Free Love Songs by MG Braden

 
    “Love is in the air…”
    Madison Hughes quickly tuned the
radio to a new station. Love songs suck.
    “And I will always love you…”
    Why are all the stations
playing this hokey crap? She switched it again.
    “All by myself. Don’t wanna live…”
    Much better. Although…living on
her own wasn't so bad. She could do whatever she wanted, whenever
she wanted.
    She sang along as she mixed up the cupcakes
she had promised to bake for her niece. Kayla needed them for her
preschool’s Valentine’s Day party. It was the least Madison could
do since her brother had taken on the role of single parent. Jake
couldn’t bake worth a darn and was only slightly better at cooking
meals, but he really was the best father to Kayla.
    She popped the cupcakes in the
oven and set the timer. Here she was feeling sorry for herself when
Jake would be spending his first Valentine’s without his wife,
Maria. Some sister she was. While she had all her baking stuff out,
she decided to make his favourite cake. She would take it over to him when she
dropped Kayla off .
    Ever since Maria had passed away, just under
a year ago, she had been helping Jake out with Kayla, who was only
four. Madison picked her up after preschool and took care of her
until Jake got home from work. As a baker she worked very early
mornings, which enabled her to take care of Kayla in the
afternoon.
    Kayla knew that Madison made the best
cupcakes in all of Maple Meadows. Not that Maple Meadows was so
big, but still, it was good to be known as the Cupcake Queen. Her
business was called Cupcake Castle and, according to her niece,
that apparently made her queen. Soon the moniker became her
trademark around town. Still, as happy as she was being the queen
of cupcakes, it would be nice to have a king. Making Valentine
treats for the entire town was rather depressing when you were
single.
    The timer on the oven rang. She
pulled the cupcakes out and put the cake for her brother into the
heated oven in their place. After the cupcakes cooled, she poured
chocolate ganache over them and started to decorate each one. They had to be
identical, or there would be arguments among the preschoolers.
Unable to resist, she took a bite of one of the
cupcakes.
    Mmm, chocolate. Who needs a man
when you have chocolate treats this good?
    ***
    Madison had just settled Kayla
in front of her favourite princess video when she heard the door open. Looking at her
watch, she thought it odd that Jake was home early. It was only
three o’clock. She heard his voice, and then another male
voice. I
know that voice. Her heart started to beat faster, playing staccato against
her rib cage. It can’t be.
    She went down the hall into the
kitchen. Yep. There he was in all his glory. Cameron Trent. The all-star
from high school. He was not only the hottest guy in school, but
also the nicest. Everyone liked him. How could you not? He was six
feet tall with chocolate brown hair and eyes to match. The biggest
grin she had ever seen and a dimple as deep as the Grand Canyon.
And he was nice to everyone he met. Even to her. His best friend’s
little sister.
    She was four years younger than
Jake and had adored him. From a small child she'd followed him and
his friends around. He had been her hero. She’d been a chubby
child, and he had always stood up for her when other kids picked on
her. One time, when Jake wasn’t around, Cameron had taken on some
boys who were teasing her and being rude. She was so embarrassed she could hardly
thank him. Ever since then, she had disappeared every time he was
around.
    “Here she is. Our cupcake queen.” Jake
smiled. He went to the fridge and grabbed a couple of beers.
    Madison blushed. “Don’t call me that.”
    “Aww, c’mon. I think it must be cool to rule
over cupcakes,” drawled Cam. He really did drawl too. It was this
lazy, sexy sound that made her want to talk to him forever.
    “Hey, Sis. You remember Cam.” He handed Cam
one of the bottles, then straddled a