She Who Found a New Friend

"I am Lugh, King of Tuatha Dé Danann, and you, Julie, are my Queen."

His last words last night were being played on a loop inside my head. I mean, yeah, I kinda understand that he was a god. But me, his queen? Somehow, his mind must have been scrambled in the past millennia. I am no queen, that was something that I was sure of.

But the way I was stabbing the chocolate mint cake in front of me, was making Riley nervous. I sigh. I should not be killing this masterpiece that was on my dessert plate. Man, she knows how to bake.

The buttercream she used for the mint part was not that overpowering. It was just the right amount of mint that in every bite, it was like eating Mentos, albeit less sweet. The dark chocolate ganache she used had this bitter bite that made the two flavors blend together. And the cake was moist and fluffy. Each forkful was an explosion of chocolaty minty goodness.

Yet here I am stabbing it like it was Duncan's face.

I was not mad, I was confused. Me being confused led me to Riley's Confectionery. I was not in the mood to see the man. No…he was not a man. He was a god. I was not in the mood to see the god that had my inside twisted since the first day we met.

I looked around the shop. I smiled when I took a deep breath and categorized all the scent that was making my stomach rumble in hunger. The place did not just smell amazing, it was also beautifully decorated.

It was no surprise that her shop was a good place to relax and fill your tummy with something divine. There were only five mini tables inside the shop, the rest were outback. There was also a mini playground, where my children and I think it was safe to assume Riley's kids were playing.

I smiled when one of the twins ~ yes, twins~ helped Nicole on the slide. I may not be able to hear them, but from the way they looked, I was sure that they were having fun.

It was rare to see my kids play with children their age. Most of the time, they would play with the teens that visited the woods. They also enjoyed being with my kids, but what was happening outside made me warm inside.

"Here," a quiet voice suddenly said, followed by a big plate of rolled lasagna.

I look up to find Riley serving me. Our eyes met, and for that moment, I knew that this woman had been in the same pain as I have.

I smiled and said, "Thank you, but I…" my stomach grumble when I inhaled the smell of freshly made marinara, béchamel, and, "is this homemade cheese?" I asked.

Riley gave a shy nod. I picked up the fork that came with the dish and sliced it. Wow. This was one generous slice of lasagna.

There were like, five layers of homemade pasta. In each layer was a combination of ground meat, béchamel, and cheese. My mouth was watering, and knowing my love for food; I gave in and took a bite of it.

I could not help but close my eyes and moan. It was heaven. The way each flavor complimented the other balances the sour taste of the tomatoes that were used. The hint of herbs gave it an earthy flavor and the sharpness of the homemade cheese gave enough saltiness.

"Good?" Riley asked.

"Good? This is beyond good. This is amazing!" I told her.

I saw her face light up, with a simple compliment. I took another bite and nodded. She sighed in relief and sat in the empty chair in front of me. Weariness was written all over her face. Like she was prepared that people would tell her something bad.

"I'm glad you liked it. It looked like you needed to eat something other than that mangled cake." She said, there was a shy smile on her face that made me groan and hide my face in embarrassment.

"I'm sorry, about the cake," I said sheepishly and looked at the said dessert. I felt bad about it, and was about to say something, but stopped when I saw her looking outside.

Curiosity made me look when her eyes were, only to curse. It was Duncan, and the damn man was acting like a monkey bar for Nicole. Fall was lying on the ground with the boys rubbing his belly.

Both dog and master looked so at home with kids around them. I wanted to stay mad at him, yet I can't.

"He, the man who bought all the cakes one time," Riley began, "more than likes you right?"

I was taken aback. I had to blink several times to fully understand what she said, "What?"

"That man," she tilted her head to indicate where Duncan was. "He doesn't just like you. He wants something more from you." Riley slowly swung her head to look back and me and gave me a level stare. "Am I right?"

Rather than answering her, I ate the food she gave me. What can I possibly say? I cannot tell her who he was. She might think that I am a lunatic. At the same time, I wanted to tell her what was happening.

Yet I cannot. This was something that was hard to understand.

I felt her stand up only to put a glass of water on the table. I was expecting she would leave, but she didn't.

She came back with half a tray of lasagna and a plate of her own. She put a roll on her plate and left the serving fork on the side.

"You can have some more," she said, "I made chicken tenders for the kids. And rice, your daughter had my sons eating rice. Food that they don't usually eat." She looked at me with a twinkle of happiness in her eyes when she added, "They are gaining weight quickly. I…thank you," Riley reached out and squeezed my hand.

"Nicole has that kind of effect I'm afraid," I replied. I looked at my little girl who was now in Duncan's arms. She was almost nine years old yet, around Duncan, she acted like a four-year-old child.

"He looks like a good man, Julie," Riley stated.

"Looks can be deceiving…" I groaned, the cynical me was showing again. This was not a good sign.

"I know, but, look at him. If those kids are drawn to him, there must be kindness in him, right?" There was something in her voice that I took note of. Whoever had hurt this person would pay.

"Maybe there is. But, I would rather make sure that my heart would not be hurt once more. I have enough for this lifetime," I quietly said.

Duncan looked in our direction as if he knew that we were talking about him. He tilted his head in Riley's direction, while his eyes were on me.

Somehow, in that time, our fate had been sealed.

And from the way he looked at me, there was nothing I could do to stop it.