Chapter 32

Over the last two days, I was happy to discover that James’ sisters were in no great rush to return back home. Granted, Kristen and Lana had their own work to deal with; however, they seemed much more interested in getting to know me—especially, my interest in baking.

After my ice cream cake fiasco, I figured it would be wise to perhaps return to a more basic recipe instead. That’s when the idea came to mind!

One late afternoon, I found Lana and Kristen lounging around in the living room, scrolling through their phones. I lightly cleared my throat and waited for them to turn their heads.

“Would either of you be interested in helping me in the kitchen?” I asked.

Both of their faces lit up with excitement.

“Are you baking something?” Kristen asked.

I nodded my head.

“What is it?” Lana pushed.

“I figured something simple would be ideal for now,” I explained. “How do the two of you feel about chocolate chip cookies?”

The two jumped up from their spots and rushed through the archway to get to the kitchen. I found myself stifling back a fit of giggles. Thankfully, I had most of everything we needed already out on the counters, so we were able to jump right in.

Soon, the kitchen was filled with echoing laughter and gentle squeals of excitement. It was easy to see that Kristen and Lana were having the time of their lives. While Lana was busy mixing the ingredients in the large bowl, Kristen was focused on forming the dough into small balls on the metal pan.

I kept my eye on the oven and carefully made sure that none of the cookies came out over-baked. The place was an absolute mess. With flour and sugar dashed all over, and chocolate chips scattered all over the counters and floors, it was amazing that there were any cookies to be made.

But none of that mattered. The three of us were having fun!

It still blew my mind that James and his sisters never took part in something as nostalgic and simple as this.

The place became filled with the cozy, inviting aroma of sugar and chocolate. Right as I took out the final batch of baked cookies from the oven, I spotted a tall figure standing in the doorway.

James leaned against the door frame with his arms crossed over his broad chest. His mouth was quirked upward. His gaze briefly scanned over to his sisters who were throwing excess flour and dough at one another while laughing.

Suddenly, his eyes dragged back to me and were now filled with a certain look that caused goosebumps to spread down my arms. I could sense that he was deeply pleased that his sisters and I were getting along so well.

His smile grew wide as he crossed the room to reach me.

“Why hello, Mr. Derek,” I greeted playfully. “Would you care to help us out with baking some cookies?”

James chuckled and leaned his head toward his sisters who continued their flour fight without a single thought or care for anyone else around them.

“Looks like the three of you had a lot of fun today,” he said softly. “I was actually thinking...Would you be interested in going on a date?”

I paused, looking a little taken aback before giggling. “A date as in another scheduled doctor’s appointment? James, I already told you, you need to understand the difference between the two.”

James playfully rolled his eyes and shook his head. “No. A real date,” he told me. “Let me take you out to dinner tonight.”

My heart skipped a beat as I became instantly filled with excitement. I eagerly nodded my head and fought back the urge to jump up and down.

...

Later that evening, having dressed in a long, flowy dark green sundress, James and I were taken to a beautiful Greek-style restaurant. The head waiter seated us immediately and was clear to return with our drinks.

James gently cleared his throat and looked up from his menu. “You know, I may have realized something during the press conference,” he said.

I gave him a questionable look. “Oh?”

“It’s that, well...You and I know very little about one another.” My lips parted from speaking, but James was quick to cut me off. “We knew each other as children. But I need to know you for who you are now.”

I slowly nodded my head. “You’re right.”

“Do you regret signing the marriage contract?” he asked. My brows lifted in surprise. My first initial reaction was to shake my head; however, I gave it a true moment’s thought.

“Honestly, sometimes,” I answered. “I think, before you and I sat down and actually talked some things out with each other, there were times when I felt like I’d made a mistake. Like I acted too impulsive by signing it rather than actually thinking everything through.”

I reached across the table to find his hand.

“But I want to get to know you—the ‘James Derek’ that you are now.”

A small smile pulled at the corners of his mouth. “In that case, may I be the first one to hit things off by saying that out of all the insane shit my parents put me and my sisters through, growing up, I actually enjoy playing the piano. I hate work meetings with a burning passion, I think they’re a complete waste of time. And I used to have a fear of public speaking but was able to get over it during my years at college.”

I chuckled lightly under my breath. “That’s great. Okay, um...well, you know I enjoy baking when I can. I honestly prefer reading books compared to watching television. And I...”

“It’s okay,” James said assuringly.

I swallowed the lump in my throat. “You know that I obviously lost a significant amount of the weight I had growing up.” He nodded his head. “Well, during my whole weight loss journey, I ended up developing an eating disorder.”

James’ eyes filled with panic. If he were able to dive across the table to get to me I knew that he would have. I gave his hand a light squeeze. “It’s alright. I’m alright now.”

“Promise me that you’ll speak to me if those feelings ever come back,” he said pleadingly.

I graciously nodded my head as the waiter came back to take our dinner orders.