Total pages in book: 137
Estimated words: 131271 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 656(@200wpm)___ 525(@250wpm)___ 438(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 131271 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 656(@200wpm)___ 525(@250wpm)___ 438(@300wpm)
Shawn raises his glass, his grin mischievous but genuine. “To Hayes hanging up his gloves. Let’s hope his retirement speech isn’t as boring as his usual pep talks.”
“Shut up, Shawn,” Hayes says, but he’s smiling, too.
“And what about you?” Dad asks Shawn.
Shawn’s grin widens, his confidence as unshakable as ever. “Still planning to go pro. Someone’s gotta carry the Drayton legacy, right?”
Jacob and Hayes exchange glances, and rather than scorn or bitterness, I see nothing but pride in their eyes. And relief.
“We’ll be behind you all the way,” Jacob says.
“Even when you inevitably trip over your giant head during warm-ups,” Hayes adds, earning a round of laughter.
“It sounds like you boys have your plans sorted,” Dad says, his voice steady with pride that Jacob, Shawn, and Hayes all pick up on. “You all have your heads on right, that’s for sure. And if there’s ever anything you need, advice or just to talk something through, you know where I am.”
I reach out to take his hand, so grateful that I’ve been lucky enough to have the kind of father who’d step in to fill the gap in my partners’ lives, and he winks in the way he always did when I was a kid.
***
After dinner, we settle into the living room, the mood lighter but still reflective. I watch my men as they stretch out in front of the TV to watch a football game with my dad, and it’s so deeply right that I have to look away and blink a few times, so I don’t turn into a blubbering wreck.
When I’ve composed myself, I settle next to Jacob, and he immediately puts his arm around my shoulders, pulling me close and resting his lips against the top of my head. “I think it’s time you come clean about who you really are,” he says, heating my scalp with his breath.
I pull back and twist to look up at him, catching the slight grin drawing up the corners of his full lips. “What?”
“Icing the Cake,” he says with a smirk. “When are you going to reveal yourself?”
“What?” my dad says, looking between us.
I cringe, but Jacob squeezes my hand. “It’s time, Riles. Own it. If anyone can spin this into something good, it’s you.”
Dad’s watching, his expression open.
“You know that channel Icing the Cake?”
He nods. “The one with the lewd cakes?”
I grimace but nod. “It’s me.”
“You?”
“Uh huh.”
“It’s her,” Hayes confirms, his tone amused. “The mystery host who’s been keeping hockey gossip alive. We think it’s time she showed her pretty face.”
“I don’t know…”
“We’ll be there,” Shawn says. “If you want to go public, we’ve got your back.”
“And if you don’t?” Hayes adds. “We’ll still have your back.”
I glance at my dad, who gives me a small nod, his eyes full of quiet pride. “You’re seriously that baker who makes all those phallic-shaped cakes?”
“You’ve been eating those phallic-shaped cakes for over a year,” I laugh. “I just chopped them into less phallic-looking shapes before serving them.”
Dad shakes his head and barks with laughter. “Well. What do you know? You got any other secrets you want to drop on me, kiddo? No other secret identities or boyfriends waiting in the wings?”
“Definitely no other boyfriends,” Jacob growls. “Secret identities, we’re not so sure.”
“I’m an open book,” I say. “Now, at least. You don’t think the channel will be detrimental to what I want to do in the future?”
“No way,” Shawn says. “You’re making a success of something original and funny. Any employer who can’t see that isn’t one you’d be happy working for.”
“Shawn’s right,” Dad says. “You should be proud of what you’ve achieved.” He looks down at his phone and shakes his head. “Half a million followers, Riles. That’s impressive.”
I blush as all the men in my life, who I love, smile, proud of my success. I don’t have to hide this part of me anymore, and knowing that is so freeing, I can achieve anything. “It’s time,” I say, smiling, already thinking through what my big reveal could be like.
“And you guys are going to help me.”
EPISODE 268
ICING THE CAKE - THE HOCKEY CHANNEL WITH A SWEET BITE
[The host steps into frame, face uncovered for the first time, and sets a rolling pin down with a loud thud.]
Riley (smiling):
“Surprise! I’m Riley, and I am the face behind Icing the Cake. That’s right.. the mystery baker, the snarky hockey commentator, and the girl who’s spent way too much time icing inappropriate cakes. You finally know who I am. And for those of you who assumed I was some 40-year-old dude in his mom’s basement… sorry to disappoint!”
[She leans on the counter, smirking, wearing a slinky pink dress which shows off her crazy curves.]
Riley:
“To celebrate this epic unmasking of my secret identity, I’ve invited some special guests. Three players from our favorite hockey team, the Eastern U Icebreakers. Let’s see if their skill on the ice translates to the kitchen. Spoiler alert: it doesn’t!”