebecca's family owns the bakery, and since I've been here a lot in the past two weeks, I've made another friend.
"I haven't gone to bed." I sidle up to the counter and eye her placing a pan of apple turnovers into the glass casing. "Those smell wonderful."
She looks at me and smiles, "How did the raspberry cheesecake recipe turn out for you?"
"They were a hit, thanks! I still don't think Gabriel's goddaughter likes me much, but she loved the sweets."
The weekend with Grace was fun, even if she didn't appreciate me very much.
We spent Saturday morning eating breakfast at the duo's favorite diner. We sat in a certain section and the waitress knew them by name. Grace fed Gabriel food off her plate; it was the cutest thing I'd ever seen.
After breakfast, we went to the bookstore and went mini-golfing. Then we went to one of the many U-Pick farms in the area and filled baskets with raspberries. They both like raspberries, and I wanted to make them something sweet, so I called Rebecca and asked for her recipe.
As I said, the raspberry cheesecake squares were a hit. I didn't tell them I made them — I went home to do so — but I should've because maybe Grace would have liked me more.
She liked me before she knew Gabriel and I were together, and I understand why she doesn't like me now. I get it. She feels I'm a threat to her and Gabriel's relationship, and I know I'd feel the same if I were in her shoes.
I'm just not used to tiny humans not liking me. I was the nurse who wore Spider-Man and Disney Princess scrubs. I also gave Scooby-Doo impressions. I can do a lot of character voices, but Scooby-Doo was always a winner when it was time to give out meds.
