Oh gosh, what have I done?

Did I seriously just smash a cupcake in Cage Trevor's face?

Oh my gosh, I did!

I have never panicked like that ever. Not when Cage first kissed me, not when we slept together, not when I found out I was pregnant.

Never.

I'm sitting in the car park in front of the boys' elementary school. My head is resting on the steering wheel of my car and my eyes are squeezed shut. I hope he's gone by the time I get back. I don't even want to know what he has to say after what I just did.

I wonder if he liked the cupcake?

That's not the point Rory!

You smashed a cupcake in Cage Trevor's face.

Your children's father's face.

Oh, my gosh.

What is he doing back?

He didn't come back last year. What am I even going to say when he catches sight of the twins? I never told him that he got me pregnant. I didn't have his number at the time, but still, there were ways to get into contact with him, like getting his number from his best friend Xavier. Once again, the guilt of not telling him causes a sharp pain in my heart. I rub at it, hoping to soothe the ache.

How will he even react to finding out he's a father? That's if he doesn't already know, and that's why he showed up today.

He's not going to take me to court and fight me for full custody of them, right?

I feel an even sharper pain in my heart at even the mere thought of my boys being taken away from me. I wouldn't be able to survive without them. Kohl and Knox are my entire world. I would do anything for those boys. Besides, I'm the one that raised them. I'm the one that was up all through the night feeding them and rocking them back to sleep. I'm the one who witnessed the first time they crawled, walked, and their first day of school.

I sigh, knowing that my true fears aren't really from worrying that he's going to take the boys away from me. I'm worried that when he does find out, cause let's face it, he will since it's a small town. I'm worried he'll reject the boys when he finds out he's their father. I'm so scared about what that will do to them. I know the boys haven't mentioned their father or asked me anything about him, but that doesn't mean they aren't curious. I heard them talking one night, wondering who he was. It will crush them if their father wants nothing to do with them. Sometimes it's better not knowing than knowing. The boys aren't hurt now, and this has the potential to hurt them, and I can't stand that. I could never deal with it well when one of them got hurt. While others would see a simple scrape on their knee, I would see a crater that's pouring blood. Is it just because Knox and Kohl are my first children that it makes me overanalyze everything about them?

Or am I just an anxious parent?

I jump in my seat, startled when the back seat door goes flying open. Hearing one of my favorite sounds in the world, Kohl and Knox's laughter, I start to feel the tension in my shoulders and the pain in my heart leave instantly.

"Hey boys. How was school?" I ask them, turning around in my seat to look at them, standing by the door.

I catch them giving each other a should we ask Mom if we can look. I wait patiently for them to finish their silent debate and ask me.

"It was good, but we were wondering if Sam could hang out at the bakery with us?" Kohl finally speaks for the both of them, gives me pleading eyes, and gets in the car.

Sam is the boy's best friend. Over the years, they have spent numerous hours at each other's houses. Sam is a sweet kid, kind of shy at first until he gets to know you. From what I hear from their conversations is that he doesn't have many friends. I'm glad Knox and Kohl became friends with him. I can tell already that he's one of the good ones. I want my boys to have many more friends just like him because he's the type of friend you would want for the rest of your life. He's kind to everyone, respectful to adults, and if he notices you're sad, he tries to cheer you up.

"Is it okay with Sam's mother?"

"Yes, Miss Williams. We used the front desk phone and called her to ask." Sam steps out from behind Knox, who still hasn't gotten into the car.

Deciding I should call Amanda, Sam's mother, to double-check, I pull out my phone and click her number.

"Hey Rory, is everything okay?" Amanda answers on the second ring.

"Yes, I'm just calling to double-check if it was okay for Sam to come to the bakery."

"Oh yes, it's quite alright. He's been wanting to all week. You know how fall is his favorite time of the year because of your sweets!"

I laugh at her response.

"I'll send him home with extras from the bakery for you all. I'll let you get back to whatever you were doing. Bye Amanda," I hung up the phone after she said bye.

