Free How to Bake the Perfect Wedding Cake by Gina Henning

that I’m not good at hide-and-seek. I shrug. “You were just lucky.”
    Jack laughs. “I’m lucky to be with you but finding you is not luck—that’s skill.” He leans down and our lips lock into an engaging kiss.
    I pull back. “Seriously, we should figure some things out…together. About our wedding and everything that follows.”
    “Everything that follows is you barefoot in the kitchen baking pies for our family.” Jack guffaws.
    “As if!” I push him, but again he doesn’t budge. His body is so much larger than my own and I love every inch of it, and him.
    “All right, listen, as far as the honeymoon goes, tradition says I get to pick.”
    “Actually, I think it says your best man does. Speaking of which, who are you asking?” I stare up into his sparkling blue eyes and see a hint of sadness. I swallow. I’m sure Jack would have liked his brother to be his best man, but unfortunately he is gone.
    Jack breaks our eye contact and takes a step back. “I haven’t decided. Of course as you probably have guessed I would have wanted Lewis…but that’s not a possibility.”
    “I’m sorry,” I let fall from my lips. Though as these two words are released into the air I remember when I spoke them before how Jack assured me that I shouldn’t be sad or sorry as his brother had led a great life.
    Jack shakes his head. “Lauren, don’t be sorry.” He steps closer to me and raises an eyebrow. “I’m thinking about asking Trent.”
    I roll my eyes and laugh. “That would be perfect. Maybe he can reassign my bridesmaids and reorganize the wedding while he’s at it…” I shake my head.
    The vein in Jack’s throat throbs. “What problems is he causing you?”
    “Nothing, I can’t handle…or at least will try to.”
    “Lauren, if he comes near you physically again, I won’t wait for you to handle things through your Human Resources department.” The vein is pulsing on overtime.
    “Jack, I’m handling it.”
    “Handling it? What is it? Has he tried something again?” Jack grabs my arms and is demanding with his eyes that I focus on his face.
    “No, not anything flirty or of that nature. He’s just…being Trent in other ways. Listen, I don’t want to talk about it. Can’t we focus on planning our wedding? It’s only a few months away.”
    Jack shakes his head. “Lauren, I don’t want this to be an issue between us. I’m going to be clear and communicate with you exactly what I’m feeling and what my actions will be.”
    I swallow. “Okay.”
    “If Trent so much as shakes your hand for longer than a millisecond, I will have more than words with him.” His eyes bore into mine. “And that will be the least of his worries.”
    My shoulders slump. “Okay…got it.”
    Jack laughs. “You are going to get it…that’s for sure.” He leans in and his teeth graze across my neck. The intensity is not enough to leave a physical mark but enough to leave a trace in my mind of the intensity that has sent my body into an unending cascade of tingles.
    I squirm as if I could wriggle out of his embrace—not that I would want to, but it’s fun to pretend that I’m going to run.
    “Lauren, you’re seriously not trying to free yourself, are you?” If I were facing him in this moment I would surely melt from his icy blue eyes. His breath is warm against my neck.
    I let out a giggle. “You know there is a saying about setting things free that you love.”
    Jack pulls back. “Never heard it.”
    “What, of course you have. Everyone has heard of it.” I shake my head.
    “Nope.” He runs his finger along the bottom of his jaw.
    “Jack, seriously? If you love something, set it free. If it comes back, it is yours forever.”
    Jack’s lips purse and his eyes twinkle back at me. His tell sign. It’s obvious he has heard this quote. I stare back at him and bat my eyelashes. I can wait out his silence. Over the last few months, I’ve learned how to return his silence with my own. In our initial