CHAPTER 10

“Where are the kids? Aren’t they back from school yet?” Albert slightly panicked when Monica and Chad didn’t greet him as they always did when he came to see them. “Are they busy with homework? Are they angry with me? Not that I don’t deserve it, for being such a terrible father.” His voice became heavy with sadness when he spoke the last part.

“Will you stop?” Brei-Ayn shook her head, a smile tugging at the corners of her lips. “They’re at Carson’s, they will be back in about half an hour.” She gently took the man’s wrist and guided him inside. “To be honest, I’m glad they are not here, because I want us to have a small chat.”

“Chat? About what?” Albert asked, swallowing hard a few times, while his heart rate spiked. His sister-in-law’s words sounded ominous, and a few dark scenarios ran through his mind as he followed her into the kitchen. “Did you change your mind about the kids living with me?” He plopped down on a chair.

Brei-Ayn shook her head again. “That fucker really messed with your mind, didn’t he? It’s like you are running and looking over your shoulder all the time.” She paused a bit, staring straight ahead, then started to talk again, carefully choosing her words. “When you told me about your intention to open a bakery at The Base, you got me seriously thinking about the future.”

“Oh, my, I poked the sleeping dragon!” Albert tried a joke to hide his nervousness. “Will you please go more into details? I’m all ears.”

“Well, things at work aren’t so great lately; too many new faces, a new boss, new mentality, which is not compatible with my work ethic… long story short, the fire, the passion I had for this job has almost vanished.” Brei-Ayn let out a long, heavy sigh before continuing. “The only reason I didn’t quit was the lack of options, but now… I think you could use some help with the bakery.”

“Does this mean what I think it does?” Albert’s voice was a mix of joy, excitement, and disbelief. “Do you want to become my associate at the bakery? Because if that’s a yes, nothing would make me happier.”

“Associate, employee, whatever, as long as I’m of help.” Brei-Ayn gave her brother-in-law a warm smile. “I spent last night recalling how much fun all of us had when you owned the first bakery and cake shop. That was the happiest time of our lives.” The woman’s voice was tinged with melancholy when she spoke the last part.

Albert left the chair and took Brei-Ayn’s hands in his. “I’m sure neither Clay, nor Mike wanted us to be sad when remembering the good times, and I also know right now they’re smiling down on us, cheering at your decision. As for me, I don’t have words to express my gratitude for everything you did, and still do, for me and the kids.”

Brei-Ayn brought her brother-in-law closer, slipped her hands from his and hugged him. “Anytime, kid. You know I love you and the little ones and I would do anything for you.”

“Hey, who are you calling kid, Auntie Bree? And if this one is a kid, what am I, a baby?” Chad spoke from the kitchen’s doorway, a grin stretching his mouth from ear to ear. “Dad, I missed you,” the boy breathed, throwing himself in Albert’s arms.

Monica came next to her father, too, giving him a warm hug. “Did that Elias guy give you a house? Are we going to live with you from now on? Is that horrible man Rick going to live there, too?”

The little girl’s direct questions made the two adults laugh. “His name is Mister Bloom,or boss Elias, and yes, he gave me a house. It’s completely furnished, so, if you like it, we can move in there today.” Albert inhaled sharply. “Rick won’t be a part of our life anymore, he proved unworthy of my love and trust.” He looked between the two children, and then lowered his gaze, guilt and shame washing over him. “One day, I hope you’ll find in your heart the power to forgive me for choosing an illusion over you.”

“Don’t beat yourself up over it, Dad.” Chad spoke in an affectionate voice, filled with warmth and understanding. “We were a bit upset when you told us about that guy, but then Auntie Bree explained to us that you needed someone who could help you with things, and we were happy for you. In all honesty, we would have liked to have a second father figure in our life.”

Monica approved her brother’s words with a nod. “Chad is right, Dad, we want you to be happy, because you were sad for such a long time after Father died.” She swallowed hard before continuing. “So, if a kind, nice, handsome guy shows up in your life, and he really, really likes you and you like him back, you have our blessing. He has to love children, though.”

“You got a deal.” Albert extended a hand in his daughter’s direction, and the girl shook it vigorously. “I don’t plan to enter into another relationship anytime soon, but, if I cross paths with the right guy, I promise to bring him home for you both to know him, the old-fashioned way.”

Arms folded under his head, a smile of contentment on his face, Albert lay in bed, in the master bedroom of the house he rented at The Base, taking a walk down memory lane. Two and a half months passed since the talk between him, his children, and Brei-Ayn at the woman’s house, and things couldn’t get any better for all of them.

The short period was a very eventful one, but in the best of ways. The bakery, in spite of being opened only a little more than a month earlier, became very popular, and the owner already considered opening a second location after the grand autumn fair organized at The Base for the past ten years.

