A very special guest star this chapter! Let me know if you figure out who it is :)

Also, doing everything in my power to hold back from posting two chapters today. But this story just hit 2k. So, how can I not?

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Tatum expected a lot out of her situation with Brady.

Frustration.

Arguments.

A lack of progress.

But she didn't expect to be grateful for him.

Tatum never thought he would care enough about her to do this. To save her on her date from hell. To try and cheer her up. And his latest move? Paying for the entire meal so that she wouldn't have to.

She didn't expect any of this from him.

Brady had refused to eat the risotto that Nick ordered, claiming that it wasn't "real food". Tatum insisted they split her own, which was just a turkey club. He allowed her to give him half, accepting some of the fries too. The conversation was surprisingly enjoyable. She was pretty sure that Brady was being especially kind to her considering what dealt with earlier.

But the half-sized portion wasn't exactly filling either of them. Brady insisted they get dessert elsewhere, claiming to know a specific spot that he frequented. He settled the check and they headed out. Brady stepped in front of her briefly to hold the door open for her. Tatum tried to hide her surprise as she stepped through the door, giving him a small smile as thanks.

"I know it's around this area," Brady muttered to himself, glancing at store fronts with knitted eyebrows.

Tatum wasn't so sure. It was fairly late by this point in the night. She wasn't certain how late bakeries stayed open. But it was the city, so there was a chance. She glanced at a couple of bakeries they passed. "What if we just went to one of these? I mean, a cupcake's a cupcake, right?"

"Wait, I think it's just up here," Brady swore, ushering her down an alleyway. "Best doughnut I've ever had, seriously."

"Okay," Tatum said with a drawl, allowing him to drag her with him.

The bakery looked closed, much to both of their dismay. It was a glass store front with various fake flowers outlining the unit. There was a large 'open' sign on the front of it; however, it was turned off. A girl in a light purple apron was exiting through the door, her dark curly hair wound tightly on top of her head in a bun. Keys jangled in her hand as she sorted through them. Her light brown skin was covered in flour and frosting. The two of them hurried to the bakery, hoping to catch the girl before she left.

"Hey, you still open?" Brady asked the girl who was already out the door.

She gave him a quizzical look, smirking slightly as if amused. "Do we look still open?"

"Well... no," Brady conceded after a beat and the girl laughed.

She stared at them both for a moment carefully, her eyes flickering back and forth between them. "What are your names?"

Tatum spoke up, saying, "I'm Tatum. That's Brady."

Her eyebrows flicked up. "Wait, Brady Parker?"

Brady narrowed his eyes. "Maybe. Who's asking?"

"My family watches your games," the girl added assuringly. "And my brothers would kill me if I didn't let you in."

"So..." Tatum trailed off hopefully, giving her an innocent smile.

"You get five minutes," the woman decided, propping the door open with her hip and nodding inside.

"You serious?" Brady asked and Tatum swatted his arm.

"Yes, before I change my mind."

The two hurriedly followed her in as she swept back inside. The girl switched on a light, highlighting a few of the baked goods that they had left from the day. There weren't too many options left, but Tatum was thrilled to have any of them. Tatum glanced around. It was beautiful inside. It was colorful and welcoming. The walls were a light purple, flowers and plants everywhere she looked. There were several cases for various baked goods, one specifically dedicated to doughnuts which seemed to be her specialty.

"Do you own this place?" Tatum asked curiously, glancing around at the beautifully setup bakery.

"Mhm," she confirmed as she made her way around the counter. Tatum started to recognize where they were. She had seen some people post on social media about this place.

"Do you have that doughnut that's named after someone?" Tatum asked the baker, eyes scanning the menu. "I can't remember what it's called, the—"

"I know which one you're asking for," the girl cut-off with a gentle laugh, reaching into the glass case and pulling for the chocolate glazed baked doughnut. "It's my most popular doughnut."

"For damn good reason," Brady added. "I'll have the same."

The baker packaged the doughnuts into a small bag. Brady reached into his wallet to pull out some cash, but was stopped short when she held up one of her hands. With the other, she held out the bag holding the doughnuts. She denied his money, kindly saying, "It's on me."

"What? We couldn't possibly—" Tatum started to argue, shaking her head.

"I insist," the baker said firmly. "You guys together?"

"Oh, we're not..." Tatum started instinctually but trailed off, glancing at Brady unsurely. It felt a bit harsh to act like it was some inconceivable occurrence.