"Okay, double-checked. Your mom said it was alright, but make sure you all behave at the bakery. Don't need another cake fight, am I clear?" I give all three of the boys a stern, motherly look, one that lets them know how serious I am.

The last time they all hung out at the bakery, they started a cake fight. I don't even know how that happened, but Quinn said something about cake flying off a fork and landing on one of them by accident? Next thing you know, the boys are flinging their cake at each other. Let's just say some of the customers were not very happy. By some, I mean one. If you haven't guessed already, it was Mrs. Trevor. She asked to speak to the manager, which is Quinn, and she wanted me fired when she found out two of the boys were mine. One of them got some cake on her.

Not a big deal, right?

She made it an enormous deal.

Quinn, being the goofy friend she is, looked right at me with a fake glare and said you're fired, boss. Mrs. Trever was giving me a snooty look when Quinn said that, well, until the word boss registered in her head.

So imagine her surprise when she found out I owned the bakery. I swear she was so mad you could almost see steam coming out of her ears.

Made my day seeing her thunderstruck and angry expression when she found out I'm the owner.

After that, she gossiped all over town to whoever would bother to listen. Telling some unpleasant things about my bakery to anyone who would listen. Though, that didn't work well cause everyone knows everything I sell is good. So when that didn't work out, she went around saying I'm setting a bad example to other girls in high school since I got pregnant when I was barely even eighteen. Everywhere I went in town, people would point and whisper. Saying vicious things like I'm a whore and my parents better be ashamed of me. Which they're not. They have been nothing but supportive of my decisions.

Besides, why is it a bad thing that I stepped up and became a mother at such a young age? I gave up everything for my sons. I worked my ass off to make sure they had a roof over their head, food in their belly, and clothes on their back. I could have given them up or had an abortion, but I didn't. I did everything I could to give Knox and Kohl the best life I could.

I worked two jobs to provide for them and saved every cent I could. Some nights I didn't even eat cause that meant extra money being saved.

Yes, my parents could have helped me and they did, but not money-wise. I didn't want their money. I couldn't rely on them to financially support me. I needed to prove to myself and, yes, everyone else that I could do this. Was having two babies going to change my life? Yes, it was. Was I going to let it destroy my life? No, I wasn't. I think I did a damn good job raising two boys. It took a lot of work, but I saved enough to get my bakery and took out a loan to pay for everything else.

Being the only bakery in Rushmore, Montana has its perks. I was able to pay my loan off within two years.

"Yes ma'am," They all quickly get in the car and buckle up.

I put the car in drive before driving out of the school parking lot.

"Oh here. There were supposed to be two for each of you, Kohl and Knox, but uh... I dropped one, but this works out fine. You boys each get one. Try not to make a mess please." I grab the cupcake box and hand it to one of them without turning around.

The boys cheer with excitement when they see the cupcake box.

"Thank you, Mom."

"Thanks, Mom."

"Thanks, Miss Williams."

"You're welcome. Tell me what you think of them. It's a new recipe. They are salted caramel apple pie cupcakes." I say, glancing in the rearview mirror and seeing them chow down on the cupcakes.

"These are good, Mom, but maybe add a little less salt next time. Oh and you should make your toasted pecan pumpkin pie into a cupcake too," Knox says.

"You think it needs less salt?"

"Yeah, because the caramel you used is on the salty side. Here, try it." Knox reaches forward and hands me his cupcake. I take a small bite, then hand it back to him.

Hmm, he's right, it is a little on the salty side. I file that information away so I can tweak the recipe later.

"Oh, I agree, your toasted pecan pumpkin pie is super good. Would be a good cupcake." Sam takes a bite of his cupcake, getting frosting on his upper lip.

"I want a s'mores cupcake." Kohl pipes in as well.

"Okay. How about this? You help me make those when we get home but you have to be good while at the bakery."

The boys nod in agreement.

I love it when my boys give me pastry suggestions. They give me inspiration for new desserts every day, they are the reason my bakery is so successful. They believe in me, they believe in my creations and there is no better feeling in the world than that.

Thoughts of Cage drift to the back of my mind as the boys continue to talk about what would be good cupcake flavors.

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