Tiny's Sweet Obsession

70: Ready or Not

Lily POV

"Three...two...one!"

Tiger cut the ribbon, signaling the grand opening of the coffee shop, and cheers erupted around us. Everyone in town gathered to support Tiger and her new adventure, including The Phoenix Riders.

Looking out in the crowd, staging heads above the others, stood Luke. My boyfriend. His name and title is still something I am getting used to. But it has already been heads and shoulders better than the relationship with my ex and the best two and a half weeks of my life.

As Tiger welcomed guests, mostly our Phoenix Rider family, Kayla, Ginger, and I took our spots behind the counter, took a deep breath, and let the chaos I love begin. The first customer was Ace, as expected, then Blade, Whiskey, and finally, Tiny.

I stood behind Ginger as Tiny placed his order and I waited to hear what bakery items he wanted, even though he was my taste tester over the last few weeks. Tiny's voice pulled me from my thoughts. "... and I'll take four of whatever my Sunshine picks," he mused, winking at me.

Laughing, I shook my head and turned to the large bakery case, plated a slice of Kentucky bourbon cake, a fudgy brownie, a mini key lime pie, and my favorite, a warm chocolate chunk cookie. Grabbing the tray, I placed the plates on the table where Tiny and the others sat and before I could walk away, Tiny pulled me onto his lap and I squealed.

"Tiny!" I swatted his chest, but he gently grabbed my hands and held them against his chest and he kissed me as though no one was watching. His tongue moved against mine, sucking the air from my lungs, and I pulled away, breathless and blushing.

"Sit and share these with me," he whispered, pushing loose hair behind my ear.

I looked over to the never-ending line that went out the door and felt guilty for sitting while the others worked. "Maybe once the line dies down, but I can't let Tiger and the others down on the first day," I argued, and Tiny kissed my cheek before I returned behind the counter.

Over the next few hours, I had to restock the bakery case twice and heard countless compliments about the coffee, paintings, and bakery items. Every time a customer asked who made the baked goods, I wanted to shrink into the corner, worried I had done something wrong. But they spent the next two minutes praising the food and asking for the recipe to which Tiger always said, "If she gave that out, we would be out of business!"

I tried my best to spend any downtime in the kitchen, prepping what I could for tomorrow after seeing how quickly we could sell out of items. I prepped cookies, 24-hour brownie batter, and the crusts for several pies. Just as I finished separating the eggs, a tall figure appeared in the doorway.

Tiny stared at me, smiling his contagious smile. "Ready for that break yet?" he asked, sneaking a spoon into the frosting that was whipping in the stand-mixer.

"Hey!" I exclaimed, swatting his hand away, but it was useless. "I would, but I think I'm going to need to prep a lot more than I originally thought for tomorrow," I sighed, turning off the mixer.

"Take a break," Tiger said from the doorway, scaring the shit out of me. "Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you. But it died down out there and I recruited Gears and Shotgun to help since Kayla went home." I nodded and finished putting away what I was working on, removed my apron, and heard a deep, familiar voice.

I opened the swinging kitchen door and bounded for him. "Pops!"

"There she is!" he exclaimed, opening his arms for a big bear hug, and I welcomed it.

"What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be at the diner? Wait," I said, looking around, seeing Nathan, Hope, and even Emily. "If you're all here, then who's running the diner?"

Nathan laughed and spoke up. "Pops may have shut down the diner for an hour."

Shocked, I looked at Pops, who shrugged. "I'm not about to miss the grand opening of the best owner and baker in town," he laughed, handing Tiger a hundred-dollar bill. She tried to give him change, but as suspected, he refused and put it in the tip jar.

We all sat with the others and Tiny held up a bite of key lime pie on his fork for me, which I embarrassingly took. Perfect. The right balance of sweetness and tartness and a solid crust that gave some texture. Tiny squeezed my side, and we fell into an easy conversation with the occasional bite of cake, pie, or cookie.

An hour later, we finished cleaning and closed up the shop and looked up at the sign above the door. The Rising Tide Roastery. The perfect mix of Tiger's passion for the ocean and love for her Phoenix Rider's family. We all said goodnight, and I watched the guys hop on their bikes, Tiger hop on the back of Ace's bike, and Ginger head to the SUV, where they all drove off to their prospective homes.

Looking around, Tiny stood leaning against his bike, helmet in hand, as though he just stepped out of a photoshoot and I could feel my knees betray me. Taking a deep breath, I made my way over and Tiny wrapped me in his arms, and I instantly relaxed, breathing him in. Normally, the smell of motor oil and the garage, but today he smelled like sugar and vanilla.

Tiny's chest rumbled as he laughed. "What's so funny?" I mumbled into his chest.

He pulled away slightly and smiled at me. "Whenever I come back from work. you scrunch your nose, hating the smell of the garage, but not today! Today I smell like you and I fucking love it," he laughed.

Embarrassed, I pulled away, but Tiny held on tighter and gently tilted my chin up, my eyes meeting his, and gently kissed me. "Come on Sunshine," he said between kisses. "I have a surprise for you."

"What is it?" I asked, nervously.

"Well, if I told you then it wouldn't be a surprise now would it!" he exclaimed, putting the helmet on me and climbing onto his bike.

Taking a breath, I swung my leg over the seat, wrapped my arms around his waist, and settled in. Riding with Tiny has become my new favorite pastime, after baking. It allows me to let everything go and enjoy the present.

"Are you ready?" Tiny asked.

Always.