I'm Still Here

Icing and Yelling

Susanna's POV

Late January 2014

I tapped my foot along with the song on the radio focusing on icing a cake to be stored in the freezer for next weekend. I had come in today to help Stephanie knowing it would be busy with the baseball tournament at Jefferson this weekend. Mama was of course front and center keeping the book for Daddy and ear tugging a freshman or two. Steph was manning the front while I got some work done back here. Brantley had been at the field watching the games with Kolby and was supposed to pick me up when we closed.

Things had been going good between us the last few months. Him surprising me with a trip out of town around New Year's had shocked me honestly. Then once realizing it was to New Orleans, the party capital of the south, well I had frowned. Not that I wasn't grateful for the gesture, just had seemed like a lot of thought not considered. But Brantley had steadily proved me wrong because I fell in love with the food in general. It may not be Paris but the thought that I would enjoy a place like that considering my profession and love of cooking made my heart melt. Like he had told me walking through the French Quarter, it may not be France because he knew how much I wanted to go, it was the best he could do on the spur of the moment.

Arms slid around my waist as lips trailed along the side of my neck making me shiver. My hand holding the icing bag shook when teeth grazed my ear. I closed my eyes feeling my breathing pick up.

"Think you can focus under pressure baby?" Brantley teased in my ear making me groan. He slid his hands under my apron toying with the waist of my jeans making me growl at him. He laughed backing away holding his hands up. "Yes mam. I will stop. Know I will be banned from cookies if I don't."

"Damn right mister," I grinned standing on my tip toes to kiss him. He turned leaning against the counter near me watching. "Let me finish this then I will be done for the day. Trying to get a head start while I can so I can spend time with you tomorrow. Know you have to leave again Monday."

"About that," Brantley said turning one of his biker rings around on his finger looking down at his boots. I stopped what I was doing to look at him as he met my eyes. "Why don't you go with me?"

"Yea okay.." I drawled rolling my eyes resuming my task. I heard a low growl making my eyes widen. "What, you are serious aren't you?"

"Umm... yes," he grumbled crossing his arms over his chest. I swore he was about to pout. I know there were thousands of fan girls that would drop what they were doing for that, but I had a business to run. "Let me show you around Nashville. You would have a blast baby. My year is just going to get busier."

"So is mine B," I sighed hating this. But we both had demands on our time. "I will be literally running around like a chicken with my head cut off from now until July. Valentine's is coming up. Then it's Easter, and dear lord at the weddings between now and then. I had an investor stop by the other day mentioning wanting to help me expand to Athens. Do you realize what that would mean for me? Stephanie and I are seriously looking into this. As much as I would love to go traipsing all over the country with you I can't always do it."

"A wedding cake is a wedding cake darlin," Brantley sighed making my eyes narrow at him. Ummm..not always at least to some people. He shuffled his feet starting to pace around my kitchen. I wasn't stupid man got itchy feet mentioning commitment. Why even though I know we were together the words boyfriend and girlfriend were rarely used. I had even made the comment to Sadie the other day that pretty sure him getting back on the road, promoting an album, and all the commitments I had were probably about to test us. "Why do people even wanna get married anyhow? Too many times it doesn't work out. Then what all you have is pictures you don't want. Overpaid for a dress and a cake. Nah, doesn't make sense."