There were less than two weeks until then, but Albert had everything under control, or at least that’s what he hoped. At Brian’s and Leon’s recommendations, the man hired three kids from the sanctuary, two boys and a girl, who became of age and were taking bakery classes, just like he did back when he was their age.

The girl, Stacy, was great with all things cakes, from baking to preparing the fillings and decorating the final products, while the boys, Billy-Bob and Steve, aced with pies, cinnamon rolls, cookies, croissants, and biscuits. All three of them were also experts in making donuts, muffins, and all kinds of pastries.

Hiring the three of them was one of Albert’s most inspired business decisions, because they were not only very dedicated and efficient, but also very creative. With their boss’s blessing, they experimented with different ingredients, which resulted in combinations of textures and aromas winning a lot of people over, who recommended the place and products to their family and friends.

For bread, bagels, and pretzels, Albert hired Patricia Nelson, a blond, long-haired, very nice lady, who, to his pleasant surprise, worked as a baker all her life. After her husband passed, she moved in with her daughter and son-in-law, but none of them cared about her, so she moved to The Base, where she helped with whatever and whenever she could.

Albert was not the only one who thrived since he settled at The Base; Monica and Chad adjusted surprisingly quickly to the life there, and, after only a few days, made a lot of friends at school, at the sanctuary, and in the neighborhood. To make things even better, both of them liked all their teachers and classmates. It was a huge difference compared with their previous school, where they were looked down upon by many for coming from a same-sex family.

Just like she told Albert that morning, at her house, Brei-Ayn resigned from the police department, put her house up for sale, and moved in with him and the kids until a buyer who could offer the price she asked for it would show up. At first, she stayed at home, helping her brother-in-law, who spent most of the day at the bakery, with unpacking and putting each thing where it belongs.

Brei-Ayn’s presence was a blessing in disguise for Albert, who secretly hoped she’d stay with him and the kids. On the other hand, however, he understood she needed her own place, especially since some of the guards at The Base and other employees from the sanctuary, started to express their interest in her in more or less subtle ways.

Some of those men noticed Brei-Ayn from the very first day she set foot at The Base, while others started to flirt with her since she teamed up with Bianca and Martha Bloom, becoming a supervisor of the kids attending the arts and crafts classes. The job fit like a glove, because it allowed her to combine the passion for decorating cakes with the great affection she had for children of all ages.

Brei-Ayn’s most persistent suitor even confessed to her that he was attracted mainly by how she behaved around children, her warmth and availability of offering those poor souls the motherly love they were so cruelly deprived of. The guy, the only one of the many men who courted her that she seriously considered dating, was none other than Wheeler, the guard who didn’t want to let Albert into The Base when he first came to the sanctuary, almost three months earlier.

To say Brei-Ayn was furious when her brother-in-law told her that little, apparently insignificant detail was the understatement of the century. For a while, she totally ignored him, but, after seeing him with the victims of abuse, children and adults alike, her opinion of him changed and she decided to give him a chance. The fact that Wheeler got Chad’s and Monica’s seal of approval also helped his cause a great deal.

At this point, Albert let out a long sigh and shook his head, an amused smile playing on his lips. Wheeler was not the only guard at The Base his children thought was cool; Lawrence also had that honor. It was no wonder, the guy had something really special about him that made even the most distrustful victims of domestic violence and sex trafficking seek comfort from him.

Everyone, except Albert. Whenever he was ready to give up and let himself be wrapped in those big, strong arms, while he cried his soul out, Rick’s face, with the hateful, sarcastic, cold expression he knew too well appeared before his eyes. Just like his abusive ex, Lawrence was a biker, and he didn’t want to put his heart on the line again, only to be crushed to even smaller pieces.

Using all kinds of arguments, Brian tried to convince Albert that the one he called his closest friend at The Base was as different from Rick as Bart was from Cole. To that, the baker always replied that his ex and Lawrence were both bikers, living by the same codes, which valued the display of violence and toxic masculinity. Acting differently equaled being excluded from the gang, or marginalized at best, and none of the two wanted that.

The last time the two of them had that talk, Brian huffed a laugh, raised his hands in surrender, and called Albert the most stubborn man alive, way more stubborn than he was. Three weeks passed from that day, and, although they met and talked almost every day, the librarian didn’t bring the subject up, much to the baker’s relief.

Albert sighed again, remembering the promise he made to Brian to let him and the other people at The Base help him get over the trauma the years of abuse caused him. With Brei-Ayn, Miss Pat, Elias, Bianca, and Martha on his side, the baker kept his promise, or at least that’s how he saw things, but he knew the librarian didn’t think the same; for some reason, he wanted Lawrence included in his childhood friend’s support network.