He licked his lips, eyes darting between her and the baker. "Yeah, we're not..."

She grinned. "Ah, I see. One of those situations. I had that once. But you'd be surprised by what just one night can do."

Tatum blinked in surprise at her words. She stuck her hand out slowly and accepted the bag holding the doughnuts. "Uh, thank you. For the doughnuts."

"No problem," she said kindly. She switched the lights back off and guided them out of the bakery, locking the door behind her. Tatum snuck a glance at Brady, feeling her heart pattering in her chest. She hadn't considered anything with Brady before. He was just... complicated. The whole situation was a bit of a mess. She didn't know what to make of him half the time.

The baker turned to them, saying, "Hope you two have a nice night."

"Thank you," Brady murmured, also seeming like he was in his head a bit. The girl went the opposite direction, leaving them in front of her bakery.

Tatum's eyes darted over to Brady again, unsure of what to say next. She cleared her throat, holding up the doughnuts. "So, kinda wanna see what all the fuss is about."

She didn't wait to see what he might say. Instead, she just walked to a bench outside the bakery. Sitting down, Tatum glanced up to see if he was following her. Luckily, he was only a couple of steps behind her. He sat down next to her and she handed him one of the doughnuts, hoping to break some of the tension. He gave her a small smile as he accepted it, the frosting coating his fingertips.

Tatum took a bite of her doughnut, a few crumbs falling as she did so. She let out a small moan, eyes widening. She laughed a bit in surprise, hand going to her mouth to catch the crumbles. Her mouth was still full as she said, "Oh my god."

"See?" Brady boasted, clearly happy to be right. She couldn't even be mad about it for once. "Told you."

"That's unreal," she gushed happily, taking another bite. "Well, you won't hear this too often, but you were right."

He snorted. "Need that in writing."

"And you're ruining it," Tatum quipped teasingly, turning to him as she took another bite.

He chuckled, letting some silence fall between them. The two ate their doughnuts in peace, enjoying the night. It was relatively calm, which was surprising for New York City. It wasn't very often that there wasn't something going on to break a moment of tranquility. Though, Tatum could feel Brady's eyes check her every few moments, as if waiting for something to happen. At first, she tried to ignore it. But it was getting to be a bit much. She raised an eyebrow at him, asking a silent question. He swallowed unsurely, his gaze going from the ground back to her.

"You doing okay?" Brady asked, attempting to keep his voice casual. She clenched her jaw at the reminder of what happened earlier. Truthfully, she wished she could forget about the whole ordeal.

"Yeah," she said unconvincingly, nodding.

He narrowed his eyes. "You sure?"

Tatum paused, because no, she wasn't sure. In all honesty, she was still a bit hung up on what happened tonight. She knew that she wasn't always the best company, but was she so horrible that Nick couldn't even stand to be around her for any longer? To leave her stranded? Tatum didn't know what to do with those thoughts. What she really wanted to do was give Nick a piece of her mind. But maybe that was her issue. Maybe her attitude was what led her here. Maybe if she was... more pleasant, this wouldn't have happened. Because this always happened, didn't it?

She didn't want to dwell on it, but she wasn't sure how she could just let that go. Maybe she wasn't meant to let it go. Maybe she was supposed to learn from it. Change or be left behind. Like she was tonight. Tatum didn't want to change, exactly. But she didn't want to stay in this cycle where she met someone and they tolerate her for a moment before seeing who she truly was and not liking what they saw. She didn't want that— not anymore.

"I was really excited for that date, you know," Tatum admitted in a small voice. She sucked in a harsh breath, her eyes falling to her lap. She could feel Brady watching her from the corner of her eyes, but she didn't dare to meet his gaze. "I... I don't get asked out very often. Besides being 'busier than the fucking president' as you so kindly worded it—"

"I stand by that."

"—I'm not exactly known for my company," she said simply, turning her head to look at him. He watched her carefully, not giving any reaction to her words. "I... I'm hot-headed. I'm stubborn. I'm ambitious to a fault. I-I have to remind myself to ask my friends about their lives. I try... I try to be better. But at the end of the day, I am who I am. Most guys just don't wanna deal with it. I didn't think anyone would want to. So, when opportunity came knocking... guess I just placed all my bets on it."

Silence fell over them briefly. She was worried for a moment that she said too much. That this wasn't the right setting to say these sort of things. Not the right person.

"I don't know what made you think all that," Brady started carefully, leaning towards her slightly. "But I don't see that. You're better than you think. I mean, don't get me wrong... you're kind of a pain sometimes."

