The Vampire's Pastry Chef (ONC 2022)

18 - How to Tell Your Daughter You're Dating a Vampire

"Hey, Mom, aren't we supposed to be leaving? —Oh, shit!"

Autumn jolted upright, forgetting she was naked.

"Jesus, Mom!" Jordyn bolted from the room, leaving the door ajar.

Grabbing sheets, Autumn gathered them around her upper body. Next to her, Corbin stirred. At least he was covered, she reasoned, trying to control her heartbeat. "Go downstairs!" she called out to her daughter. "I'll meet you there shortly."

"Suuurrre," her daughter called back, laughing. "Oh, man, why are there clothes down here? What the hell were you two doing while I was sleeping?"

Autumn face-palmed and shook her head. "Bring those up and leave them outside the door." She glanced at Corbin, who regarded her with one eye open. "Why are you smirking?" Autumn demanded, folding her arms across her chest.

"You two have an interesting dynamic," he replied, rising up on one muscled forearm to kiss her cheek.

Autumn snorted and rolled her eyes, lips twitching in a smile. "You weren't here for the years between the terrible two's and fourteen."

"Here's the clothes, you weirdos!" Autumn heard Jordyn drop Corbin's clothes by the door; her bare feet retreated and she ran down the stairs.

"And that is what you have to look forward to," Autumn continued, pointing at the door.

"I relish the opportunity," Corbin replied, pulling back the covers and getting out of bed. He walked to the door, staying as close to the wall as possible and giving Autumn a very good view of his assets in the sunlight.

Sweet baby Jesus, she sighed appreciatively, cupping her chin with one hand.

Reaching around the frame, Corbin snagged the clothes Mr Feldman had left for him and closed the door. Pivoting, he noticed Autumn staring at him; standing up, Corbin spread his arms out wide. "Yes?"

"Stop it! Stop it!" she exclaimed, laughing and blushing. "You are horrible."

"No, I'm boring."

"No!" Autumn dissolved into giggles, stuffing the sheets up to her face as her shoulders shook.

Grinning, Corbin wandered to the bathroom. "Well, unless you want to give your daughter any more ammunition, I suggest we get changed and go downstairs."

"Believe me, she's already locked and loaded."

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Jordyn was waiting for them at the kitchen island. "Only ten minutes?" She winked.

Autumn wandered around to the other side of the island and fixed her daughter with a look. "Let's dial it back a bit, okay?"

Jordyn blinked and her high energy appeared to drop before Autumn's eyes. "Gotcha." She turned to Corbin, who slid into a seat next to her. "So, are you two officially a couple now or what?"

Autumn laid plates out on the countertop and caught Corbin's eye. "Yes."

He shifted on the chair and ran a hand through his damp hair, smiling.

"Cool." Jordyn cocked her head. "Not that I need the dirty details—but how'd you manage to convince Mom?"

"I saved her from an evil vampire."

Well, that's not how she would choose to begin the conversation, but it was Corbin's secret to tell. Autumn watched her daughter out of the corner of her eye as she prepared breakfast. Jordyn's mouth opened, closed, then opened again. She raised a finger, then put her hand down. "Is that some new adult code I'm not aware of?"

"No, he's serious," Autumn told her, pulling out all the ingredients for French toast.

"Mom." Jordyn slapped the countertop. "You were not attacked by an evil vampire last night, were you?"

"I was."

"Are you two high or something?"

At that, Autumn had to laugh. "I wish that were the case." That would explain so much.

"Wait a moment." Jordyn's finger lifted again. "All those blood cupcakes and stuff ..." She turned to Corbin. "Are you a vampire?"

She was almost daring him to confirm it. Autumn hoped telling her the truth was a good idea.

"Yes."

"Prove it."

Just as Autumn was wondering how Corbin could pull that off without turning into Freddy Krueger again, he surprised her. Facing Jordyn squarely, Corbin opened his mouth—and his canines grew two inches.

"Holy shit!" the kid exclaimed, jerking backward.

Corbin's canines retreated and he closed his mouth. "Here's the thing, Jordyn," he began softly, "what I just showed you cannot be talked about—ever. Not to your best friends, not to your gaming community, no one. You can't even write about it in a diary. By revealing myself not only to your mother but to you, I am putting an entire world in jeopardy."

Jordyn stared at him with wide brown eyes, slightly pale. "You're serious," she breathed. "You're a goddamn vampire."

"Yes."

"And ... say I mess up. Just saying," Jordyn clarified, throwing her hands up. "What happens then?"

Yes, what happens then? Autumn watched Corbin carefully.

He sighed. "The masters will wipe your memories. All of this—and me—will be gone."

Shit. Autumn stared at him. He did not mention the mind-wipe. Behind her, the French toast began to burn. Spinning around, she quickly flipped them.

Jordyn looked at her mother, then at Corbin. "You do know that you just dropped this massive truth on a teenage girl with a Twitch channel, right?"

"I know," he told her calmly. "But I trust that you are mature enough to be discreet."

"Wow. That's a lot of pressure." Jordyn ran her hands through her massive Afro of bed-mussed curls. "Can I never say the word 'vampire'? Like, ever?"

"As long as you're not providing the world with proof," Corbin said, reaching out and tapping her phone, "or running around broadly hinting about what I am."

Jordyn looked over at her mother. "The first guy I've ever seen you interested in and he just so happens to be a vampire. Go big or go home, Mom." She shook her head in disbelief. "You're lucky I like you," she told Corbin.

He winked.

There were going to be a lot of adjustments, Autumn realized as she pulled the first pieces of French toast from the flat-bottomed pan and set them on plates. But, she was used to sacrifices. What was one more?

"So, tell me about this vampire attack," Jordyn began.

Lips twitching, Autumn went back to preparing breakfast. It was the beginning of a new normal and she was actually looking forward to it.