"Not helping, you ass," Tatum scoffed, a smile twitching at her lips as she nudged him with her elbow. He chuckled, shrugging.

"But you're good, you know? You're a good person," he told her slowly. "You care... a lot. You're doing all of this for your Mom. You care enough to remind yourself of that stuff. That all means something."

"Sometimes I wonder if I'm actually a good person... or if I'm just doing it all for selfish reasons," she admitted quietly, as if scared to truly say the words out loud. It made it real when she did that.

"I don't know if everything can be boiled down to good and bad," Brady countered. "Some stuff, yeah. But it's okay if you fall more in that grey area. You can be good and want things for yourself."

Tatum raised an eyebrow at him. "And when did you get so wise?"

Brady snorted, grinning wryly. "Kinda had to. Life can be like that."

"Yeah," she agreed. "It can be."

He swallowed thickly, mouth opening as if to say more. Though before he could, he stopped himself short. Tatum let him take a moment, knowing better than to try and force anything out of him. After another moment or two, he said, "I know... I know what it's like to want to do the right thing and also want something for yourself. Sometimes what we want isn't what's best."

Tatum shrugged. "You need something for yourself though."

"Not if it gives up something that matters more," Brady said quietly. He didn't provide anymore information than that, though. Tatum nodded at his words. "At least in your case, what you want is something that's good. You don't have to pick."

Tatum turned her gaze to focus on him. His eyes were distant, like he was reliving something. Like he had this conversation before. Her voice was gentle as she asked, "Do I need to repeat what you just said to me? About being a good person?"

"I just..." he started, struggling with the words, "I guess I just want you to know that you're not the only one wondering if you're always doing the right thing."

"This stuff comes easy to some people, you know? My Mom's like a saint," Tatum told him, a fond smile on her lips. "She always knows how to do the right thing. I don't know how she does it, really."

Brady fell silent for a moment. "Yeah... yeah, my Mom was like that too."

She didn't miss it.

The one word to distinguish past from present.

"I'm sorry," she whispered in a low voice. Her mouth was a bit dry and she wasn't sure how to find the right words.

He shrugged as if it didn't bother him. "Well, I guess I wouldn't really know. She died when I was a couple of months old. My Dad just always talks about her like she was one of those people that just got it, you know? Like being a good person was hardwired into her. I don't know how to be like that."

She gave him a gentle smile. "I don't think you're all that bad."

Brady raised an eyebrow at her. "You almost sound like you mean that."

"I do," Tatum insisted with earnest and he gave her a surprised look at the admission. "Seriously, I don't know what I would've done tonight without you. You're better than you think you are too."

"So, I'm no longer a 'douchebag with the world's biggest chip on his shoulder', huh?" Brady quoted coyly, referring to her remark when they first met.

She smiled as her eyes drifted away, suddenly unable to meet his gaze. "You are... many things, Brady Parker. But I think I'm starting to like that about you."

Tatum dared to look at him again, hope swelling up inside of her. His eyes softened as he told her, "Feeling's mutual, Hartley."

For once, she didn't want to move her eyes away from his gaze. She felt comfortable, which was unexpected. She couldn't help but let her mind wander slightly as she went over all of these events in her head. He surprised her, to say the least. Brady wasn't at all what she expected him to be. She didn't ever anticipate to feel this safe with him— or anyone for that matter. This felt deeper than any sort of connection she had before. It felt like everything that had happened was meant to happen. Like they were happening into a plan that had been made for them long before they met. Like things were falling into place.

Tatum didn't even realize she was speaking until she heard her voice tell him, "I think your Mom would be proud of you."

With those seemingly simple words, Brady looked at her like he had never seen her before. Like Tatum had reached up to the sky and rearranged the stars. Sometimes, she forgot how impactful words can be. What saying those certain words can mean to someone who's been wanting to hear them forever.

She liked that feeling.

The only time she had truly felt that was with her work. This was the first time she felt that for just being herself. She never expected that from anyone, to be honest. A part of Tatum was terrified that nobody would ever accept her as she was. Admittedly, she was a lot. Between her attitude and her dedication to her career, she wasn't sure if anyone would just take her as she was.

But here Brady was.

Doing just that.

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For anyone who hasn't read my previous books, that was Scarlett Alvarez who is in "Just for Tonight" and she owns a bakery and is the peoples princess. I'll mention her every chance I get actually.